There were several vintage cargo aircraft at the show this year on static display.
This is a douglas C-53 Skytrooper. It is very similar to the C-47 Skytrain. The basic difference that is visible is that the C-53 does not have a cargo door, just a troop door as this aircraft was only used for dropping paratroopers. This particular aircraft flew three missions during the Normandy invasion. It also flew into Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge and during the crossing of the Rhine. It is now painted up in the colors of the USO show that flew with Bob Hope from March Field.
This is the big brother of the C-47/53. The Curtiss C-46 Commando was used heavily in the CBI theater to haul cargo over the Himalayas, "flying the hump". This one is operated by the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).
This Convair C-131 Samaritan was the transport of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General Thomas Dresser White, during the Korean War. It now has a configuration that shows the aircraft in several different roles.
Here are the C-46 and the C-131 near each other during the show.
