Spirit of Benovia
The Spirit of Benovia is flying sky-high, literally.
A classic World War II-era DC-3 was recently purchased by
Benovia owner Joe Anderson, who modified it and rechristened it in
a nod to his northern California winery.
Anderson, who already flies a 1942 Stearman bi-plane, had been
on the lookout for a DC-3 for years.
"We were going to look at another one when this one came on the
market unexpectedly," he said "Our chief pilot, Jeff Coffman, made
some calls, learned about its history and owner, and found out it
was in great condition. We bought it the same day."
The aircraft was commissioned by the Army Air Corps in 1942 and
spent World War II in India. After the war, the Central Air
Transport Corp., in Bejing China purchased the plane and Chinese
Nationalist President Chiang Kai-shek reportedly used it as his
personal transport. It may have carried him and his family
from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan on December 10, 1949, when the
communists took over China. After that, the plane went
through a succession of owners until Joe purchased her.
Although it had been well maintained, it needed work. It was
flown from its home in Wisconsin to Phoenix where it underwent
eight months of refurbishing and a series of extensive
inspections.
The interior was redone, chiefly to replace the heavy plywood
walls with lighter panels, enabling the plane to fly farther and
use less fuel.
"The Spirit of Benovia" was painted on its nose.
The winery's new namesake made its first public appearance in
July at the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) show in
Wisconsin, where it was on display with 42 other DC-3s -- almost
all of the "Gooney Birds" still flight-worthy in the U.S.
After another cross-country trip back to its home base in Santa
Rosa, Calif., the Spirit of Benovia flew in the "Wings Over Wine
Country" air show with the Hiller Air Museum's DC-3
In September 2010 it flew to Reno for the Reno Air Races.
With an average ground speed of 165 mph, the venerable DC-3 didn't
race. Instead, it and other specialty planes were popular
attractions in the Rolls Royce National Heritage Foundation
area. Then it was off to San Francisco for Fleet Week before
returning to Santa Rosa.
Joe couldn't be happier.
"Flying old planes is an avocation -- not unlike growing
grapes," he said. " It depends on wind and weather."
"Today's jets have these great engines that can get you out of
trouble. But these old planes, the engines on them will get you
altitude, but they won't get you out of trouble, they aren't
powerful enough," he explained. "You have to fly the wing."
"Just like grapes, where you have to constantly monitor water
and weather, you augment your plans to ensure good results,"
Anderson said. "In both pursuits, you must respect Mother
Nature and know your limits."
Want to know what it's like to fly in the vintage Spirit of
Benovia cross-country? See: the Trip Log.