Type: DC-3

Model Year: 1938

Construction Number: 2054

Owner/Operator: Dan Gryder

Based: Griffin-Spalding Airport (6A2)
Griffin, Georgia

Captains: Top Secret

Co-Pilots: Dan Gryder

Crew Chief:

Passengers:
 

This DC-3A was manufactured October 14,1938 and shipped to Switzerland where she flew with a registration of HB-IRO for many years. Many DC-3 aircraft were reassembled in Europe by Fokker Industries under contract with Douglas Commercial as the aircraft went across the pond via ship. 

The Swiss sold it in the early 1950s and Ozark airlines purchased it as one of their first DC-3s. The aircraft served Ozark well as a passenger liner, a freighter, and was the company checkride DC-3 for those pilots upgrading to Captain. The aircraft amassed some 36,000 hours before Ozark sold off all their DC-3s.

The aircraft next became a freighter for a Georgia company
and flew another 20,000 some hours mostly doing night freight duty. The aircraft was purchased by Dan Gryder in 2000 and began a new life as a flight training and type rating aircraft. Herpa Miniature Models, based in Europe, signed on as a corporate sponsor in June 2005 and remains a great supporter of the aircraft today.

N143D now has more than 57,000 hours on the airframe and can often be seen at airshows and public events.