Douglas DC-3 (N130Q)

Greenville is a town located in Piscataquis County, in the US state of Maine. It's situated at the southern end of Moosehead Lake, the largest lake in the state. Greenville is known for its scenic beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities, such as fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife watching...but did you know it's also home to an incredible one of a kind example of the iconic DC-3? Don't feel bad if you answered no - most don't.
During World War II, the US military needed an aircraft that could operate in a variety of environments, including areas without established airfields. In response to this need, the Edo Corporation designed and built a pair of twin, 1-ton floats that could be attached to a C-47. Each float was 42 feet long, five feet, eight inches wide, almost six feet high, and displaced 29,000 pounds of water. The cellular construction of each float had 14 separate water-tight compartments, and each float also had a 325 gallon fuel tank. The floats had fully retractable, hydraulic wheels, and could land on water, snow or land. The float rudders were connected to the air rudder, which allowed for control of the aircraft while in flight.
The DC-3A on floats located in Greenville, Maine is a rare example of this technology. The aircraft, which is registered as N130Q, was delivered to the US Army Air Forces in July of 1943 as a Douglas C-53D Skytrooper and served in a variety of roles before being converted back to a DC-3A standard and more notably, to a float plane by Dick Folsom in 1976. The floats used on the aircraft are the original Edo Corporation type, and the aircraft is believed to be the only Gooney Bird on floats left in existence.
While the floats allowed the DC-3 to operate in areas without established airfields, they also created a significant amount of drag and reduced the aircraft's speed. As a result, the aircraft was about 30 mph slower than its sisters without floats. Despite this limitation, a few C-47s equipped with the floats saw service in locations such as New Guinea, Alaska, and India.
Today, the DC-3 on floats can be found sitting imposingly at the Greenville Municipal Airport. Though it hasn't flown in years, it was only recently put back on floats in 2020 and there are rumblings that the operator intends to return it to its former glory. If we are lucky, we just may see "Dumbo" splashing around the local lakes and hopefully attending the annual International Seaplane Fly-In at neighboring Moosehead Lake, a once familiar sight.
Was an absolute pleasure walking around in the freezing cold and snow to capture photos of this iconic aircraft!