the world’s only DC-3 on gargantuan floats took to the skies for the first time since 2004.

The airplane, N130Q, was constructed by Douglas at Santa Monica, California in 1943 as a C-53D-DO with serial number 42-68834. As a landplane, it flew for Eastern Airlines after conversion to DC-3B specification until 1952 as N86562, before passing through a series of other civilian owners

In 1986 it was bought by Folsom’s Air Service in Greenville, a major seaplane operation and location of the International Seaplane Fly-In every September. Folsom set out to recreate the famous XC-47C floatplane that was the subject of USAAC trials in the latter stages of World War II.

Approximately 30 sets of Model 78-29000 floats were built by the Edo Corporation for C-47s during WWII, and roughly a half dozen C-47s operated as floatplanes in military service (numbers vary depending on the source). This is the sole civilian DC-3 converted to floats , first flying in the early 1990's and making the rounds on the airshow circuit after failing to obtain type certification for commercial ops. After the floats were damaged in the early 2000's, the aircraft sat idle on wheels at Greenville until Summer 2020 when the aircraft was returned to its floats.

The C-53’s conversion to an amphibian was not without its challenges; Folsom had acquired one of the only remaining intact sets of Edo 28000 floats around the same time as the DC-3, but it took four years to have the required hardware machined and fitted to the airplane before its first flight in 1990.

https://www.guruge.com/the-only-dc-3-float-plane-in-existence-belonging-to-max-folsom-of-greenville-maine/

https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10306240

https://vintageaviationnews.com/vintage-aviation/worlds-only-dc-3-on-floats-takes-to-the-skies.html