Remember that DC-3 we told you about a few weeks back? The one we fabricated new hoses for? We thought it’d be fun to dig a little deeper into its service history. 

“Spooky, also nicknamed ‘Puff, the Magic Dragon’ was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and medium ground-attack aircraft in certain situations when ground forces called for close air support.”¹ 

Here’s an inside look at Spooky the DC-3 at Oshkosh a few years ago:

Where did the name Spooky come from?

During the war, the Viet Cong would hide in the brush during an air strike until the aircraft had used up its munition, and then resume their attack. When The AC-47 gunship (the military version of the commercial DC-3) came into the picture, it had a completely different effect.

The AC-47 was durable, and slow maneuvering. Its history as a cargo plane meant there was plenty of express space to carry additional ammunitions and flares. Additionally, every 5^th round fired was loaded with a distinctive red tracer round, a glowing bullet that, when fired at high speed, created the effect of a bright red rain. It was an exceptional innovation, a special kind of flare that helped illuminate the enemy while also blanketing them in heavy fire.² The Viet Cong had never seen such an attack from the sky, and are said to have thought it to be a fire breathing dragon.³ The call name Spooky stuck! 

For the full story of how fixed-wing gunships illuminated and dominated the battlefield, check out this comprehensive article written by Lawrence M. Greenberg over at history.net. 

Where’s Spooky now?

We were honored to use our custom hose fabrication skills to reverse engineer 24 hoses for Spooky; the DC-3 is now headed for the Airborne Museum in Normandy. This museum is currently displaying some amazing aircraft, including a Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the Waco Glider, and The Piper J-3 Cub. Read more about those aircraft here. And we can’t let this article close without mentioning that the museum has recently re-opened its C-47 building, which now fantastically displays a legendary C-47 aircraft and “spectacular scenography made of deployed parachutes, suspended mannequins, and realistic status that question the visitor!” 

Next time we’re in Normandy, we’re definitely making a stop here. ;)