On Thursday May 9th, three of the anticipated six C-47s from the D-Day Squadron were on hand at Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Maryland in preparation for the formation flyover of Washington, DC and Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, May 10th. Our regular correspondent, A.Kevin Grantham, was on hand to capture some images of the aircraft as they sat on the ramp. Depending upon the weather, which has been questionable these past few days, the flight of C-47s, some of which are actual veterans of the D-Day invasion of June 6th, 1944, is due to depart Frederick for the DC flyover at around 11am. Following the flyover, they will return to Frederick by around 1pm. The aircraft will then be a part of other festivities at the airfield. AOPA is organizing a number of events taking place at Frederick over the course of the day, culminating with an aerial display and parachute drop (featuring the Liberty Jump Team) in the evening, which will also feature drones. The event will also help celebrate AOPA’s 80th anniversary. Click HERE to find the full details.
The C-47s will be in Frederick until Sunday May 11th, when they will make their way up to Oxford-Waterbury Airport near Oxford, Connecticut to join another nine C-47s from the D-Day Squadron for another set of celebrations, including a massed flyover of New York City, before heading out across the Atlantic Ocean for England, where they will then perform a parachute drop re-enactment near the D-Day beaches as part of the massive 75th anniversary celebrations of the Allied invasion of Europe this June 6th.
The aircraft scheduled to take part are:
1- C-47A-40-DL Skytrain 42-24064 – Placid Lassie – N74589 – Lead Aircraft
2 – C-47A-60-DL 43-30647 – Virginia Ann – N62CC
3 – C-47B-5-DK 43-48608 – Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber – N47SJ
4 – C-47A-30-DL 42-23669/FD879 – Flabob Express – N103NA
5 – C-47A-60-DL 43-30665 – Miss Virginia – N47E
6 – C-47B-50-DK 45-1108 – Clipper Tabitha May – N33611
Many thanks indeed to A.Kevin Grantham for the photographs!
