In the fall of 2023 a Spokane, WA judge ruled that all of the Historic Flight Foundation’s collection of vintage airplanes was to be put on sale to satisfy business debts incurred by the foundation’s founder-related company. Platinum Fighters Sales was contracted to sell the entire collection which included a Supermarine Spitfire, a 1941 Boeing A75N1 Stearman, a 1945 Piper L-4J, a 1960 deHavilland DHC-2 Mk Beaver, and many others. All the airplanes were sold, except for the iconic 1943 Douglas DC-3C, s/n 20806, N877MG.
The Historic Flight Foundation’s DC-3 began life in the Douglas Aircraft Co. Long Beach, California plant as one of 300 C-47s built specifically for the China-Burma-India theater of operations. Unique features include long-range fuel tanks and supercharged engines for performance at altitude. Delivered to China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) in Calcutta, it supplied U.S. armed forces and Nationalist Chinese from 1944 to 1945.
Pan American Airways partnered with the Nationalist Chinese government to operate CNAC. Many CNAC pilots had flown with the Flying Tigers, which by that point in the war had been disbanded. These pilots sought cloudy weather or flew at night to avoid Japanese fighter planes. From April 1942, when the Burma Road was lost, until the end of the war in August 1945, CNAC crews made more than 38,000 trips over the Himalayan mountains, or the ‘Hump’ as it was referred to colloquially. They transported approximately 114,500 tons of people and supplies. Post-war, CNAC continued its operations as the leading airline in mainland China.
In 1949, Civil Air Transport (CAT) acquired CNAC. Claire Chennault, of Flying Tigers fame, had formed CAT with the support of the U.S. State Department to keep CNAC aircraft out of Communist hands. Even so, the Communist and Nationalist Chinese disputed ownership of 71 former CNAC aircraft through British courts in Hong Kong. During this aircraft’s three-year stay at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airport, waiting for the dispute to be resolved, she suffered damage when a booby-trap, apparently the work of a Nationalist agent, exploded and created a hole in the starboard wing. The court case ended favorably for CAT, and as a result, N877MG was soon on a ship bound for the USA. Grand Central Aircraft Company in Glendale, California converted the aircraft into a ‘Super DC-3’. Its new life as a VIP aircraft spanned five decades and included many owners, such as the International Shoe Machine Co. and Johnson & Johnson. The Historic Flight Foundation acquired N877MG in 2006 and based her at Paine Field, their home in Mukilteo, Washington State. Shortly thereafter, they began to restore the historic transport to recreate a Pan American Airways DC-3 airliner from 1949, while preserving the luxury interior enjoyed by corporate executives of the period.
For more information and details about this aircraft, visit Platinum Fighters Sales’ website.
The airplane was one of the fifteen airplanes that in 2019, joined the D-Day Squadron, the American contingent of Douglas C-47, DC-3, and C-41 transports that participated in the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Europe. This airplane could be deployed immediately to participate in the Squadron’s 2024 Legacy Tour.
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Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
THE P40N SHOWN LOOKS A LITTLE BIT LIKE A DC-3?