The latest newsletter of the Gulf Coast Wing of the CAF has announced they have made a decision regarding the markings on AC-47 aircraft, Spooky. (See Vintage Aviation News’ articles on this aircraft’s restoration HERE and HERE.) One of the most important elements of a restoration is determining the aircraft markings, and after initial research, it has been recommended that the aircraft be marked as a tribute to the 4th Special Operations Squadron as they operated in Vietnam. The 4th flew AC-47s from bases like Na Tranh, Bien Thuy, and Da Nang, and all of those aircraft carried a two-character alpha tail code on the tail, with a three-digit numeric underneath.
The original recommendation was tail flash OS 010 which represented the 4th SOS at the end of the Vietnam conflict and is a tail code that had not been used previously on any tribute AC–47. However, after feedback from AC–47 veterans, the Gulf Coast Wing further explored proposed markings. The veterans were clear in their opinion: the OS tail code did not resonate with them. The OS tail code was introduced very late in the conflict, was used only at the Thailand base in Udorn, and appeared on only a few of the AC-47s. Most notably, none of the 86 men who were lost on AC-47s flew under the OS tail code.
While the veterans are exceptionally grateful for the work of the restoration team, the tail code OS did not represent their experience or their mission. They flew under the EN or EL tail code, as did all 86 of the Spooky aviators who died in the line of duty. After further discussion, the decision was made to return the aircraft to the EN designator it has worn since it was first painted as an AC–47 in 2007, but with a significant addition. The three-digit serial number will be 086, to represent the 86 men who died on AC-47s in the 4th Special Ops Squadron. This update makes our aircraft a true representation of all the veterans who flew and maintained the Spookies.
Spooky’s maintenance team, the Ghostbusters, are working on two major efforts now: completing the annual inspection and making the modifications needed to transform our aircraft from a C-47 into an AC–47. As with any project of this size, the need for additional work was uncovered in the form of some corrosion in the subfloor of the cargo bay. Rather than cut out and replace the bad sections of the floor beams, it was decided to remove each of the seven affected floor beams and replace them. As you might imagine, procuring these parts was a bit of a challenge but the team found all that was needed, and replacement is proceeding. Other pending work on the annual inspection includes new oil filters, control cable and fuel line inspections, new brake drums, cowl flap repairs, and more cleaning in preparation for painting.
Restoration work continues with a list of modifications to the gunship approved by the Wing Leadership that include window and door modifications. An aviation sheet metal expert has been hired and parts are being sourced. The priority is to complete the sheet metal work required to sign off on the annual inspection. The secondary effort is work that is needed to bring the aircraft configuration in conformance with the Vietnam-era gunships. For more information about Spooky and the Gulf Coast Wing, or to support the restoration work, visit the CAF Gulf Coast Wing website.
