Each July, the WWII Airborne Demonstration Team (ADT) conducts its annual Summer Jump School in Frederick, Oklahoma, at the site of the former WWII Frederick Army Air Field (FAAF). ADT has restored the sole remaining massive 79-year-old hangar where they house their Douglas C-47 and C-49, and train students who come to attend the 8-day immersive parachute school that is based on the WWII airborne training regimen. The students come from all walks of life, with or without prior military or parachuting experience and, by the end of the week, they have five round-canopy parachute jumps from a C-47 under their belts, weather permitting.
D-Day Pilot Celebrates His 99th Birthday Flying a C-47
Key Takeaways:
- The WWII Airborne Demonstration Team (ADT) conducts an immersive annual Summer Jump School in Frederick, Oklahoma, providing WWII-style parachute training and utilizing their restored C-47 aircraft.
- This year, the ADT hosted and honored 99-year-old Lt. Col. Dave Hamilton, a distinguished WWII veteran, who celebrated his birthday by piloting their C-47 *Boogie Baby* during a parachutist drop.
- Hamilton is the last surviving Pathfinder pilot from the D-Day invasion, having flown a C-47 to drop 82nd Airborne Pathfinders into France in 1944, enduring heavy enemy fire, and also served with distinction in the Korean War before retiring as a Lt. Colonel.
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