Historically significant, in their own right, aircraft should be in museums. You wouldn’t fly the Memphis Belle, Enola Gay or Flak Bait.
This aircraft led the mass airborne assault on DDay. That puts it in the same class as those others, too valuable to be risked in flight. There are other C-47s out there (CAF has two, one of which, Black Sparrow, will being going to Baesler for TurboDak conversion as part of the deal to acquire “Brother”), and other DDay veterans that can and should be flown instead.
You can make that case, but then the only people that see it are those that trek to it.
IMHO they need to be flying, so they can be seen by future generations all over.
There is nothing like seeing the look in child’s eyes when those big radials start up, with the noise and blowback from those big props, then watching it soar off into the sun.
It can be a life-changing experience. I know it was for me.
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