D-Day C-47 ‘That’s All Brother’ on tour this fall

Nearly 80 years ago, a C-47 nicknamed That’s All Brother led the main airborne invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. That’s All Brother has been restored to its former glory and is now touring across the country, offering a flight experience and aircraft tour. The 2023 tour schedule begins on Friday.

The tour will begin with a stop in Centennial, Colorado from Sept. 1 through Sept. 4. From there it will head to Broomfield, Colorado on Sept. 5-7; St. George, Utah from Sept. 8-10; Chino California from Sept. 15-17; Camarillo, California from Sept. 29-Oct. 1; and Santa Teresa, New Mexico from Oct. 6-9. Future stops will be added to the website once they have been determined.

The flight experience takes over an hour. After completing pre-flight tasks like a passenger safety briefing and a photo opportunity with the crew, it is time to board the C-47. Passengers will strap in and the engines will start running. Once the engines warm up, the C047 will taxi to the runway, perform an engine run and takeoff. The inflight portion lasts roughly 30 minutes and the entire experience lasts more than one hour.

On the tour of the aircraft That’s All Brother, passengers will learn about the three major aircraft systems, the Rebecca/Eureka, the SCR-717C Navigational Radar, and the GEE Mark II navigational system. Passengers will be taught about the pilot who flew the impressive plane during the Normandy invasion, the paratroopers, the troops and even the Scottish Terrier flying with the crew that day.

Photo of That’s All Brother from CAF website

That’s All Brother was piloted by Lt. Col John Donalson and led the more than 800 other C-47s that dropped over 13,000 paratroopers into battle. After its D-Day triumph and several other operations, this C-47 was returned to the U.S. and old to the civilian market in 1945. The aircraft had several owners over the next few decades until it was eventually sold to be scrapped. Two historians from the U.S. Air Force discovered the plane in Wisconsin and it was acquired by the Commemorative Air Force. Thanks to a large group of donors and volunteers, the plane was restored to flying condition.

The restoration brought the C-47 to its 1944 condition beginning in 2015, right down to its D-Day paint scheme and historic interior restoration. That’s All Brother flew as part of the CAF Central Texas Wing. It flew with 14 other C-47 and DC-3 planes over the Atlantic in 2019 as part of a commemorative flight for the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Now aviation fans can experience a flight in a genuine WWII legend, That’s All Brother.