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The RAM DC3 |
| The Remote Area Medical®
DC-3 landed at Knoxville's Island Home Airport on Saturday,
August 24, 2002. The 1944 plane, which belonged to the
USA's 9th Air Force Division during World War II, participated
in the Normandy Landing on June 6, 1944--D-Day. |
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The aircraft had
been in the St. Louis area undergoing extensive repairs
provided at no cost to RAM by Missouri-based WINGS OF
HOPE. It is now used to carry all manner of supplies,
equipment, patients, pets, and skydivers to remote and
not-so-remote parts of the Western Hemisphere.
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N982Z was used
to place personnel in strategic areas and in her new
career she has a similar task. Instead of military troop
and equipment transport, she now hauls thousands of
pounds of medicine, hospital supplies, and relief volunteers.
In her early days, she droned through perilous skies
for the sake of a free world. After a half century of
service, she now takes to peace-time skies in another
unique contribution to freedom: freedom from the suffering
created by isolation from medical care.
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The 120 foot x 100 foot World War
II hangar that is now home for the aircraft is provided
courtesy of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport
Authority.
RAM's annual Salute
to Service is held in this hangar each June
the weekend closest to
D-day.
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The hangar is also home to the other
RAM aircraft, including the Beech 18, Cessna 150, and King Air C-90. Much of the maintenance
is done in this hangar as well. |
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Ground handling a DC3 is no
small task. With its 100-foot wingspan, it takes three
people to safely move it into and out of the hangar.
To make this task possible, a tug was donated by Stevens
Aviation.
RAM also has a good collection
of ground service equipment that is used to service
the aircraft. A plane this large requires a great
deal of maintenance, most of which is done by a mechanic
supported through RAM Foundation along with help from
volunteer mechanics.
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Not only does the DC3 provide a stable
and strong platform for moving people and cargo, it
also has a great deal of area under the wings for camping
in the remote places into which it is flown.
There has even been talk of designing
and building a portable surgical tent |
that could be used for performing surgical
procedures in remote areas. This exciting idea is still
in its infancy. There are a number of directions this
may be taken, but adding the capability of major surgery
in remote locations is a dream RAM is pursuing. As plans
evolve, we hope to add information on this site. If you
have experience that may be useful in developing this,
please call!
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