PRESS RELEASE
The American Airpower Museum (AAM) in Farmingdale, New York, continues its popular “C-47 D-Day Living History Flight Experience” with four 2025 dates to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The four scheduled Saturday flights are on May 3rd, June 28th, September 6th and October 4th (rain date next day Sunday). Our passengers fly in an original WWII Douglas C-47 Skytrain Second Chance, and are joined by AAM’s living historians for a breathtakingly realistic and unforgettable recreation of what U.S. Paratroopers experienced on D-Day. Three flights are set for each date, between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with a fourth in case of extra demand. Seats are allocated a first-come, first-served basis and book up fast, so act now to reserve your C-47 flight. To book flights online, visit www.americanairpowermuseum.org and click on the Flight Experience tab, or call (516) 531-3950, (631) 454-2039, or visit AAM’s gift shop Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY 11735.
AAM’s mission is to educate the public about aviation history and in particular, the important role that military aviation has played in defense of the United States during World War II and beyond. Our flights are an excellent way to teach present-day Americans what it was like to participate in an actual combat mission during WWII. AAM’s Living History Flight Experience is a one-of-a-kind immersive educational program, where living historians join you in an original WWII C-47 as reenactors, to give a sense of what 101st and 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers felt on their incredible 1,200-plane D-Day assault, when Allied forces stormed the coast of northern France. The crew are all licensed pilots, some in the reserves or ex-military, who have flown our C-47 and other restored aircraft for several years. Your commanding officer is famous WWII living historian Robert Scarabino, Director of the 101st Airborne Living History Group, who has led AAM’s C-47 D-Day flights since 2003.
With his 101st Airborne Living Historians, Honorary Captain Scarabino transports passengers back in time. Your flight experience as a WWII paratrooper includes: a mission briefing for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation which launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II; a chance to wear authentic military field jackets, helmets, and gear throughout the mission; the rare chance to take flight in an original WWII C-47, one of the last few true C-47s still in original military condition. The 506 PIR CO starts off in the Hangar 3 “Ready Room,” with walls covered by maps of the French coast. He lays out your objective, to destroy a Nazi German garrison and secure causeways leading to the beach. Before dismissing his “paratroopers,” he will issue them a tourniquet, a box of what was meant to be morphine, plus a reminder to take out a GI life insurance policy. “You’ve been training hard and fast for two years,” Scarabino shouts to the room full of his soldiers. “God bless you, and I’ll see you in the assembly area.”
Once on board, Scarabino’s “paratroopers” will experience the sights, smells, and sounds as the C-47’s mighty engines fire up and you’re off into the blue. You’ll watch the crew operate their C-47 as “paratroopers” get ready for battle. As they fly over Jones Beach, everyone lines up and gets ready to parachute down. They will relive the WWII experience right up to the very moment when each soldier hooks up their parachute to the above static line and gets ready to jump. After about half an hour in the air, the aircraft returns to Republic airport, taxis to Hangar 3 and you disembark. At the beginning of the experience, each passenger is assigned the identity of a member of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and once back in the hangar, each will pull a card from their pocket and find out the actual paratrooper’s fate whose identity they assumed. For most, this exciting flight experience represents a teachable moment that is impossible to forget.
This is a wonderful way to educate Americans about WWII and our Greatest Generation veterans. You’ll support AAM’s mission to honor veterans and military aviation history by helping to maintain and preserve these iconic aircraft, along with the Museum’s incredible static exhibits. Cost for each C-47 flight is $375. A flight experience entitles you to bring an additional person who can watch the flights take off and land, plus visit AAM’s exhibits all day free of charge. Others may also wish to visit AAM on these four scheduled dates, just to watch each flight and tour the museum. In that case, admission for adults is $20, seniors and veterans $15, and children ages 5-12 $10. No tickets or pre-registration is needed for regular admission.
The museum’s C-47 Second Chance was transferred to the Royal Air Force in 1945 and flew in the Berlin Airlift (1948 – 1949) with the RAF, serving until 1950. The aircraft next served in the Belgian Air Force for two years. In 1952 she went to the French Air Force, serving two years in Vietnam, as well as India, Algeria, Morocco, and the Congo. In 1967 she was sold to Israel and flew in the Israeli Defense Force 32 years. Offered for sale in 1999, she was renovated by Aero Services and acquired by the American Airpower Museum in 2001. Aside from AAM’s C-47 Living History Flights, she also performs at regional air shows in classic WWII D-Day markings with the original “D8” code. One of the last C-47s in stock military configuration, this aircraft has just over 18,000 hours in the air, one of the world’s lowest flight times ever. C-47s were nicknamed “Gooney Birds” by their pilots after the albatross seabird, which has an impressive wingspan and is known for its endurance and ability to fly great distances. To book flights online, visit www.americanairpowermuseum.org and click on the Flight Experience tab, or call (516) 531-3950, (631) 454-2039, or visit AAM’s gift shop Wednesday to Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Hangar 3, 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale, NY 11735.
