DC3's: US FlyOver & Normandie departure

[zebedee]

If anyone in the central East Coast/Southern New England is interested, here is the schedule for the DC3s and C47 Dakotas, who are mustering prior to an Atlantic crossing to join others for the 75th D-Day Commemoration Drops over Normandie.

Quite an unprecedented gathering.

. _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . - . _ . -
Squadron Assembly and Training
● May 10-11: AOPA Fly-In, KFDK (Frederick, MD)
​ o ​ Aircraft: Placid Lassie, Miss Virginia, Flabob Express, Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber, Clipper Tabitha May, Virginia Ann
● May 10 - Potomac Flyover - D-Day Flight
● May 12-16: Arrival in Northeast and training flights at Oxford Waterbury Airport (OXC)
o Aircraft arrivals: Hap-instance, N150D and N18121 arrival TBD, Clipper Tabitha May is crossing solo as a pathfinder on 14 May
● ​May 12, Sun
o​ Arriving Aircraft: Placid Lassie, Flabob Express, Virginia Ann, Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber
● ​May 13, Mon
o​ Arriving Aircraft: That’s All Brother, Miss Virginia, Pan Am, The Spirit of Benovia
o Briefings and formation flight training
● May 14, Tue
o​ Arriving Aircraft: none
o AM formation flight training
o PM formation flight training
● May 15, Wed
o​ Arriving Aircraft: D-Day doll
o​ ​Excursion to the New England Air Museum for Lunch (arrive approx. 11:30, depart 14:00 to 15:00)
o​ ​Formation flight and overflight of the Pratt & Whitney Plant.
● May 16 , Thur
o​ Arriving Aircraft: Legend Airways, Miss Montana
o​ ​AM – media flights
o PM -- Survival training, Oceanic operations briefing
o​ ​Tradewind Aviation Open House
● May 17, Fri
o​ ​Media day
o Public open house
o AM - Formation practice
o​ ​PM - Formation practice
o​ ​Kickoff Dinner – 1830 in Tradewind Hangar
● May 18 , Sat
o​ ​0800 - Hudson River Flight Briefing
o​ ​1100 – launch for Hudson flight
Route of flight OXC -> Tappan Zee Bridge, south on Hudson, by the Lady, to Verazzano Bridge, turn over the bay, back up East River, along Long Island Sound to Bridgeport, north to OXC. 11 to 14 DC-3/C-47 in trail formation with 10 to 20 fighters as top cover (T-6, P-51, F4U, etc)
o​ ​1230 – return from Hudson Flight
o​ ​OXC Open House ($10/adult)
o 2030 to 2230 – sunset photo workshop

Atlantic Transit
● May 19, Sun
- 0700 depart for PQI​ (Presque Isle, Maine) – CYYR Goose Bay (Labrador)
● May 20-22: Mon, Tue, Wed
Goose Bay (Labrador) – BGBW Narsarsuaq (Greenland) – BIRK Reykjavik (Iceland)
Actual dates weather dependent
● May 22 or later
Reykjavik (Iceland) – EGPK Prestwick (Scotland)

England/Normandy Operations
● May 25, Sat: Static airshow, Preswick Airport (if we arrive in time)
● May 26, Sun: off
● May 27, Mon: depart for Duxford
● May 28 – June 1: off
● June 3, Mon
o Duxford (Imperial War Museum): Formation and airshow practice sorties
● June 4, Tue
o Duxford, Airshow
o Two official flights - 300 parachutists
● June 5, Wed
o Duxford, Airshow
o Morning: Aircraft kits and extra passenger drop off in Caen, France
o Morning para drop on a DZ (few aircraft)
o 13:40 all aircraft formation flight to Normandy, drop 300 paras on Drop Zone K (Sannerville, British 6[SUP]th[/SUP] Airborne)
o Evening para drop on a DZ (few aircraft—this is for the Special Forces Horse Soldiers (Aghanistan) )
● June 6, Thur
o Bases out of Caen
o Formation flight by Omaha Beach for heads of state with F-16s and C-130s at official ceremony
● June 7, Fri
o Airshow Caen-Carpiquet Airport France
o various Normandy flyby and para drops on DZs, likely 3 to 4 sorties per day including DZ K again
● June 8, Sat
o Airshow Caen-Carpiquet Airport France
o various Normandy flyby and para drops on DZs, likely 3 to 4 sorties per day
● June 9, Sun
o Mass Parachute Drop – Saint Mère Eglise (DZ O, US 82nd Airborne), La Fière

​

 

[mkcoen]

I spoke with a friend in the War Bird circles. He said they're going to have issues on the transit getting refueled in Greenland and Iceland. Greenland doesn't have on base fuel storage and only one truck so they'll be able to fill 2 of the 3 planes in each group before leaving to refill the truck. By the time they get back and fuel the 3rd plane the next flight will have arrived (multiply that by the number of groups transitting). Then in Iceland the fuel point is a self serve pump that the planes have to be pushed up to and away from also causing delays. It's going to be a beautiful sight when they make the Channel crossing (supposed to be more spectators in Normandy than participants on the actual D-Day) but it's going to be a cluster getting everything there.

 

[Guyfang]

This is more or less a place marker. I am going to try and get there, by hook or crook. I talked with some guys from the 173rd, and they want to go down, in addition to sending some jumpers.

 

[Sgt Jiggins]

I am going to try and get there, by hook or crook.

Wish I could. Was there for the 60th. Saw quite a few veterans. Was an experience I'll never forget.

 

[CMPPhil]

Spotted 09:25 19 May 19 New Hampshire

Hi All

Was sitting at the computer this morning and heard the sound of some big rotary aircraft engines, ran out side to see if I could spot them and what I saw was a C47/Dakota flying in the low clouds. Followed by another only got one photo that came out as they pop back into the clouds at about 2000 feet. As you can see the cloud cover was very low, they were headed north east.


If they had been 7 minutes later would neither heard nor seen them as a thunderstorm just rolled over the mountain heavy rain and ceiling dropped to under 900 feet.

My guess is they are part of the D-Day flight but by the earlier schedule listing they should be leaving Maine this morning. But with all the bad weather we have been having don't know what the schedule looks like now.

Cheers Phil
PS would have gotten more shots but had left my camera set to flash every shot so it delayed charging the flash. Got to remember to leave the camera set on no flash, then it will shoot every time the button is pushed.

 

[bikeman]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar..._pNoDMh7HJvDczooJg2djQLf2oidj3kucQsGb1hsvR7Mw

 

[mkcoen]

Pretty cool to see a C-130 decked out in D-Day Invasion stripes.