Douglas R4D-3 N763A

US Army Aircraft C-53-DO-41-20124
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
N763A seen at Florida Keys Marathon Airport in 2015
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Location	1.25 miles (2.01 km) E of junction of IL 9 and IL 5, Bloomington, Illinois
Coordinates	40°29′7″N 88°55′52″W
Built	1942[1]
Architect	Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc.
Architectural style	Passenger/Light Cargo/DC-3
NRHP reference No.	96000857
Added to NRHP	August 1, 1996[2]

Former United States Army Air Force aircraft serial number 41-20124 is a World War II era fully restored Douglas DC-3, owned by a private party and based at Marathon Key, FL. Civil registered as N763A the aircraft has also been operated by the United States Navy with the designation R4D-3 and serial number 05078. The aircraft has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since August 1, 1996.

Manufacture

While this specific C-53 rolled off the assembly line on March 11, 1942, it is one example of 399 such aircraft manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company of Santa Monica, California. The aircraft was immediately transferred to the US Navy and operated with VU-1 as an R4D-1.

The aircraft model, known officially as the "Skytrooper," was produced for the U.S. Army Air Force as a passenger and light cargo craft prior to and during World War II.^[3]

Notes

1. The Douglas DC-3 "N763A, Ser. 4894" Archived June 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Prairie Aviation Museum, Official site, 2005, Retrieved January 20, 2007.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
3. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form -U.S. Army Aircraft C-53-DO-41-20124, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 2 February 2007.