US Army Aircraft C-53-DO-41-20124
Also known as: US Navy Aircraft (R4D-3 BuNo 05078) DC-3
Why it's listed
This is a Douglas C-53 "Skytrooper," a military passenger and light cargo version of the DC-3 airliner, built in Santa Monica, California, on March 11, 1942, and now kept at Bloomington-Normal Airport in Illinois. It was one of 399 C-53s made for the Army Air Force, and it also carried the Navy designation R4D-3 after a transfer from an Army contract. The aluminum twin-engine aircraft has a 95-foot wingspan and a 64-foot fuselage. Its engines are Pratt and Whitney R-1830-90D radials, upgraded from the original factory type. After the war the cabin was converted to a civil layout in 1947, with seating for twenty-six passengers, a buffet and a lavatory, and the exterior is painted in a 1950s Ozark Airlines scheme. The DC-3 design emerged in 1936 as the leading twin-engine transport and served widely in World War II, which forms the historical context for this surviving example.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a representative example of the 399 C-53 Skytroopers built by Douglas for the Army Air Force, a military variant of the DC-3, the dominant twin-engine transport of the 1940s. The aircraft also carries a Navy designation through transfer from an Army contract. The excerpt discusses the military role of DC-3 variants in World War II, but the full significance statement is truncated.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 96000857, listed August 1, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1.25 mi. E of jct. of IL 9 and IL 5, Bloomington |
|---|---|
| County | McLean County |
| Listed | August 1, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000857 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architect / builder | Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., Santa Monica, California |
| Architectural style | OTHER: Passenger/Light Cargo Aircraft |
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation, Military |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently located at Bloomington-Normal Airport; current function is listed as museum. Cabin converted to civil layout in 1947 and painted in a 1950s Ozark Airlines pattern. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.48540, -88.93124 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 96000857.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7274784
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.