Each summer the BC Aviation Museum, handily located a few blocks from my home, holds an open house. It's a simple but charming little affair, where several aircraft from its collection are rolled out onto the apron, accompanied by a few visiting planes. To add extra interest the Museum invites owners of a vintage cars to bring out their lovely old automobiles. The 50's Caddy you see here was one of them and behind it is a C-53 (DC-3 in civilian clothes) that did not belong to the club and had been abandoned, less its two engines. The Victoria airport authority finally took possession and on the day of the show, sold it to the Museum for $1.00. Restoring the old bird is a mammoth job as it is a rare example of a C-47 modified with larger wings and more power to carry troops. The war ended shortly after it went into service, which is why only a handful of this type were built. (Thanks to visitor harley Ferguson for reminding me that military DC-3's were designated with the letter "C.")