New resident! One of a kind DC-3 Used by WWII Air Force General and Secretary of War finds new home at the Green!

Date: 24/05/2026

📣 Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport’s management team is delighted to announce a very special new resident at the Green!

Following years restoration work and dedication, a truly remarkable aircraft has now joined the airport’s growing aviation family. This beautiful Douglas DC-3 (extremely rare C-41A variant) recently took to the skies for the first time since 2019 – successfully completing its journey from its previous home at Coventry Airport to its new base at Halfpenny Green. This is a significant milestone marking the next chapter in the aircraft’s extraordinary history.

Beneath the polished aluminium skin of this stunning Douglas C-41A lies a story unlike any other. This aircraft is not only historically important – it is completely unique. The C-41A is the only example of its type ever built. Originally commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1938, the aircraft would later be requisitioned by one of the most influential military figures of the Second World War, Major General Henry “Hap” Arnold, who selected it to serve as a VIP and executive transport aircraft for senior military leadership and the U.S. Secretary of War.

Known widely as “The Father of the United States Air Force”, General Arnold was a towering figure in aviation history. Remarkably, he learned to fly under the instruction of the Wright Brothers themselves before rising through the ranks to become Commanding General of the U.S. Army Air Forces. His leadership and vision played a pivotal role in Allied air strategy and helped secure victory over Germany and Japan during World War II. Arnold remains a unique figure in American military history and is still the only person ever to hold a five-star rank in two separate branches of the U.S. armed forces, the Army and the Air Force.

The arrival of this one-of-a-kind aircraft represents another exciting chapter for Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport and offers visitors and aviation enthusiasts the chance to see an exceptionally rare piece of living history up close.