In a moment that blended living history with heartfelt celebration, 101-year-old World War II C-47 pilot Alan Shapiro returned to the air aboard a restored Douglas C-47 Skytrain at the American Airpower Museum.
The special “Honor Flight,” staged as part of Shapiro’s 101st birthday celebration, reunited the veteran with the very type of aircraft he flew across Europe during the final months of the war.
Shapiro served as a young 2nd lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Forces’ 316th Troop Carrier Group, 37th Troop Carrier Squadron. From late 1944 through V-E Day, he piloted C-47 missions supporting Operation Market Garden resupply, emergency medevac flights, and critical airborne operations during the Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, he took part in Operation Varsity, the largest single-day Allied airborne assault of the war, helping establish a foothold across the Rhine River just weeks before Germany’s surrender.
Shapiro arrived at the museum’s Hangar 3 to cheers from family, museum staff, veterans, and visitors. After posing for photos beside the olive-drab transport plane, he boarded the C-47 for a 25-minute flight tracing Long Island’s South Shore—his first time back in the cockpit of a wartime Skytrain in eight decades.
“We were honored to welcome WWII Veteran C-47 Pilot Alan Shapiro and give him the chance to fly again,” said American Airpower Museum President Jeff Clyman. “Seeing Alan aboard our C-47 was a powerful reminder of the sacrifices and accomplishments of the Greatest Generation.”
Shapiro spoke with visitors and media after landing at Republic Airport, sharing stories from his combat missions and reflecting on the significance of revisiting an aircraft that carried him through some of the war’s most pivotal operations.
“This flight was a tribute not just to Alan,” Clyman added, “but to all the men and women who served in World War II.”