On October 6, C-53 Skytrooper “Beach City Baby” returned to the air for the fist time in 25 years following over two years of work.
The aircraft (S/N 41-20095) was constructed by Douglas and was on the factory floor when the Pearl Harbor attack occurred in December 1941. It was delivered to the USAAC in January 1942 and was soon flown to Africa to participate in Operation Torch. The machine also saw service transporting troops and VIPs during the war and completed its service with FEA, Cairo Division.
Following civilian service with Danish Airlines/SAS and a stint as “Buckeye One,” the official state aircraft for the governor of Ohio, the Skytrooper was retired and flown to the USAF Museum in Dayton, Ohio where it remained until 1990, when it was acquired by Ohio University of Athens and stripped of its engines. Eventually Ken Joseph stepped in and returned it to an airworthy state, obtaining a ferry permit and flying it to Beach City, Ohio in 1992.
With its first flight complete, the machine is now safely at its new home at Franklin Venango Regional Airport in Western Pennsylvania, where work to complete its restoration to full airworthiness will continue. It is hoped that the aircraft will “one day join her sisters and tour the country being displayed at airports nationwide.”
Check out the newly released video below.
(via Vintage Wings Inc. Top Photo: Google Earth)
