C-45G

The museum's C-45 was the first obtained by the Central Intelligence Agency. The C-45 was the military version of the Beechcraft Model 18 commercial light transport, one of 4,526 built for the Army Air Forces between 1939 and 1945. This aircraft was manufactured as an AT-11 during World War II and rebuilt into a C-45G in 1953. After service at various air force bases until 1958, it was dropped from the USAF inventory. From 1960 to 1975, it was stationed throughout Southeast Asia and flew humanitarian airlift missions in Laos, hauling supplies and refugees. In 1964, it moved to Saigon and transported agents and supplies to remote airfields. After several accidents during this period, including an inflight collision, it was used temporarily for spare parts in Bangkok, Thailand. Its final assignment was Tainan, Taiwan, and it was then donated to the U.S. Marine Corps Museum. In 1988, the AMC Museum recovered the plane from a Marine storage lot and restored it to its 1950s appearance.

Dover, Delaware · United States