CAF Gulf Coast Wing’s Maintenance begins on AC-47

In May of this year, the CAF Gulf Coast Wing announced the acquisition of an AC-47 that had been stored in a hangar at the Atlanta Motor Speedway Airport, south of Atlanta, since 2020. The aircraft was ferried to the Commemorative Air Force headquarters in Dallas for an initial evaluation and assessment of the restoration work needed.

The Gulf Coast Wing decided to tell the story of the AC-47 and the unit’s search led them to an exciting find – a C-47 already partially configured as an AC-47 located near Atlanta, Georgia appropriately named Spooky. The aircraft initially was transferred to the Navy as an R4D-6 with the BuNo. 50788 and left military service in 1958, registered with the Federal Aviation Administration as N49, later holding registrations N2006J and N235GB with different owners. Eventually, it was acquired by the Lone Star Flight Museum in Texas as part of Rick Sharp’s Vietnam War Flight Museum collection. In July 2014 the Collings Foundation of Stow, MA acquired Spooky and, following an extensive overhaul, it completed its first post-overhaul flight on March 29, 2020. The CAF Gulf Coast Wing Maintenance team recently traveled to Dallas to officially begin the restoration of their newly acquired AC-47. Although the aircraft has a written and approved inspection protocol, the team plans to conduct a very detailed examination, one more thorough than a standard inspection. Fortunately, Spooky’s engines were recently overhauled, eliminating the need for engine rebuilding. Additionally, the landing gear, wheels, and tires are either new or newly refurbished. The team will carefully inspect the flight controls and the entire airframe, pulling up floorboards, opening panels, and examining every fastener, cable, and connection. Now is the ideal time to perform this meticulous work before moving on to painting or making any interior modifications. To learn more about the CAF Gulf Coast Wing you can visit their website or check out their page on Facebook.