Piedmont Dc-3 Being Restored

robbedagain

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Oct 13, 2003
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it looks as though the Museum in North Carolina is looking for any Charlotte area maintaince personell who can help in any way with the rebuilding of a Piedmont DC-3 I think the tail number is N56V. I dont know if it is the actual tail number or what but that is on the website
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Is this another DC-3?

As the Carolinas Aviation Museum has a flying Piedmont DC-3, I had the pleasure of flying on it in Tampa.
 
I believe that this is another aircraft that is up in Spencer NC...there is an article on Just Plane News...
 
Is this another DC-3?

As the Carolinas Aviation Museum has a flying Piedmont DC-3, I had the pleasure of flying on it in Tampa.


If memory serves me correctly, the flying Piedmont DC-3 was never actually in service for Piedmont. I believe it was originally an (Army) Air Force airplane and never saw commerical passenger service. Maybe someone found a DC-3 that Piedmont actually owned and now wants to restore it.
 
Driver,

You are correct...The flying DC-3 was just a working model of the original. (56V is the real mcCoy) Long ago, I heard someone say it was in a old airplane graveyard down in Fla...!!

Unfortunately, it sounds like it needs a lot of work. I have some DC-3 experience and know that finding parts can be a bit overwhelming. The aircraft had two types of engines, PW 1830’s or 92’s. The 92’s are very very hard to come by and the overhauled 1830’s are expensive. The airframe is almost bullet proof and needs very little to maintain it.

Engines will be the challenge. Good Luck.

SL
 
If memory serves me correctly, the flying Piedmont DC-3 was never actually in service for Piedmont. I believe it was originally an (Army) Air Force airplane and never saw commercial passenger service. Maybe someone found a DC-3 that Piedmont actually owned and now wants to restore it.
The original Piedmont DC-3 was found in South America but was beyond repair/restoration. The DC-3 now flying at Carolinas Aviation Museum was never part of the Piedmont fleet, but was restored by Piedmont and the many volunteers/contributors prior to the merger with AAA. It was re-registered with the original A/C's number "N44V". After the merger, it was purchased buy the Carolinas Aviation Museum with money from donations. You may remember "Save the DC-3" campaign. The DC-3 mentioned in the article was actually part of the Piedmont fleet, but was not the original A/C.
 
700: i do believe that this would the second DC-3 they have if I remember back in 2000 I was in CLT for a GSC training and they had a DC-3 Pi there but I think you told me it was a museum then so i believe that this is the 2nd dc3
 
There is a 2nd DC-3 sitting @ the museum, it was flying for Sabre Cargo Airlines before they shut down....
 
There is a 2nd DC-3 sitting @ the museum, it was flying for Sabre Cargo Airlines before they shut down....
I believe the DC-3 to be restored is for the N.C. Transportation Museum in Salisbury, NC. I'm not positive, but I remember an article in the newspaper about their plans to add a Piedmont DC-3 there.
 
The DC-3 that the North Carolina Museum of Transportation in Spencer , N.C. has aquired...is a real Ex-PI plane that sat outside a Museum in Raleigh , N.C. for years.

The Museum in RDU did not have the ability or the resources to properly restore it or house it...So they donated it to the Transportation Museum at the old Spencer Rail Road Shops.

The plane is in pretty bad shape from being outside for so many years...and its going to take a monumental effort just to get it to look like N44V does...but I'm certain it won't be going all the way back to being Air Worthy.

N44V is a piece of flying art....and those whom are lucky enough to have flown on it are just that "Lucky"
The Carloina's Historical Aircraft Commision can no longer offer pay for rides on it...as the insurance liabilities have curtailed this happening anymore. The Aircraft remains very active flying the Air Show circuit..and it has appeared in a couple of movies since being purchased from USAir.