| | This aircraft was built as C-47A 43-15536 and delivered to the USAAF on 4/6/44, and six days later assigned to the U.S. Air Transport Command. After WWII the plane was assigned in the USA to Reconstruction Finance Corp. on 10/31/45. It became NC50322 with the L.B. Smith Aircraft Corp. In 1953 the plane was sold as N49V to Piedmont Aviation and named “Piedmont Tennessee Valley.” Subsequently it went to Charlotte Aircraft Cop as N51V. On 10/20/61 the plane was sold to the Spanish Air Force as T3-27, and during June 1971 was coded 901-7 with Escuadrillas 901 based at Grando. In March 1974 the plane was with Escuadrone 745 at Matacan and coded 745-27. The plane was WFU on 2/1/78, and subsequently was flown to the U.K. and registered G-BGCG with Fairoaks Aviation Services on 11/20/78. This registration was cancelled on 1/31/80, and six weeks later the aircraft was registered as N5595T with Westair International at Monument, CO, but the plane was never delivered and the registration was cancelled in Aug 1981. On 2/12/85 the plane was restored to G-BCGC, and was last seen to be derelict at Thruxton, minus engines and rudder, with faded Spanish Air Force Markings as well as signs of N5595T. As of 2010 it was owned and stored by Hatch/Rotary Farm, Bedfordshire. (info up to 1988 from Arthur Pearcy’s “Douglas DC-3 Survivors”). |
