This June marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion of France during World War II.
In case you hadn’t heard, an event called Daks Over Normandy has been in the planning for a long time and promises to be one of the most important events this summer for fans of the iconic Douglas DC-3/C-47 Dakota, as well as those who want to celebrate this important anniversary.
The event will see around 40 of these historic aircraft flying from Britain to France on the the day of the anniversary, reenacting the sights and sounds but in much friendlier times.
This will undoubtedly be the largest gathering of Dakota aircraft since the war, and enthusiasts are already planning to turn up in droves to get up close to the aircraft.
The D-Day Squadron, as the American counterpart is known, will include many aircraft travelling across the North Atlantic to take part.
They whole complement will spend a few days at Duxford near Cambridge before flying to Normandie and spending a few days at Caen-Carpiquet Airport.
Now, plans for the Squadron’s journey have been announced, and it includes a few sights that our readers in America will not want to miss. They are as follows:
Arriving in Oxford-Waterbury Airport on May 12th, 2019, aircraft and crews will spend the week practicing critical skills such as formation flying, survival skills training, Oceanic Procedures and European Union Operations Training.
Saturday, May 14th 2019, will see the entire D-Day Squadron (conditions permitting) fly in formation from Oxford, up the Hudson River in New York, over Manhattan Island, and around the Statue of Liberty.
“It’s very likely we’ll never see an event like this again,” declared Moreno Aguiari, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the D-Day Squadron. “And it’s for a very good reason. There are only a few members of the Greatest Generation still with us, so we wanted to put together the most significant tributes we could to honor their sacrifice and commitment. These tributes will start here and then extend all the way across the Atlantic.”
After departing on May 19th, 2019, the C-47s will stop to refuel in Goose Bay Airport (CYYR) in Newfoundland, Canada, Narsarsuaq Airport (BGBW) in southern Greenland, Reykjavik Airport (BIRK) in Iceland and refueling a final time at Prestwick Airport (EPIK) on the Western coast of Scotland before making the final leg to Duxford Airfield (EGSU) north of London.
Once arriving in Duxford Airfield, the D-Day Squadron will join with its European counterpart, Daks over Normandy, to participate in multiple events on June 2nd-5th, 2019. The combined fleet of historic aircraft will cross the English Channel on June 5th, fly over Normandy, France, and participate in multiple events at Caen-Carpiquet Airport from June 5th-9th, 2019.
If you want to be at either Duxford or Caen for the Daks Over Normandy event, be sure to buy your tickets in advance here.
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