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| Preparing a Veteran of D-Day for Its Return to Normandy | Preparing a Veteran of D-Day for Its Return to Normandy |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| GENESEO, N.Y. — The plane has no fixed seats, no flight attendants, no in-flight movie and no bathroom. It is not heated, insulated or pressurized. And on its last tour over France, somebody tried to shoot it down. | GENESEO, N.Y. — The plane has no fixed seats, no flight attendants, no in-flight movie and no bathroom. It is not heated, insulated or pressurized. And on its last tour over France, somebody tried to shoot it down. |
| But on Thursday, a septuagenarian war horse known as the Whiskey 7 will take off from a grass airstrip in central New York to attempt its most ambitious post-armistice mission: a trans-Atlantic crossing to pay tribute to the young Americans who went to war in Europe and those who never came home. | But on Thursday, a septuagenarian war horse known as the Whiskey 7 will take off from a grass airstrip in central New York to attempt its most ambitious post-armistice mission: a trans-Atlantic crossing to pay tribute to the young Americans who went to war in Europe and those who never came home. |
| The plane — a twin-engine, propeller-driven C-47 military transport — will cross the famously frigid North Atlantic for the 70th anniversary of the storming of Normandy during World War II, when the Whiskey 7 was a lead plane in a Britain-based group that dropped paratroopers over coastal France. This time around, its crew will navigate a 3,600-mile-long — and presumably flak-free — route, making refueling stops in Maine, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland before buzzing the skies over Omaha Beach in early June. | The plane — a twin-engine, propeller-driven C-47 military transport — will cross the famously frigid North Atlantic for the 70th anniversary of the storming of Normandy during World War II, when the Whiskey 7 was a lead plane in a Britain-based group that dropped paratroopers over coastal France. This time around, its crew will navigate a 3,600-mile-long — and presumably flak-free — route, making refueling stops in Maine, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland before buzzing the skies over Omaha Beach in early June. |
| Or so they hope. 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.” | Or so they hope. 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. | 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.” | “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.” |
| Organizers of the trip scoff at that notion, saying that the flight is a fitting tribute to the veterans who braved the skies over Europe in far more dire and deadly circumstances and who — like the C-47 itself — are fading fast. | Organizers of the trip scoff at that notion, saying that the flight is a fitting tribute to the veterans who braved the skies over Europe in far more dire and deadly circumstances and who — like the C-47 itself — are fading fast. |
| “Used to be everybody in town had been in the war; veterans were dime a dozen,” said Austin Wadsworth, the president of the National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, which is sponsoring the trip. “And now we start looking and saying, ‘They’re going to be gone.’ ” | |
| The commemorations in Normandy are expected to bring a rush of tourists, Allied and Axis alumni, invasion re-enactors, and various presidents and prime ministers, including President Obama and Vladimir V. Putin. | The commemorations in Normandy are expected to bring a rush of tourists, Allied and Axis alumni, invasion re-enactors, and various presidents and prime ministers, including President Obama and Vladimir V. Putin. |
| The Whiskey 7 crew — including Mr. Lindsay and four pilots, among them two experienced aviators from US Airways — is taking off three weeks before the June 6 anniversary, with the plane scheduled to participate in a commemorative jump by an American parachute team over original D-Day drop zones. | The Whiskey 7 crew — including Mr. Lindsay and four pilots, among them two experienced aviators from US Airways — is taking off three weeks before the June 6 anniversary, with the plane scheduled to participate in a commemorative jump by an American parachute team over original D-Day drop zones. |
| It will be slow going: The Whiskey 7 will travel at about 140 miles per hour, roughly a quarter of the cruising speed of the average contemporary commercial flight. And while the plane will spend most of its time below the 10,000-foot level, at which oxygen is necessary, the air temperature inside the fuselage will probably linger around zero. (For higher altitudes the crew will carry supplemental tanks of oxygen.) | It will be slow going: The Whiskey 7 will travel at about 140 miles per hour, roughly a quarter of the cruising speed of the average contemporary commercial flight. And while the plane will spend most of its time below the 10,000-foot level, at which oxygen is necessary, the air temperature inside the fuselage will probably linger around zero. (For higher altitudes the crew will carry supplemental tanks of oxygen.) |
| “That’s why I’m kind of looking forward to stopping in Scotland,” said Mr. Lindsay, who said he planned to pack a thermal sleeping bag, heavily layer his clothes, and celebrate when the plane reached Europe. “I want to get a good bottle of single malt.” | “That’s why I’m kind of looking forward to stopping in Scotland,” said Mr. Lindsay, who said he planned to pack a thermal sleeping bag, heavily layer his clothes, and celebrate when the plane reached Europe. “I want to get a good bottle of single malt.” |
| Round-nosed, wide-bodied and seemingly pointed up into a climb even when sitting still, the C-47 was critical to the American military during World War II: a rugged and reliable transport capable of carrying a small bulldozer or more than two dozen men that flew everywhere from North Africa to “over the hump,” the perilous crossings over the Himalayas. | Round-nosed, wide-bodied and seemingly pointed up into a climb even when sitting still, the C-47 was critical to the American military during World War II: a rugged and reliable transport capable of carrying a small bulldozer or more than two dozen men that flew everywhere from North Africa to “over the hump,” the perilous crossings over the Himalayas. |
| The C-47, known as the gooney bird, and its civilian predecessor, the DC-3, “are iconic airplanes in the history of aviation,” said Jeremy Kinney, curator for American military aviation at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. | The C-47, known as the gooney bird, and its civilian predecessor, the DC-3, “are iconic airplanes in the history of aviation,” said Jeremy Kinney, curator for American military aviation at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. |
| “It’s the culmination of two decades of work,” said Mr. Kinney, citing the plane’s metal fuselage, streamlined design and retractable landing gear, among other features. “You stick jet engines on it and you’ve got a modern airplane.” | “It’s the culmination of two decades of work,” said Mr. Kinney, citing the plane’s metal fuselage, streamlined design and retractable landing gear, among other features. “You stick jet engines on it and you’ve got a modern airplane.” |
| Built in 1943, the Whiskey 7 in Geneseo took off from Cottesmore, England, early on the morning of June 6, 1944. | Built in 1943, the Whiskey 7 in Geneseo took off from Cottesmore, England, early on the morning of June 6, 1944. |
| A young paratrooper named Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr. was among those aboard. Now 89, Mr. Cruise remembers cacophonous noise, flak exploding, pitch-dark skies and a mad scramble to jump. “You never saw guys move so fast,” Mr. Cruise said in a telephone interview from his home in Horsham, Pa. “In camp, they’d be dragging anchor.” | A young paratrooper named Leslie Palmer Cruise Jr. was among those aboard. Now 89, Mr. Cruise remembers cacophonous noise, flak exploding, pitch-dark skies and a mad scramble to jump. “You never saw guys move so fast,” Mr. Cruise said in a telephone interview from his home in Horsham, Pa. “In camp, they’d be dragging anchor.” |
| Gary Mitchell, a member of the National Warplane Museum and a pilot and World War II buff, had the idea for the new Normandy flight while visiting France two years ago. | Gary Mitchell, a member of the National Warplane Museum and a pilot and World War II buff, had the idea for the new Normandy flight while visiting France two years ago. |
| “He was like, ‘We should fly over there and take part in these ceremonies,’ ” said Mr. Mitchell’s daughter Erin Vitale, a professor from nearby Piffard, N.Y. “That’s the one thing about pilots: It doesn’t occur to them that it’s crazy.” | |
| Mr. Mitchell died in September, but the plans continued. Today, the plane has been outfitted much as it would have been in 1944, right down to its “invasion stripes,” the black-and-white markings used to identify the invading Allied aircraft. It does have some more modern equipment, including donated GPS and landing systems, as well as an electronic locator beacon in case the plane needs to make a water landing. A portable toilet will be available, though privacy may be at a minimum. | Mr. Mitchell died in September, but the plans continued. Today, the plane has been outfitted much as it would have been in 1944, right down to its “invasion stripes,” the black-and-white markings used to identify the invading Allied aircraft. It does have some more modern equipment, including donated GPS and landing systems, as well as an electronic locator beacon in case the plane needs to make a water landing. A portable toilet will be available, though privacy may be at a minimum. |
| Like paratroopers of yore, passengers on the Normandy trip will sit on seats attached to each side of the fuselage, facing one another. The jump door, however, will not be open (or, the crewmen hope, used during the crossing). | Like paratroopers of yore, passengers on the Normandy trip will sit on seats attached to each side of the fuselage, facing one another. The jump door, however, will not be open (or, the crewmen hope, used during the crossing). |
| News of the trip spread quickly among veterans in the area, many of whom use the warplane museum and the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter to recapture the comradeship they felt during the war. | News of the trip spread quickly among veterans in the area, many of whom use the warplane museum and the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter to recapture the comradeship they felt during the war. |
| When they were at war, most of the men were lonely and scared. “Most of us would go to bed homesick,” said Bob McDonald, 89, a B-24 tail-gunner in the 14th Air Force. “If it wasn’t for the guy in the next bunk, you’d be in trouble.” | When they were at war, most of the men were lonely and scared. “Most of us would go to bed homesick,” said Bob McDonald, 89, a B-24 tail-gunner in the 14th Air Force. “If it wasn’t for the guy in the next bunk, you’d be in trouble.” |
| Bob Yull, 88, another local veteran and Mr. McDonald’s friend, concurred, adding it has been “really tough” watching their ranks diminish. “If these guys go,” he said, “I don’t know what I’ll do.” | Bob Yull, 88, another local veteran and Mr. McDonald’s friend, concurred, adding it has been “really tough” watching their ranks diminish. “If these guys go,” he said, “I don’t know what I’ll do.” |
| As for the mission at hand, Emerson Johnston, 91, a former soldier in the Fourth Cavalry, said the Normandy flight was “a damn good idea,” though he said he had seen plenty of Europe. | As for the mission at hand, Emerson Johnston, 91, a former soldier in the Fourth Cavalry, said the Normandy flight was “a damn good idea,” though he said he had seen plenty of Europe. |
| “Somebody said they’re going to make another trip back there, and I said, ‘Well I’m not going,’ ” Mr. Johnston recalled. “I didn’t leave anything over there I got to go back after.” | |
| Mr. Cruise, however, is returning to Normandy for the anniversary, albeit through an airline, not on the Whiskey 7. And while most of his brothers in arms have died, he said, he appreciated the Geneseo crew’s effort to keep their memories alive. | Mr. Cruise, however, is returning to Normandy for the anniversary, albeit through an airline, not on the Whiskey 7. And while most of his brothers in arms have died, he said, he appreciated the Geneseo crew’s effort to keep their memories alive. |
| “They’re gung-ho,” Mr. Cruise said. “They could have been with us in Normandy in ’44 with that attitude.” | “They’re gung-ho,” Mr. Cruise said. “They could have been with us in Normandy in ’44 with that attitude.” |