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Posted: Nov 11, 2021 4:00 PMUpdated: Nov 11, 2021 5:57 PM

WWII DC-3 Aircraft Finds Home in Bartlesville

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Garrett Giles

A World War II aircraft finds a home in Bartlesville.

Chuck Hannah of Skiatook, a retired military member, works for the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team (ADT) based out of Frederick, Oklahoma. Hannah was one of three people that helped pilot a DC-3 to Bartlesville Municipal Airport following a Veterans Day Parade in Tulsa on Thursday afternoon. Hannah, who has served as an aircraft mechanic and served in the Airborne Special Services, now serves as a Junior Mechanic for the team on the plane.

Having hanger space in Bartlesville has been a vision for the ADT for quite some time. Hannah says it was a dream come true because they can separate their two paratrooper planes. He says they were keeping both of their aircraft in one hanger in Frederick, and if anything happened to the hanger with the planes inside, they would lose the program entirely.

Hannah says separating the aircraft gives ADT more exposure to this part of the country. He says keeping the aircraft separate keeps them safe, too.

The DC-3 will be flying over downtown Bartlesville during the Veterans Day Parade on Saturday. The public is invited to see the aircraft at the Bartlesville Municipal Airport following the parade. All you have to do is drop by and say you want to see the plane. ADT will be on hand to give you a tour and talk to you about the aircraft.

Hannah flew to Bartlesville in the DC-3 with Kevin Conner and Bob Prather.

ADT pays homage to America's Armed Forces, past and present. Hannah says the purpose of maintaining and showing their C-47 and DC-3 is to preserve the memory of World War II paratroopers. He says they want to keep the sacrifice of WWII paratroopers on the public's mind.

Every time the WWII Airborne Team has a graduation from their school, they hold an "Open Hanger Day." Hannah says they invite WWII paratroopers – veterans that jumped out of C-47's in places such as Normandy, Holland, the Rhine, and the Battle of the Bulge – every year. He says they have guest of honor chairs in front of the hanger when they hold the ceremony.

Hannah says there are less and less people showing up to fill the chairs with each passing year. He says it will be a sad day for the country when all those chairs are empty, which is why they keep the C-47 and DC-3 alive and in the air. They want to keep the plane in the air to remind people what these heroes did for America and the world.

People from all over the world visit Frederick to jump from one of ADT's two planes while they are in formation. Hannah says people that take the course go through an intensive training, which is similar to the training airborne service members went through at Fort Benning in Georgia. He says those that go through the course are taught by experienced instructors that are almost all ex-military and former paratroopers.

Hannah says everything is done to the highest standard. He says the FAA approved program is done in a very systematic and correct way as they hold themselves to the highest standards of any parachute training school in the nation.

The DC-3 in Bartlesville is an aircraft that the Army Air Corps took in WWII. Hannah says the plane was built in January 1941 in Santa Monica, California. He says the plane was taken off the assembly line and served as a cargo and transport vessel for the Army Air Corps.

During an Open Hanger Day at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum, a gentleman sat in the DC-3 that is now housed in Bartlesville and told Hannah and the crew that his father worked on DC-3's in Santa Monica, California in 1941 and '42. Hannah says he chimed in and told the man that his father more than likely helped build the plane back in the day. He says outreach moments such as this make what they do worthwhile

Hannah says they are happy to be in Bartlesville. He says ADT hopes you get just as much out of this move as they will.

While the DC-3 is stationed in the Bartlesville Municipal Airport, ADT is retaining its headquarters in Frederick. The hope is to have more shows in Bartlesville.

To learn more about ADT's program, click here.


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