See Maine from above in a WWII-era plane
From left, Declan Regan, Delmer Hernandez and Paul Gleaton rotate a propeller while testing for hydraulic lock before the World War II Douglas C-47B Skytrain “Second Chance” lifted off from Brunswick Executive Airport on Friday, July 10. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer)
BRUNSWICK — Brunswick Landing was already buzzing with aviation fans Friday ahead of this weekend’s Great State of Maine Air Show. Onlookers were setting up folding chairs near the Brunswick Executive Airport and climbing atop cars in parking lots hoping to catch some practice runs.
In addition to witnessing impressive aerobatic feats — including the highly anticipated Maine return of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels — air show attendees will see some military history, with aircraft on display representing several wartime eras.
I got a chance to fly back in time as a passenger on one of these planes Friday morning.
Our ride was a Douglas C-47B Skytrain dubbed “Second Chance,” a World War II transport aircraft owned by the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York.
Pilot Chris Orr prepares the World War II Douglas C-47B Skytrain “Second Chance” for flight at Brunswick Executive Airport on Friday. The aircraft was built in 1944 and is owned by the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
The C-47 is best known as the plane that carried more than 23,000 Allied paratroopers to France on D-Day — June 6, 1944.
Built in 1944, Second Chance just missed D-Day, but the plane saw plenty of action before becoming the educational tool it is today.
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The U.S. Army Air Force transferred Second Chance to the British shortly after it was built, where it helped fly supplies into blockaded West Berlin. The plane went on to serve the Belgian Air Force, and then the French Air Force, where it flew missions in Vietnam. It then spent most of its active military service — 32 years — with the Israeli Air Force.
“This is the thing that revolutionized air travel, because other aircraft at the time could not come close,” said Art Pushkin, a volunteer crew member and one of our guides for the morning.
Volunteer crew member Art Pushkin communicates with the pilots while flying over Casco Bay on the World War II Douglas C-47B Skytrain “Second Chance” on Friday. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
When I arrived at the flightline, I took a moment to walk around the C-47 (which looked like a behemoth next to the Blue Angels’ Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets) and admire its black-and-white stripes — painted to resemble the C-47s that flew on D-Day.
A team of volunteers from the American Airpower Museum maintains the C-47 and brings it to airshows across the Northeast. They briefed us on the flight and safety protocols, and we met our pilots, Chris Orr and Dave Wigley.
After my fellow passengers (other members of the media and some in the air show business) and I signed our waivers and did a little exploring in the army-green cabin, we clipped into our seats along the inner fuselage of the craft and were on our way down the runway.
Takeoff wasn’t nearly as noisy or bumpy as one would expect from a 1940s aircraft — some passengers joked it was smoother than some commercial flights they’ve taken.
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We lifted off and were greeted by gorgeous views of the Midcoast’s waters and forests.
Second Chance carried us over the Kennebec River, where we spotted the familiar candy cane crane of Bath Iron Works, before heading over Casco Bay where we peered down at the miniature-looking houses on the Harpswell islands.
Orr’s Island, left, and Bailey Island, right, can be seen through the window of the World War II Douglas C-47B Skytrain “Second Chance” on Friday. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
Soaring at around 1,100 feet, we were allowed to move around the plane and take in the sights. Museum volunteers took us one by one to view the overwhelming array of levers, dials and buttons in the cockpit.
“I think I’m getting the hang of it,” Wigley, one of our expert pilots, joked.
Wigley has been a pilot for more than 50 years and has spent eight of those flying the C-47. It takes a lot of experience with other aircraft and some getting used to, he said.
“This aircraft is different because it has a tail wheel,” Wigley said. “It’s trickier to take off and land, especially if you have wind.”
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Pilots Dave Wigley, left, and Chris Orr prepare for takeoff while sitting in the cockpit of the World War II Douglas C-47B Skytrain “Second Chance” at Brunswick Executive Airport on Friday. Wigley and Chris Orr flew the aircraft from the American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York to Brunswick for The Great State of Maine Air Show. (Daryn Slover/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image
After about 20 minutes, we completed a big loop and touched down smoothly at Brunswick Airport.
While we didn’t have to parachute out of the plane at any point, it’s impossible not to think of the many troops who sat in identical seats (maybe even in the Second Chance itself) during the C-47’s decades of military operation.
The American Airpower Museum hosts D-Day reenactment rides in its C-47, during which passengers gear up in uniform and put themselves in the shoes of the WWII paratroopers.
Asked about his favorite part of flying such a rare and historic plane, Wigley said he loves meeting people with connections to D-Day, either through their own military service or a family member’s.
“Many times we get folks in the aircraft whose grandfathers, or uncles, or sometimes fathers, were actually involved in the operation years ago,” he said. “In fact, last year, there was a veteran who actually flew in these during the Second World War — he was 101 years old.”
THE SHOW
The Great State of Maine Air Show will take place at the Brunswick Executive Airport on July 11 and 12. Featured performers include the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Royal Air Force Red Arrows. Gates open at 9 a.m. Tickets are available online for Sunday; Saturday was sold out early.
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Tagged: airshow, history, Times Record, Times Record News
Katie covers Brunswick, Bath and Freeport for the Times Record. She was previously the weekend reporter at the Portland Press Herald and is originally from the Hudson Valley region of upstate New York. More by Katie Langley
