C-47 "Texas Zephyr" CAF Headquarters

The C-47 Texas Zephyr was built in Oklahoma City in late 1944 as a C-47B serial number 43-49942; then flown to Montreal, Canada where it was transferred to Great Britain under the Lend-Lease program. The aircraft was ferried to England and served with the RAF. In 1945 it was assigned to the No. 435 Transport Squadron, a Canadian unit as KN270. It was ferried to Canada in 1946. The aircraft received the Canadian Forces serial 12909 in 1970. It was surplussed and entered civilian service in 1974. From 1974 until 1995, the aircraft was owned by a number of Canadian airline and charter companies, after which it was repatriated to the U.S. This aircraft was donated it to the CAF in January of 2020 by Mr. Karl Ritter. Upon being assigned the aircraft, the Highland Lakes Squadron executed a two engine restoration project to bring the aircraft up to operational standards.

She now serves as a living memorial to the thousands of men and women who built, serviced and flew them during the War years.

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain began as the military adaptation of the revolutionary DC-3 airliner and became one of World War II's most versatile aircraft. Built for the U.S. Army Air Forces, the C-47 carried troops and cargo, evacuated wounded personnel, towed gliders, and dropped paratroopers in operations around the world. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operated their own versions, designated R4D, for transport, supply, and personnel missions across vast wartime distances.

After World War II, the aircraft remained in military service for decades. In 1962, the Navy redesignated R4Ds as C-47s under the standardized U.S. military designation system. During the Vietnam War, the venerable transport assumed a new role. Modified with side-firing miniguns, the AC-47 gunship—nicknamed “Spooky”—provided sustained fire support to troops and defended bases and villages at night.

Few aircraft adapted so successfully to so many missions across so many decades.