Navy to Victory

Words by Phil Glover

The Douglas R4D is the US Navy variant of the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, known by the British as the Dakota, and derived from the famed Douglas DC-3 airliner. R4D-6S 50783 / N151ZE “Ready 4 Duty” is the only airworthy example and is the centrepiece of the Commemorative Air Force Fort Worth Wing, based in Lancaster, Texas, USA.

Taking place from May through to July, the "Navy to Victory” tour marks the 80th Anniversary of the Allied Victory in Europe in a unique way and will see the aircraft attending events in the UK, France, and the Netherlands, with the Imperial War Museum, Duxford providing a base of operations.

This article covers the mission of the tour, the Atlantic crossing, the first month of activities, my flight in the aircraft, and the history of "Ready 4 Duty".

Flying Memorial

The Navy to Victory mission includes two key features, the “Rising Tide Exhibit” and the “Bringing the Boys Home” initiative.

The Rising Tide Exhibit sees artefacts from several surviving World War Two US Navy warships brought together for display for the first time. Ships providing items include the USS Yorktown, USS Texas and USS Laffey. The exhibition has been assembled specifically for the tour and marks the first time such a gathering of artifacts has been made publicly available.

Bringing the Boys Back Home. During the war, several thousand British airmen received their flight training in the USA. Tragically, 423 died in training accidents - 420 men and 3 women. They were buried in the nearest cemetery to where the accident took place, and onboard for the Atlantic crossing were rubbings from the gravestones of the 423, and these form the “Bringing the Boys Back Home” initiative.

Commemorative Air Force volunteers travelled to 71 cemeteries across 28 states, from Maine, the north-easternmost state of the US, to Hawaii, 2000 miles southwest of the mainland, to take non-destructive rubbings of the gravestones. The imitative sees the fallen symbolically returning to their homeland, 80 years later, with the rubbings being handed over to family members and descendants where possible.

From Texas to duxford

Crossing the Atlantic

The aircraft departed her home base in Texas on 17th April to begin the journey across the US and north to Newfoundland. Several stops were made, the first of which was at Maxwell Air Force Base where several "Bringing the Boys Back Home" rubbings were received in a special ceremony. Over 2000 Royal Air Force personnel trained at Maxwell during the war, and the ceremony was presented by RAF Group Capt. Tim Brookes, Air War College, and USAF Lt. Col. Matt Ziemann, Air Command and Staff College Department of Leadership instructor. The ceremony was a poignant reminder of the transatlantic bond that continues between the USA and UK today.

Next was a visit to the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach over the Easter weekend of 18th-20th. On the 19th, a presentation saw the crew accept historical items from the USS Wisconsin and USS North Carolina as well as further gravestone rubbings. The aircraft arrived in Oxford, Connecticut on the 22nd where the crew met with the Tunison Foundation and their C-47 "Placid Lassie". A wonderful formation flight was undertaken with the two aircraft over New York City and the Statue of Liberty - the perfect send off!

Heading north, the aircraft flew over the Pratt & Whitney factory in Connecticut. 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of Pratt and Whitney and the aircraft is powered by two PW R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines, plus Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, is a sponsor of the tour. The aircraft arrived in Presque Isle, Maine on 24th April and flew on to Goose Bay, Newfoundland.

The crew for the Atlantic crossing were Jordan Brown, Bill Lawson, Dan Gleason, and Alex Beckett, and they departed for Greenland on 26th April, a day later than planned due to weather conditions and maintenance. 4 hours and 20 minutes later they arrived in Narsarsuaq, Greenland. Sharing his experience as co-pilot, Dan Gleason said:

"In Greenland there was some weather which required doing the instrument approach. Unless, that is, you have a high degree of familiarity with the terrain which offers the option of dropping down below the clouds to 500 feet above the water before reaching land and following the fjord, avoiding the suspended cable, for roughly 40 miles to the airport. That was our decision, and we enjoyed an absolutely amazing view that very few people ever see."

The region can have rapidly changing weather and given the day lost in Goose Bay and sufficient weather to proceed on the next leg, the crew decided to press on to Iceland after refueling rather than wait until the next day. After flying for 11 hours, plus the fuel stop, they arrived in Reykjavík, Iceland, at approximately 21.20 local time on 26th April.

The crew chose to have a day of rest and enjoyed some sightseeing in Iceland before heading to the UK. They departed Iceland on the 28th and initially planned to stop in Wick, Scotland for fuel. However, with marginal weather at Wick, but a favourable tailwind, the crew calculated that they could bypass Wick and head straight to the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in Cambridge, their ultimate destination. They arrived a little before 18:00, much to the delight of gathered enthusiasts as the museum closes at 18:00!

With the aircraft now safely in the UK, it was time for routine maintenance and checks on "Ready 4 Duty", and time for a crew rotation. The plan for the tour was that the crew would rotate every 10 days, although co-pilot Dan Gleason remained in the UK and joined the incoming crew.

The tour also marks several key milestones:

The 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas DC-3.
The 100th anniversary of Pratt and Whitney. The aircraft is powered by two PW R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engines, and Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, is a sponsor of the tour.
The 250th anniversary of the US Navy
The 40th anniversary of The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) taking place at RAF Fairford – this aircraft attended the inaugural Fairford edition in 1985.
40 years since “Ready 4 Duty” last visited Europe.

Douglas R4D Ready 4 Duty. Visiting from the USA for the Navy to Victory Tour.

May 2025: The tour so far

A warm welcome

Following a period of routine maintenance at Duxford, the aircraft departed for its first engagement in the Netherlands. Co-pilot Dan Gleason was joined by pilot TJ Cook, Robert Collier as Flight Engineer / Crew Chief, and UK-based engineer Andy O'Dell.

The aircraft arrived at Gilze-Rijen Dutch Airbase on 3rd May for three days in the Netherlands, which included the 85th commemoration of Liberation Day on 5th May. On each day, the crew gave a presentation on the journey across the Atlantic and the significance of recognising Liberation Day. Something that the crew were not expecting was the level of personal connection the locals had with the tour and what it meant to them seeing an international effort to recognise the impact the war had on the country.

After a brief return to Duxford, the aircraft was off for its next stop, the VE-Day / liberation commemorations in Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands and a self-governing British Crown dependency. From 30th June 1940 until 9th May 1945, the Channel Islands were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by Germany. The aircraft was open to the public and attracted huge queues, and the visit saw a rubbing of Sub-Lieutenant Sylvester Kenneth Rabey's gravestone presented to family members as part of the Bringing the Boyes Back Home initiative. The return to Duxford included flying around the whole island at as many events as possible, before routing back to the UK mainland via France and over the Normandy beaches. "Ready 4 Duty" was originally intended to be part of the 2024 "D-Day Squadron" European tour to mark the 85th anniversary of D-Day, so it was wonderful that she finally made it over the beachhead.

The 7th May was the official media launch for the Navy to Victory tour at Duxford, closely followed by the UK airshow display debut at the Duxford VE-Day Flying Day on the 10th. It was planned to obtain the UK display authorisation on the 7th (a requirement for any aircraft and crew to undertake a flying display in the UK), but unfortunately a CAA examiner was not available. However, the assembled members of the press and photographers were able to enjoy a flight in the aircraft - see "Experiencing the R4D" in this article for details of the flight.

The Duxford Flying Day saw the aircraft open for tours in the morning ahead of the show, plus a stall selling merchandise was set up with the aircraft. A real highlight of the static appearances is the availability of the crew and volunteers to engage with the public. The enthusiasm of the visitors, the stories shared, and the inspiration of younger visitors, was impressive to see. With a display not possible, the revised plan was to see the aircraft undertake flypasts at the start and end of the display, and although she taxied out for take off, sadly the strong cross winds prevented this from taking place.

The next day saw a static appearance at Old Warden on Sunday 11th May for the Shuttleworth Season Premier airshow. No strangers to hosting US-based C-47s and DC-3s; in 2019 seven were present, and in 2024 four visited for a special event. Positioned at the top end of the airfield, her bright white scheme looked incredible against the lush greenery and rolling fields that form the backdrop of Old Warden airfield. Unlike Duxford, where you can only walk around the aircraft if you go "liveside" for a tour, at Old Warden the whole area around the aircraft is accessible to visitors, plus, of course, a large queue formed to get onboard! During my time catching up with the crew, I was impressed by the number of people who would drop a quick "thanks for bringing her over" to the team.

Late May saw flypasts over the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial at Maddingly on Memorial Day. The first airshow display appearances are due to take place at the Midlands Air Festival and Shuttleworth Military Airshow over 30th May to the 1st June, plus a static appearance at the Cotswold Airport vintage fly in. She then heads across to France in June for a series of engagements, including D-Day commemorations and the La Ferté-Alais airshow, before returning to Duxford.

A sure highlight of 2025, make sure you pay a visit to the aircraft and meet the crew as they continue to share their incredible mission in Europe.

Thoughts from the crew

"I was expecting Navy to Victory to be an awesome experience from the standpoint of flying an historic aircraft along the historic North Atlantic Route to attend historic commemorative events of VE Day. And it truly was! What more could you ask for? I was acutely aware of how few people would ever have that particular once in a lifetime opportunity. What I didn't expect was the keen level of appreciation for our presence and participation.

I envisioned myself standing back at a respectful distance, peering over the shoulders of those whose families paid a much greater cost than did American families, the war having been fought on the British homeland. I didn't expect that some would share the emotion of their near history with me of a father or grandfather who passed down to them their stories. I came to see world history, or national history, as family stories.

Bringing R4D over for VE Day to honor our allies and friends was the right thing to do. The immense cost and effort of many volunteers and donors was paid back many times over. In some cases it appeared as though we had become written into the stories and history that we had only read about and observed from a distance. It was a gift I did not expect, could not have imagined, and will always treasure."

Dan Gleason

Co-Pilot for the transatlantic crossing, and first leg of the tour.

Arriving at Duxford from the M11 motorway, you always have an opportunity to look across the airfield before exiting at the junction, so I was delighted to see the unmistakable shape of a “Dakota” (as we British tend to say) in a bright white scheme sitting on the jet pan. This was, of course, Douglas R4D “Ready 4 Duty”, and I was on my way to the media day / press launch of the Navy to Victory tour.

Journalists and photographers gathered in the briefing room of Duxford's esteemed control tower as the day began with a briefing from the Commemorative Air Force team, led by Christ Volpe, the Navy to Victory Tour’s lead. He outlined the goals of the mission and introduced the team. This was followed by the Imperial War Museum outlining their plans for the 2025 airshow season and how "Ready 4 Duty" would be making Duxford her home over the next three months. There were no questions from the gathered media. Clearly everyone was keen to get outside and look at the aircraft!

No matter how often I have been able to do it, there is always a thrill at going "liveside" at Duxford, and for the next two hours we were free to photograph "Ready 4 Duty" and explore every nut and bolt inside and out. However, what made this all the more memorable was we were joined by all the Commemorative Air Force crew who suddenly found the floodgates open with questions! This is one thing that I have been very impressed with: the crew, no matter what their role, has been so welcoming and open to talk to enthusiasts. I spoke with groundcrew and historian David Barrera for quite a time about the role of the aircraft as an R4D and the missions they undertook.

Inside the aircraft, flight engineer Robert Collier described the various features onboard to represent the multiple roles the R4D undertook. She is fitted in a troop transport configuration with sideways-facing bench seating, but also has two replica depth charges onboard to illustrate what was carried for anti-submarine warfare, has a medical evacuation station, plus a fully equipped radio room and a navigator station. Robert undertook the post-crossing engine checks and commented on how he was constantly being distracted by Spitfires, Hurricanes and Messerschmitt (Hispano Buchon) flying out of Duxford!

Something I had not previously noticed was the entry door and floor of the C-47 is angled level to the ground, despite the aircraft being a tail dragger with the fuselage at a steep angle. This was to allow for the loading of pallets from forklifts – quite a necessary requirement when one considers the aircraft is side-loaded. An added bonus of the day was the positioning of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Dakota ZA947 alongside "Ready 4 Duty", looking glorious in a new RAF South East Asia Command scheme.

The excitement began to rise at 2pm when 12 lucky guests and 4 crew members began to board the aircraft. Sitting in military sideways-facing benches was a new experience for me – I previously flew in a Dakota, registered as G-AMPY, back in 2008, but this was equipped with conventional passenger seats. I was positioned in a row of three on the port side, with the remaining nine all lined up on the starboard side. Our seats were initially stowed and simply swung out into position with a loud click, and once seated you really noticed the steep angle of the aircraft on the ground. Facing inwards with our backs to the windows, we all began to calculate the best way to use a camera – an amusing sight! The crew for this flight were pilot TJ Cook, co-pilot Dan Gleason, Flight Engineer / Crew Chief Robert Collier, and Engineer Andy O'Dell.

Upon checking all the passengers were secure, the large cargo doors were swung shut and bolted - I couldn't help but think what this must have felt like for paratroopers going into war. The next time you left via that door was to jump into enemy territory. The engine start up was surprisingly quiet from the rear of the fuselage. Obviously, the distinct rumble and drone can be heard, but I was able to continue the conversation with ease, and still hear those across from me. The thrill of flying from Duxford is the sheer number of active warbirds you are likely to see. As we taxied out past Bearcat, Sea Fury (Fury ISS), two Hurricanes and a Harvard, another Hurricane landed, and two Spitfires taxied behind us! There were rumours among the guests that the two Spitfires from the Duxford-based Aerial Collective would be going up at the same time as us - so you can imagine the atmosphere onboard when they were seen taxiing out behind us!

As the sound increased, we were rolling down the runway and airbourne surprisingly quickly - climbing out of Duxford is always a treat given it is the mecha of warbird operations in Europe. Once we completed our climb, Andy gave the all clear that we could remove our lap straps and were free to roam around the aircraft - something I did not expect! The wind conditions meant the flight was a little bumpy, so the guide cable along the top of the fuselage was most welcome to keep my balance! Having an opportunity to move around an aircraft of this period that has not been fitted out for passenger comfort was an incredible experience, and you realise just how thin the aircraft skin is all around you and how that is all that what would keep you safe from enemy gunfire and flak.

As most of the passengers moved around the cabin, one or two chose to remain seated, which was perhaps a wise choice given they were the ones who spotted the incoming pair of Spitfires. A sudden shout of "Spitfires!" was heard, and we all dashed to the windows to catch a glimpse of Tr.IXs PV202 and PT462 sweeping below us! Those who have seen the film "Dunkirk" will recall how the Spitfires are shown gracefully gliding into shot - this is how I would describe what I saw, just much faster! They were flown by Mike Collet and Andy Durston, and each had a passenger in the back who was out on a two-ship formation experience. What an added bonus for them! Unfortunately, the Spitfires were unable to communicate with the R4D, so the buzz was all we got - but what an experience. I have now been intercepted by a Hawker Hurricane when flying in a Messerschmitt 108 (Nord 1001) and two Spitfires! As they passed beneath us they quickly disappeared into the distance - this brought home the reality of how quickly enemy fighters could strike a slow-moving large aircraft, and how vulnerable the daylight bombers were.

As we returned to base, we got an excellent view of Duxford airfield from our downwind leg. The landing was smooth and as we shut down and disembarked there were smiles all around, plus the opportunity to speak with the pilots, TJ and Dan, who enjoyed the Spitfire buzz just as much as we did!

As we all parted ways and I returned to the public side of the airfield, the exhilaration of the flight wore away, and I realised not just how fortunate I was to have been invited to take part in the media day, but how lucky we are to have this team and this aircraft visiting Europe. Not just to share the history and the machine, but the legacy and importance of those who took part in the war and the strong bonds that remain today.

Aircraft Data File

"Ready 4 Duty" History:

"Ready 4 Duty” was built in 1944 as C-47B serial number 43-49147. She was accepted by the US Navy on 20th October 1944 and redesignated as R4D-6S bureau number 50783. She was one of the first redesignated aircraft to be delivered as an R4D, a specially modified variant for US Navy use. The external differences between a C-47 and an R4D are minimal. The easiest way is to spot the large number of antennas; a circle antenna on the nose, a pair of cone-type antennas under the forward fuselage, a UHF antenna above the cockpit, and two T-type antennas under the fuselage. Plus, some aircraft, including "Ready 4 Duty", had hard points for two depth charges fitted under the central fuselage, between the engines.

Her wartime service began in October 1944 with VR-3, the Naval Air Transport Service, where she airlifted wounded servicemen and supplies / cargo across the USA until 1946. In 1947, she moved to the Fleet Airborne Electronics Training Unit, Atlantic, and later to VX-1 where duties included testing secret airborne electronic warfare equipment. These devices were considered so secret that official records list them only as "gadgets" and details of the tests remain classified to this day.

Later, she was assigned to the Atlantic Special Service Squadron, had under fuselage hard points fitted, and undertook long-range patrols which went as far north as Iceland, as far south as Rio de Janeiro, and across the South Atlantic to Senegal, in West Africa. Her military career ended in 1959 with Naval Reserve Training (NART).

She moved on to the U.S. Forest Service and became a “smoke jumper”, a role which would see firefighters parachute into forest fires for initial attack and support of wildfires! Retired into civilian hands in 1964, she has been part of the Commemorative Air Force (previously Confederate Air Force) since the early 1980s, and in 1985 was the first CAF-operated aircraft to be flown across the Atlantic. She is based in Lancaster, Texas, as the flagship of the Commemorative Air Force Fort Worth Wing.

She is painted in the standard camouflage carried by US Navy aircraft that took part in "The Battle of the Atlantic" - the longest campaign to have been fought in World War Two that pitted Allied supply lines from the US into the UK and Russia against German forces. She is fitted in a transport configuration with sideways-facing bench seating but features elements to illustrate multiple wartime roles; anti-submarine warfare, medical evacuation, paratrooper transport, and cargo carrier, plus features a fully equipped radio room and a navigator station. To quote the Commemorative Air Force -"this historic aircraft serves not only as a powerful symbol of freedom, but also as a flying classroom dedicated to ensuring history lives on."

Commemorative Air Force:

Founded in 1957, the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of military aviation. With an airworthy fleet of over 180 vintage military aircraft—the largest flying collection in the world—the CAF brings history to life through flight and immersive living history experiences. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the CAF operates numerous locations nationwide, all united by a shared mission: to Educate, Inspire, and Honor. Each year, through the efforts of thousands of volunteers, the CAF’s educational programs engage an estimated 20 million Americans, offering hands-on access to history that is both unique and impactful.

www.commemorativeairforce.org

www.dfwwing.com

Navy to Victory: Douglas R4D "Ready 4 Duty" European tour