Whiskey 7

Whiskey 7, the World War II-era plane based in Livingston County, was practicing touch-and-gos at the Genesee County Airport this afternoon.

Previously: Photos: D-Day plane stops for fuel at Genesee County Airport

We published photos of Whiskey 7 over the weekend from its refueling stop at the Genesee County Airport and shared that the plane is leaving today for France to take part of D-Day anniversary ceremonies.

This morning, The New York Times published a lengthy story about the plane and the historic trip.

The five-person, all-volunteer aircrew is packing life rafts, survival suits and other safety gear in the event of emergency. “There will be five of us onboard,” said Mike Lindsay, the crew chief, “and five parachutes.”

The farthest the Whiskey 7 has flown recently is to Wisconsin for an air show. But Mr. Lindsay and his fellow airmen say they are confident, even if the men they intend to honor are a little less so.

“I think it’s kind of nuts,” said Richard Ladd, 89, a local Veterans of Foreign Wars member who jumped out of a similar C-47 on D-Day as part of the 101st Airborne. “They’ve got more guts than we have.”

An honest bit of history was parked at the Genesee County Airport for a time this afternoon. Whiskey 7, a Douglas C-47 that actually dropped paratroopers on the beaches at Normandy, June 6, 1944, stopped for refueling on its way back to Geneseo. 

The aircraft "has been all over" said Naomi Wadsworth, the pilot. It's currently owned by the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo. After the war, it was sold to Capital Airlines, then Frontier Airlines, and then it was flown commercially in Alaska then South America before returning to the U.S. to be displayed in museums. The folks in Geneseo acquired it in 2006. 

Wadsworth said they've actually located one of the paratroopers who jumped from the plane on D-Day.

The plane is returning to Normandy on Thursday for the 70th Anniversary of the famous battle. The crew has raised enough money for fuel to make the trip there but still needs to raise money for the return flight. Six bucks buys a gallon of gas. To find out about making a donation, visit www.rtn2014.org.