MUSKEGON, Mich. — A Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the same type of aircraft used in World War II and heavily involved in D-Day, is at the Wings Over Muskegon Air Show this weekend.
The plane, called “Hairless Joe,” now is used to give people a unique, historical experience of being on a WWII aircraft.
Hairless Joe was used to surprise a Korean War veteran Friday, and FOX 17 got to be there for this special moment.
“So, he thinks he’s just gonna go walk through the airplane and sit in the seat and tell some more stories, but we’re gonna make his day,” Geof Bush, a co-pilot of the plane, said.
Rudy Grahek flew an airplane just like Hairless Joe during the Korean War. He was just 19 years old when he was a captain of the aircraft.
“You know, I’m just looking here, sitting in this beautiful cockpit here…tight quarters, but back when I was probably about 18 or 19 years old, it was huge,” Grahek recalled like it was yesterday. “If I remember right, this plane is 65-feet in length, 95-feet of wingspan.”
That’s because you never forget your first love. For Grahek, it was this aircraft.
“This just brings back so many memories. Yeah, I mean, it’s just beautiful,” he said. “My first love still is, still is my love. Yeah, she’s just a beautiful plane.”
Then, something happened that Grahek was not expecting— the Skytrain took off soaring through the sky.
While the flight was only about 20 minutes, it took Grahek back more than 60 years.
“Oh, you can imagine the memories that brought back from ’52 to 1954, brought back so many memories, just, I almost wanted to cry,” he said. “It was just such a great honor bestowed upon me that I can’t believe that happened.”
Once Grahek was done serving in the war, he went on to become a clown. He says that after years of seeing so much death, he just wanted to bring joy to others.
Grahek shared so many stories and memories with us, and we wanted to share them with you, too. Watch his full interviews below:
