One of the 'Shiniest' Of The Magnificent Planes From 'The Last Time'

The Last Time was an organization created for the sole purpose of reuniting flying examples of the Douglas DC-3 and the people associated with them, for one last time. The goal of the organization was to celebrate this aircraft and these people.

Twenty-six DC-3/C-47 aircraft converged at Rock Falls, Illinois for a weekend long celebration, while over 15,000 guests visited the airport to see these historic airplanes and meet their crews. It was a wonderful reunion where old friends met and new friendships developed. It is unlikely that such a gathering will ever occur again.

One of the 'shiniest' of the aircraft making the trip to Rock Falls was the recently restored 'Miss Virginia." The renovation of the aircraft took over 7,000 man-hours of labor. Miss Virginia has received a new avionics suite, new instrument panels and a new right-side engine. All propellers, carburetors and oil coolers have been overhauled.

The firewall forward hoses have been replaced as well as all the control surfaces, including new fabric covers. The aircraft has also had some aesthetic restoration including minor repainting, significant polishing, the installation of many new interior panels and a significant airframe inspection.

The aircraft was named Miss Virginia to honor both the military and the state of Virginia. Miss Virginia was the name of the P-38 Lighting that shot down Japanese Admiral Yamamoto in 1943. The P-38 eventually suffered damage while landing on a subsequent mission and was parted out. The new Miss Virginia emblem painted on the aircraft's tail was designed to closely match the one on the original.

FMI: www.thelasttime.org, www.aero-tv.net, www.youtube.com/aerotvnetwork, http://twitter.com/AeroNews