A Douglas C-47 'Skytrain' pulled by the UND Football team. This DC-3 was restored and repainted as our NDANG Minnie "H" in 1998 by Bob Odegaard's team.

The varied names and titles of this transport underscore in part her full life. She is a C-47 and DC-3, carrying serial number 4293800. Air Force and Air Guard supply systems knew her as stock number VC-47A-25DK, according to CMSgt. Mervyn Beynon, Fargo, a full-time technician with the NDANG and an aircraft crew chief in the old Army Air Corps, who kept some data on the old girl during the 20 years she served the local Air Guard. A 1942-model aircraft, she was built by Douglas Aircraft in Oklahoma in 1943 and officially accepted by the old Army Air Corps in January 1944. A 21-passenger utility transport with two motors and a 160 mph cruising speed, she had an 8-hour range and a ceiling of 13,000 feet. She saw service during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theatre and, of course, was dubbed a Goony Bird as were her sister transports of that period. Official records of her war activities are scarce but a persistent story is that she flew "The Hump," that famous aerial supply route from India to China through the Himalayas, and also saw some service in Europe. [The Forum 1972]

Photo by Craig on Saturday, June 08, 2002 at the Fargo AirSho.