WWII-era plane returns to Harry Clever Field
The Douglas C-53 Skytrooper’s cockpit needed a complete restoration.
What has been called the Beach City Baby, a now restored Douglas C-53 Skytrooper that was manufactured in 1942, will make a return trip to the Harry Clever Field on Saturday, May 25. The public is invited to attend and explore this historic aircraft for a freewill donation. The New Philadelphia Airfield will host an $8.50 pancake breakfast the next day on May 26 from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The popular plane will be on hand that morning for anyone interested in having a peek inside.
“There was a lot of interest in the plane when we had it here in 2022,” Mark Mathias of Experimental Aircraft Association 1077 said. “We had quite a lot of visitors that day, so we’re pleased to bring her in again.”
The plane should be ready for visitors at noon and will hang around for much of the day receiving visitors.
The events are nominal fundraisers for the organization, which devotes a great deal of time and energy into encouraging interest in flight among young people, offering annual scholarships to budding young pilots, air traffic controllers and aircraft mechanics.
“It costs about $4,000 to bring the plane in that day,” Mathias said. “The freewill donation will usually cover that, and anything extra comes back to us, if there is anything extra. We really look at this as a public service and a way to share knowledge with the community.”
The local EAA offers $4,000 scholarships, usually two annually, to young people who have exhibited the right stuff to find a successful career in aviation.
“They have to provide $4,000 in matching funds,” Mathias said. “If, during their education, they submit a bill for $400, we pay $200 of that and so on until they’ve maxed out the scholarship. We’re always raising money for that and for our Wright Flight School.”
The latter brings students age 10 to about 15 to Harry Clever Field to learn about aeronautics and flight. The program is supported by local businesses and helps the EAA local group identify those who might have careers in flight later. The end of the school sees the kids go up in small aircraft for a flight.
“Just to get a little taste of what that’s like,” Mathias said. “Our goal is always to get more pilots in the air and more mechanics on the ground. It works, as we’ve had several scholarship recipients go on to careers. One of them is finishing up training for a pilot’s license right now. There’s always a need for more people in aviation.”
The visiting plane is fully appointed as a WWII bomber, with attendants in appropriate attire.
“Those who have come through the plane in the past find it a valuable experience,” Mathias said.
Once the tours wrap up on Saturday, the plane will remain at Harry Clever Field overnight, ready for more visitors the next morning for the pancake breakfast.
“How long it will stay, I can’t say,” Mathias said. “But I know that if there are people around who would like to see the plane Saturday, no one is going to shoo them away.”
After seeing service in Italy, France and South Africa, the plane was recycled for numerous purposes postwar including a stint as private transportation for Ohio Gov. James Rhodes. It was eventually grounded and parked at the small airfield in Beach City. It was restored a few years ago and brought back to flight-worthy status by Pennsylvania restoration firm Vintage Wings.
Harry Clever Field is at 1834 E. High Ave. in New Philadelphia.