Nonprofit relocates WWII plane to Bartlesville with plans to certify paratroopers
A nonprofit dedicated to preserving and demonstrating the history of World War II planes has relocated one of its aircraft to Bartlesville with plans to certify professional paratroopers at the Bartlesville Municipal Airport.
Based in Fredrick, the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team (ADT) is a volunteer-run nonprofit that maintains two WWII planes, performs demonstrations and airshows, educates the public about the role of paratroopers in the war and trains paratroopers.
While the group’s operations and one plane will remain based in Fredrick, WWII ADT Member Robert Prater said the organization decided to store its historic aircraft in different locations so both would not be damaged if something happened at the hangar in Fredrick, which is an older structure.
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ADT already had one of the planes, a 1941 Douglas DC-3, in Tulsa for maintenance work, so Prater was looking into nearby hangars when he learned ConocoPhillips planned to discontinue its operations at the Bartlesville Municipal Airport.
“It kind of just worked out,” Prater said.
Nicknamed Wild Kat, the propeller-driven aircraft was originally built to be an airliner. In 1941, the Army took possession of it, using it as a cargo plane throughout WWII and reconverting it into an airliner after the war, Prater said.
Members of the group will travel to Bartlesville once a month to fly and perform routine maintenance on the aircraft.
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To remain certified and able to perform in demonstrations, the group’s paratroopers must maintain regular practice hours. Since Bartlesville is an easier commute from the nearest airport than Fredrick is — and ADT’s members travel from across the US — the group hopes to eventually perform those certifications in Bartlesville.
“Ultimately what we want to do is have the ability to get a parachute rigger, jump master, some tables where we can repack parachutes and basically, on a weekend, bring in half a dozen paratroopers in for certification,” Prater said.
“It’s probably going to be next year before we can get something like (put together).”
When the group visits monthly to maintain the aircraft — and eventually when they use it to certify paratroopers in town — they will invite the public to attend, see the plane and learn about its history, he said.
“We’re all really big history fans. … For us to be able to do what our forefathers got to do and preserving history. Our motto is ‘Remember, Honor, and Serve,'" he said.
“It’s our way of remembering and honoring (WWII veterans') service and display that for people who want to know that piece of history.”
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: WWII parachutists relocate plane to Bartlesville airport
