A HISTORIC aircraft that has starred in countless Hollywood films has been spotted arriving on the Southend Airport runway.
The Douglas C-47A Skytrain (DC3) was built in 1943 and was used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War.
In its military retirement, the plane became part of the Ace’s High historic aircraft fleet, appearing in films such as Catch 22, Saving Private Ryan and Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade.
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A spokesperson for Southend Airport’s air traffic control centre said: “Today we welcomed N147DC here at London Southend Airport. This is a Douglas C-47A Skytrain (DC-3), a living piece of aviation history.
“Built in 1943, it was originally delivered to the USAAF as 42-100884, then served with the Royal Air Force as TS423 during WWII.
“Later it flew for the RAE (Royal Aircraft Establishment), helping test radar systems — even having a non-standard nose for a time.
“After being rescued from retirement, it became part of Aces High’s historic aircraft fleet, appearing in films and airshows — and finally re-registered as N147DC in 1998. Some of the films this DC-3 appeared in are: Catch 22, Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade, Saving Private Ryan and many more.”
