Official page of the restoration of the Piedmont Airlines DC-3, N56V "Potomac Pacemaker", at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC, and the continued preservation of the history of Piedmont Airlines.
The tale of Piedmont Airlines is a famous one, and revered in the history of commercial aviation. On that fateful day of February 20th, 1948, the industry didn't know it yet, but concepts and innovations were about to be brought to the fore by an airline that was only known as a puddle jumper during its conception and early life. The genius of founder Tom Davis is renowned, and people from all walks of life, almost 30 years after Piedmont's last flight, still recall the airline with fondness and respect, if not love.
But what about the little airplanes that started it all?
With a fleet of second hand DC-3s, Piedmont brought flight to the peoples of North Carolina, Virginia, over into the Ohio Valley and further yet. Small towns, with folks who may have never even seen an airplane before, found themselves with scheduled Piedmont service. The Route of the Pacemakers, as it was called, famous for its three minute turns and incomparable service. The Douglas DC-3 was, and always will be, the workhorse of the skies, and they ably proved themselves for Piedmont. From 1948 to 1963, they plied the Route of the Pacemakers faithfully. Piedmont named all of its planes after geographical and historical landmarks of the places it served, and N56V was no different, christened the Potomac Pacemaker. This particular DC-3 was built in 1942 as a C-53 troop transport, but remained in the U.S. and eventually moved to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. In 1949, it was purchased by Western Airlines, and eventually found its way to Piedmont in 1956. After the DC-3s left the PI fleet, several DC-3s - N56V among them - were traded to Charlotte Aircraft, who used the planes for spare parts. N56V, stripped bare, was left to quietly decay in the forest, until a second chance at life came up for her. In 1978, the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC, wanted for its display a Piedmont Airlines DC-3, and under the watch of Roy Teer, was restored in Durham with help provided by Piedmont. There she remained as an outdoor display until 2004, when the NCTM purchased N56V and brought her to Spencer.
The task of restoring this airplane has not been a small one. After being outdoors, quite literally since 1963, there is extensive damage and wear and tear to the airplane, parts needing the utmost attention, and even total fabrication of new ones. Luckily, the process has been able to be sped up, and volunteers work on N56V the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, and we're always looking for more. Please join us, and help preserve the history of Piedmont Airlines, of the DC-3, and of a North Carolina - and aviation - icon. To quote the famous Piedmont commercial in the 1980s, touting their growth as the Up-and-Coming Airline: "It all started with one little airplane."
