World War II plane coming to Greene, Washington counties
鈥淏each City Baby,鈥� a restored 1942 Douglas C-53-DO Skytrooper, will be available for tours July 1 at the Washington County Airport. (Photos courtesy of Jason Capra)
Courtesy of Jason Capra
Courtesy of Jason Capra
Jason Capra in the cockpit of 鈥淏each City Baby.鈥�
Courtesy of Jason Capra
Courtesy of Jason Capra
A view inside the cockpit of this restored World War II aircraft
A view inside the cabin of the restored World War II transport plane (Photos courtesy of Jason Capra)
A piece of history is coming to Greene and Washington counties.
A restored 1942 Douglas C-53-DO Skytrooper, used as a transport plane in World War II, will be at the airport from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 1, and at Greene County鈥檚 Aviation Days Aug. 19 and 20 at the county airport in Waynesburg.
鈥淭he airplane will be open to the public,鈥� said Jason Capra, president and founder of Vintage Wings Inc., a nonprofit with the mission of creating a flying memorial via a living history experience. 鈥淥ur crew will be there to give tours of the aircraft and talk about its history.鈥�
Capra, of Oakdale, said the only request of those who tour the plane is a donation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 totally up to the individual how much they want to donate,鈥� Capra said. 鈥淓very bit of money that we get goes to operating and maintaining the aircraft.鈥�
The aircraft was initially slated for commercial use and was on a factory floor in Santa Monica, Calif., when Pearl Harbor was attacked. It was pressed into service weeks later.
鈥淲hen it was done being constructed, it was drafted into the military,鈥� Capra said. 鈥淚t flew the entire duration of the war in the Mediterranean and North African Campaign.鈥�
From 1963 to 1983, the plane was known as 鈥淏uckeye One,鈥� the official state transport aircraft of the governor of Ohio.
Capra initially spotted the plane in 2015 while driving back roads on a journey home after a training session in Indianapolis.
鈥淚 stumbled across this little grass airport in a little town called Beach City, Ohio,鈥� Capra said. 鈥淚 saw the silhouette of this DC-3 sitting there in the field. It looked like it hadn鈥檛 moved in 20 or 30 years. I couldn鈥檛 believe what I was looking at. There was this piece of history sitting in a field rotting away.鈥�
It took a little while, but a deal was eventually struck in 2016 to purchase the airplane for $100,000, as members of Vintage Wings worked to secure necessary funding after Capra鈥檚 $20,000 downpayment.
With that completed, work needed to be done on the aircraft tabbed 鈥淏each City Baby鈥� to bring it to Pennsylvania.
鈥淚 gathered a team of aircraft mechanics and restoration guys that I know worked on vintage aircrafts and pilots I fly with that are interested in historical aviation,鈥� Capra said. 鈥淲e made a laundry list of everything we needed to do to make this plane flyable.鈥�
After almost two years of work and about another $200,000, Vintage Wings C-53 was granted a flight permit by the Federal Aviation Administration in October 2018 and flown to Franklin, Pa, near Oil City.
鈥淲e had a hanger there waiting for it,鈥� Capra said. 鈥淲e were able to put our restoration shop in there.鈥�
More restoration work was necessary and about $500,000 to $700,000 needed to be raised to restore it to its 1942 appearance.
鈥淚 wanted the plane to look exactly as it did,鈥� Capra said.
That job was completed in 2021 and the next year, the plane was on the air show circuit for the first time, appearing at about 15 air shows.
Capra gets emotional when talking about the plane coming to the Washington County Airport, where he worked after school and summers as a student at McGuffey High School, from where he graduated in 2002.
鈥淚t is a dream come true,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 even tell you how many evenings I used to sit up there daydreaming, about having not only my own airplane, but as a teenager I knew I was going to own a World War II airplane. It鈥檚 all I ever wanted to do was own and operate a World War II airplane and honor that generation. I always felt a special connection to that World War II generation.鈥�
鈥淭he airplane really is a time capsule,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is a living, breathing, flying 81-year old artifact, which looks exactly as it did when it went overseas in 1942. We restored everything. I want people to realize the sacrifice people made at that time for a greater good. This airplane is a symbol for what we can do when we all unite and get along and work for a common good.鈥�