March 23, 2025 • 25 mins
When a conversation with a business leader and pilot—who also happens to be the son of a World War II veteran—places you squarely in the cockpit of history, you're in for a very unique and fascinating journey. Our latest episode of Front to the Films, the official podcast of The World War II Foundation, offers exactly that.
Hosted by Colonel Tom Rendall (USA, Ret.), this conversation with Eric Zipkin—Co-Founder of the Tunison Foundation—is more than just an exploration of a historic aircraft. It’s about memory, purpose, and the enduring legacy of those who took to the skies in humanity’s darkest hours.
At the center of the conversation is Placid Lassie, a meticulously restored C-47 Skytrain that flew in some of the most pivotal moments of the Second World War: the D-Day invasion, Operation Market Garden, and the Berlin Airlift. But as Eric makes clear, the story doesn’t end there. At first, restoring Placid Lassie was an effort to bring an aircraft back to life, but very quickly, that effort expanded into honoring the crews who flew her, the missions she endured, and the sacrifices she represents.
Through this interview, you get a sense of the scale and detail involved in bringing a seventy-year-old warbird back into service—not just as a museum piece, but as a living, flying tribute. Zipkin walks listeners through the restoration process, the historic reenactments and flyovers she now takes part in, and the powerful reactions from veterans and families who witness Placid Lassie in flight.
But what sets this episode apart is Eric’s deeper reflection on why this work matters. Through his leadership of the Tunison Foundation, and in partnership with individuals like James Lyle, Zipkin has helped build a bridge between generations—linking the Greatest Generation to those who come after, not through static displays, but through the tangible roar of engines, the precision of craftsmanship, and the thrill of witnessing history in motion.
We also get a sense of the challenges—logistical, financial, technical—that come with keeping these aircraft in the sky. Eric is honest about what it takes, and how much support—public and private—is needed to sustain such a mission. His ask is simple: come see these aircraft, bring your families, talk to the veterans, and, if you’re moved by the experience, find a way to help.
Whether you’re a history buff, an aviation enthusiast, or someone who simply believes in the
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Front to the Films. I'm Colonel Tom Rendell, your host. Tonight, we have the honor of speaking with Eric Zipkin, co-founder of the Tunison Foundation, and an individual deeply committed to preserving the legacy of World War II through historic aircraft restoration and education.
(00:05):
The Tunison Foundation's flagship project is the Placid Lassie, a meticulously restored C 47 aircraft that participated in the D-Day invasion Operation Market Garden, and the Berlin Airlift. The Foundation's work ensures that these flying tributes to history continue to inspire future generations. Eric also works closely with individuals like James Lyle and organizations to preserve and share these incredible stories.
Eric, it's a privilege to have you with us tonight. Welcome to the show. Thank you, Tom. The privilege is all mine to be on this show and to be in front of you all to tell the story of Lassie and our foundation and really about all the efforts that we're taking to remember and continue to pass on the lessons of World War ii.
Well, Eric, let's start with Placid Lassie. For our audience who may not know, could you tell us about this remarkable aircraft and its role during World War ii? Sure. LASI was built as a C 47 in 19 42, 19 43 timeframes, and the C 47, of course, was the militarized version of the DC three airliner. Two, like the many thousands of C 40 sevens that were built during the war, ultimately shipped out and was part of the 74th troop carrying squadron based in Aldermaston.
And that squadron was part of the first and subsequent waves of the Paratrooper, invasion of Normandy on what we now know as D-Day. She towed a glider for the hundred first Airborne on the first wave and subsequently participated in pretty much every campaign across Northern Europe, all the way through to the crossing of the Rhine after the war.
Again, like many of these aircraft, she was civilianized and had a. Long and storied career as a civilian airliner, and then as often happens with airliners, she worked her way down the food chain into becoming a freighter. And ultimately when I was introduced to Lassie, she was abandoned at an airfield in North Georgia that was back in 2010.
(00:30):
So, she's not only an airplane, she is a combat veteran, and again, a veteran aircraft, not only of combat, but of the post-war years. When we first were introduced to Lassie, she was derelict in a field. Her engines had been taken off and she had been abandoned as part of a commercial dispute between the local airport and the freight operator that was running her.
My friend James Lyle, who was the originator of this project. Was able to negotiate the purchase of the aircraft. He jokes that he spent more in legal fees to get clear title than we did to actually buy the aircraft. And then a volunteer group of folks led by Clive Edwards from the UK, came over to get Lassie flying.
In time for the 75th anniversary of the DC three type. The original goal was to do that, then sell the aircraft onto somebody else. But in the process of the restoration, or I should say the resurrection of the aircraft, we actually discovered the provenance of the aircraft. We didn't know the.
That it was an aircraft that indeed served in World War II and more importantly, served as part of the D-Day invasion. So, after we successfully flew the aircraft to Oshkosh James chose to hold onto the airplane and start the restoration. And that's where we were in, in 2010 and what kind of brings us to where we are today, Eric, that was great.
So Placid Lassie has participated in commemorative events such as the D-Day anniversary in Normandy. Can you share what it's like to see this aircraft flying over historic battlefields? Again? You know what's interesting? I came to this as a pilot, so I'm very operationally focused and very mission focused.
(00:55):
So, the first time that I went to Europe for. A D-Day commemoration was in 2014 for the 70th anniversary, and it was such a heavy lift and such an extraordinary, focused project that I really didn't appreciate the gravity until my last day flying in Normandy. One of the fellows I was flying with tapped me on the shoulder and he says, my airplane.
And I said, okay your airplane thinking there might have been something wrong with the aircraft. And he says, look out the window. And at that moment we were flying right over the American cemetery opposite Omaha Beach. And it all hit me just all at once. It was really probably one of the most moving experiences that I've ever had, and it really came rushing over me all at that time that not only that this aircraft had done this 70 years earlier, and that I was able to participate in that and be able to honor those people represented by those headstones on the ground underneath me. So that was the first experience of connecting.
The other very interesting experience of connecting to Placid Lassie and connecting to the commemoration is again in 2014. We first landed in Normandy. A Dutch historian flagged us down and says, I know your airplane. I know your airplane looked at him. I say yes, it's a C 47. He says no. Here's your airplane.
And he opened up the unit yearbook or the unit history for the 74th. And on the cover was a picture of Placid Lassie in wartime with her original nose arc. That was actually the first time that we became aware of her original wartime name. So, tell me more. And he says, I know the crew. And I said, I would love to speak with their families and tell 'em that the airplane's still flying.
He said Ed Tunison, the radio operator, is still alive and well in Palm Springs, California. So, he hands me a slip of paper with Ed's email address on it, and I. Whipped out my phone immediately, sent him an email and about two hours later I received a reply. Mind you, this is, 12 hours.
(01:20):
He was out in California, and it was Ed Tunison, the radio operator of Placid Lassie. Who was extraordinarily interested in what was happening to his airplane after they returned to us, they never saw the airplane again, and right then and there, we made the decision to have Ed come and join us in Europe for the rest of our trip in 2014.
So that was the second big impact for me was to be able to fly over. The beaches in Normandy and then over Holland commemorating Market Garden with one of the original crew of the aircraft, not only on board, but sitting in the pilot seat. So that was probably another one of the most moving elements of this entire thing.
And then ultimately the third is much more personal. My father was World War II veteran, and so each and every time I fly Lassie, I, I feel like I'm honoring him. And it's even doubly impactful for me because my son is also flying Lassie. So, it gets the two generations and hopefully subsequent generations honoring my father, Eric.
That's one of the most astonishing stories that we've heard in all of the podcasts we've done. That was really great. But restoring a historic aircraft is no small task. What was the journey like for you and your team to bring Placid Lassie back to her former glory? If I had known how much it would've changed my life I don't know if I would've embarked upon it at the outset.
The technical story is my friend James Lyle I mentioned before, bought the aircraft and had a group of Brits. In North Georgia, helping, getting her air worthy, she fat derelict in the field, missing engines, missing various flight controls and all that sort of stuff. And so, it was a herculean effort of Clive Edwards and his team to drag her outta the weeds and get her flying to go to Oshkosh.
(01:45):
In 2010, we had many adventures and misadventures, not the least of which is a group of. Londoners trying to order at a restaurant in North Georgia was an interesting confluence of culture clash, which was quite surprising. But we got her flying only took us two tries of getting one of the engines operating after the first one destroyed itself.
And then we got her flying then. The remainder of the time has been a kind of a rolling restoration or a flying restoration. Shortly after we got back from Oshkosh in 2010, we sent her to the paint shop and had her repainted in her original colors. And that was very interesting process because there are some really great resources and people who are very serious about.
The historical authenticity of the paint scheme. So, we were very fortunate to be able to get historically authentic paint colors and markings. And then going on from there, it's been a process of operating a an 80-year-old piece of machinery. We've replaced a few engines. We've had some dents and dings over the years, more and more, fortunately, we built so many DC three C 40 sevens, that parts are relatively easy to come by.
The thing that is not easy to come by with each passing year is the expertise to work on the aircraft. Certainly, the folks that worked on these aircraft in wartime, they've long gone. But even people who worked on them as civilians in the post-war years, that skillset is disappearing. So, in parallel to our operations of training and qualifying new crew members, it's also training and qualifying new mechanics and new crew chiefs to they understand how to safely and effectively operate these aircraft.
Eric, that's really great. Being a nearly 80-year-old piece of machinery myself. Having sat derelict in a field after being hit really hard in football, I can identify more with Placid Lassie right now than before. Eric. The Tunison Foundation's mission is not just about preserving aircraft, but also about educating the public.
(02:10):
How do you ensure that history comes alive for those who experience these planes? So, you are absolutely correct the. The mission of the Tunis and Foundation is really, is one of education. Lassie is the tool that we use, the hook, the historic artifact that gets people in, but it's really about telling the story and telling the story of the lessons of World War II Lassie's extraordinary in the sense that she flies most importantly, and there is no substitute for.
Seeing an aircraft fly and hearing it and smelling it. Certainly, a static aircraft or even watching a movie about it, it's not the same thing. And the other thing that Lassie does is she participates in a lot of commemorative parachute operations. So, folks like yourself who are either current or former paratroopers, they go out and in the same way that we try to recreate the experience from an aircraft standpoint. They are worked to recreate the experience from a soldier's, an airborne trooper standpoint. So, there's more depth and more relatability to the stories. Last is really great because the airplane can travel. Airplane can carry a large.
Crew of volunteers so that we have perpetual docents at the events that we attend, which are largely air shows and other World War II reenactment events. And people can watch a dozen or so round canopies go outta the aircraft and see what it was like and appreciate what it was like to be to be jumping in wartime.
Once we get somebody in the door, so to speak. The rest of the stories are just so fascinating. It very much resonates with a very broad section of population. It's interesting. Oftentimes I've found that people have a very specific connection to a particular aircraft. My ancestor flew this aircraft.
I saw this particular aircraft fly. The thing about the C 47. It touches so many different parts of the story. You have the aviation side, the flight crew. You have the maintenance side, you have the engineering side, because the DC three was bleeding edge technology in the late 1930s. You have the airborne troopers.
(02:35):
You have the medical evacuation. It touches so many different parts of the story that there's an angle for almost everyone, and you find it. It's really a great broad appeal to so many different people and ultimately a broad appeal and a segue into talking about. The post-war legacy really through, through the participation of the Berlin Airlift.
That was wonderful. Thank you very much. I'm falling in love with this aircraft, just like I fell in love with the rifle on an earlier podcast and of course fell in love with Masters of the Air. Eric Collaboration is key in these efforts. Can you tell us about your partnership with James Lyle and others who share this mission to preserve history?
Absolutely. Again, one of the wonderful things about a transport aircraft is it is a crude aircraft and it's a large crew and a large group of people that, that often travel in the aircraft and allows us to cast a wide net. But that's also a good analogy for the partnership that we have built over the years.
As I mentioned earlier, James Lyle was the original purchaser of the aircraft and sponsor of the aircraft. He had the foresight to lay the groundwork for the Tunis and Foundation to then ultimately be. An organization that would be self-sustaining and had received the support of many philanthropic individuals to help support Lassie.
The foundation through Lassie was the lead aircraft of the D-Day Squadron. So, the D-Day Squadron was the effort to bring a full squadron of C 40 sevens back to Europe for the 75th anniversary of D-Day and ultimately subsequent anniversaries. And through that effort we've partnered successfully with many other.
(03:00):
Large organizations within the historic aviation community, most notably the Commemorative Air Force. We have a wonderful partnership with them and their fleet. They have five C 40 sevens right now and partnering with many of the local organizations in our area, local schools, local trade schools, and ultimately organizations like Your Own, the, the World War II Foundation.
Thank you. That was a very detailed description, and I think the audience understands very well. What you're doing and why it's important. So, what are some of the challenges you face in maintaining and operating these historic aircraft, and how can the public support your work? So, the, there are many challenges.
The, probably the biggest challenge that we have, oftentimes you'll hear, the first one is money. And I don't think the money while is, it's, is extremely important. It costs a lot to operate these aircraft. And more and more over time as the parts and the supplies that are necessary dwindle.
But really the public most important, even beyond that is, is to tell these stories and talk it up. Talk about, hey, I heard, have you heard about this aircraft? Have you heard about. These stories, because that's ultimately what we're in. What we're here for is to keep these stories alive, keep these lessons alive, and make sure that they have relevance to subsequent generations.
And so, I think the public most importantly, can do that. Once as that happens the other support will come. As I said, financial support is always very much appreciated. But also volunteer support. We've got a volunteer corps of over a hundred people now that come in almost every weekend out to the hangar and help work on Lassie who travel with her on their own on their own dime.
(03:25):
And tell people about the, tell people about the stories and share, share her with the. With future generations. So again, you wanna learn more we're on. Go to our website, placidlassie.org tells you all about where we're gonna be and what we're doing, and as they say, tell a friend.
I think the audience will be very interested in that. And thank you for giving us that information.
You're listening to Front to the Films, and tonight's guest is Eric Zipkin, co-founder of the Tuna and Foundation. We're discussing the incredible story of Placid Lassie, a C 47 aircraft from World War ii, and the foundation's work to preserve history through restored World War II aircraft. Stay with us as we learn more about Eric's journey and the impact of these flying tributes.
Eric, what inspired you to personally take on the monumental, lemme say it again. Eric. What inspired you personally to take on the monumental task of restoring and preserving aircraft like Placid Lassie. My first interest in, in, in Lassie and I didn't even know that she was Lassie at that time, is, I'm a pilot and a gearhead and I had the opportunity to fly a DC three, which is a bucket list item for pilots.
That's what got me started. But really what inspired me is initially the connection with my father and the World War II generation and wanting to make sure that I shared those lessons with the rest of the world. That, that was the initial inspiration. Not a day goes by when I don't hear a story or some sort of attribute of.
(03:50):
And Lassie's story that relates to the world in which we live today. And so that inspires me day in and day out to continue with on this quest.
So, at this point, why don't you tell us a little bit about your father's experience and your father?
Sure. My father was joined the US Signal Corps, the Army Signal Corps in 1940 actually before the war started because he was a poor kid from Brooklyn who was looking to advance his advance his fortunes. And he did quite well. In service and was ultimately promoted to the technical officer of an early warning radar platoon.
So, he served in North Africa and then ended the war in in Italy. And like so many other members of the of the generation came back started a successful business and family and, it got me bit with the airplane bug because he learned to fly as a as part of the GI bill back in 19 50, 19 51 timeframes.
And always regaled me with the stories of him flying around after the war. And so, I, again, I got that bug and that's how I how I ended up getting into this.
(04:15):
That was really inspirational. So, what inspired you personally to take on the monumental task of restoring and preserving aircraft? We've already done that one, Tom? Yeah. Jumped out of it. Sorry.
The Foundation's work keeps history alive for future generations. What are your goals for the Tuna and Foundation in the coming years?
The overarching goal is to continue to accomplish our, me our mission of education and to make sure that we have the infrastructure. Place to be able to do that as long as is reasonably possible. And that really means people we are making sure that we have the right people to take on the man to take on the mantle and effectively and safely share Lassie with and other aircraft like Lassie with, with the rest of the world more specifically as I said, we went over to Europe first in 2014 for the 70th. Went over again in 2019 for the 75th, and we just got back a few months ago in 2024 for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. And I would like to be able to go back every five years. As long as we, we safely and practically can because even more than in the us.
Certainly, the stories of World War II are very vivid and very fresh in Europe in England and in Europe. And the ability for folks in Europe to see. Flying aircraft. Flying World War II aircraft is dwindling quite a bit. So, the more we can help support the better it will be for accomplishing our mission.
Wow, that's great. And I think you'll find people will want to support. I certainly will. I'd like to just step out of the prepared script because it, it occurs to me that you have a, also a monumental task in preparing the aircraft to do something like move to Normandy. Could you describe a little bit about what you have to do to get it over there and do whatever you do with it?
(04:40):
Sure. Interestingly we have both we have a lot of things in our favor compared to, what it was 80 years ago. We have modern GPS and weather reporting and satellite phones. We're able to plan and navigate much more easily than they did 80 years ago.
And the, it turns out that the geography hasn't changed. So, we go, and we fly to the same airports. We depart Northeastern us, go to Goose Bay from Goose Bay to Naar in the, which is known as B Bluey West, one on the southern tip of Greenland, and then Revic Prestwick, Scotland, and then ultimately into England.
The itinerary is very much the same, which is good because it's a well-worn itinerary. One that the airplane and airplanes like Lassie have done, thousands of times before. As with any old piece of machinery, you need to make sure that it's reliable. And the best way to make sure it's reliable is to fly the airplane.
So, our preparations really start with making sure that the airplane is flown, regularly. We try to follow the air show circuit. We try to bring Lassie out and share her with as many people as possible. And that helps us just keep everything lubricated, everything operating in any, these old airplanes, they want, they need to be flown.
So that's the most important thing. And then of course, going across the Atlantic, it's, it is at the end of the day, still the Atlantic. So, we have a full set of survival gear. Life raft survival suits all the communication equipment. And again, fortunately it's a well-worn path.
(05:05):
Once we're put all that stuff together, it's really just a question of waiting for the right weather because we are more weather limited than a more modern aircraft. And then and picking our time to go across the Atlantic. The other challenges that we have going across the Atlantic especially as we get into Europe there are ma many more challenges first of which is insurance coverage.
The insurance requirements for aircraft in Europe don't make any allowance for are based on the weight of the aircraft and they don't make any allowance for historic aircraft. So, we have to carry the same levels of insurance as an Airbus. So that's a big expense. And more and more in our, in it, it's becoming more and more challenging to secure that.
And then fuel and oil availability is becoming more and more challenging. Aviation gasoline, which is what we run on has been largely supplanted with jet fuel and throughout the world. So, the supplies and the access to avgas as they say. Is more and more challenging. So, as we've, each time we go over we're, we find ourselves having to do a lot more logistical, prepositioning and are more limited in our itinerary based upon the fuel availability.
And then the final thing is, once again, once you get into Europe the access to airports is much more limited. In the US we have this wonderful freedom to go in and out of almost any airport that we choose. With comparatively small restrictions in Europe, that's no longer the case. So again you're, it's a big planning process.
I'm glad that you gave us that. How high do you fly when you traverse the Atlantic? So, we're running anywhere from, typically it's between five and 10,000 feet. The aircraft is not pressurized, so we don't, we try to avoid going over 10,000 feet. We have flown across the Atlantic or portions of the Atlantic as low as 1,500 feet based on the weather.
(05:30):
Trying to find, get out of icing conditions and, yeah, basically get outta license conditions and deal with the weather there.
Thank you for all of that. In fact, it gives an idea as to why you need the support. So, if someone listening tonight wants to get involved or support your mission, what's the best way they can do that? The first thing to do would be you can go online. Tuna in foundation.org is our main webpage or placid lassie.org.
And you can learn all about what we're doing and learn when Lassie might be coming to your town or if you're in the in the New York area, New York, new England area. Lassie is based in in the Hudson Valley in Poughkeepsie. We host regular. Hangar day. So come on out and see her and as they say, feed the animals and actually participate in helping keep her clean and keeping her main maintained.
Eric, it's been an absolute pleasure having you on the show. Your dedication to preserving history through the Toson Foundation and aircraft like Placid Lassie is really inspiring. Before we wrap up, is there one final thought you'd like to leave with our audience?
I would like the audience to always think of the massive responsibility that we took on in fighting World War ii. That responsibility continues to this day.
(05:55):
That was short and sweet, but beautiful and inspiring, and thank you very much. And thank you again, Eric, for joining us tonight and for your incredible work in keeping the stories of World War II Alive. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in to front to the films. If you'd like to learn more about the Tunison Foundation or support their mission, we'll include links in the show notes.
Until next time, stay curious, stay inspired, and keep learning from the past to shape our future. And as we leave, of course, our theme song, the theme from The Great Escape. This is Rendall out.
Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Front to the Films. I'm Colonel Tom Rendell, your host. Tonight, we have the honor of speaking with Eric Zipkin, co-founder of the Tunison Foundation, and an individual deeply committed to preserving the legacy of World War II through historic aircraft restoration and education.
(00:05):
The Tunison Foundation's flagship project is the Placid Lassie, a meticulously restored C 47 aircraft that participated in the D-Day invasion Operation Market Garden, and the Berlin Airlift. The Foundation's work ensures that these flying tributes to history continue to inspire future generations. Eric also works closely with individuals like James Lyle and organizations to preserve and share these incredible stories.
Eric, it's a privilege to have you with us tonight. Welcome to the show. Thank you, Tom. The privilege is all mine to be on this show and to be in front of you all to tell the story of Lassie and our foundation and really about all the efforts that we're taking to remember and continue to pass on the lessons of World War ii.
Well, Eric, let's start with Placid Lassie. For our audience who may not know, could you tell us about this remarkable aircraft and its role during World War ii? Sure. LASI was built as a C 47 in 19 42, 19 43 timeframes, and the C 47, of course, was the militarized version of the DC three airliner. Two, like the many thousands of C 40 sevens that were built during the war, ultimately shipped out and was part of the 74th troop carrying squadron based in Aldermaston.
And that squadron was part of the first and subsequent waves of the Paratrooper, invasion of Normandy on what we now know as D-Day. She towed a glider for the hundred first Airborne on the first wave and subsequently participated in pretty much every campaign across Northern Europe, all the way through to the crossing of the Rhine after the war.
Again, like many of these aircraft, she was civilianized and had a. Long and storied career as a civilian airliner, and then as often happens with airliners, she worked her way down the food chain into becoming a freighter. And ultimately when I was introduced to Lassie, she was abandoned at an airfield in North Georgia that was back in 2010.
(00:30):
So, she's not only an airplane, she is a combat veteran, and again, a veteran aircraft, not only of combat, but of the post-war years. When we first were introduced to Lassie, she was derelict in a field. Her engines had been taken off and she had been abandoned as part of a commercial dispute between the local airport and the freight operator that was running her.
My friend James Lyle, who was the originator of this project. Was able to negotiate the purchase of the aircraft. He jokes that he spent more in legal fees to get clear title than we did to actually buy the aircraft. And then a volunteer group of folks led by Clive Edwards from the UK, came over to get Lassie flying.
In time for the 75th anniversary of the DC three type. The original goal was to do that, then sell the aircraft onto somebody else. But in the process of the restoration, or I should say the resurrection of the aircraft, we actually discovered the provenance of the aircraft. We didn't know the.
That it was an aircraft that indeed served in World War II and more importantly, served as part of the D-Day invasion. So, after we successfully flew the aircraft to Oshkosh James chose to hold onto the airplane and start the restoration. And that's where we were in, in 2010 and what kind of brings us to where we are today, Eric, that was great.
So Placid Lassie has participated in commemorative events such as the D-Day anniversary in Normandy. Can you share what it's like to see this aircraft flying over historic battlefields? Again? You know what's interesting? I came to this as a pilot, so I'm very operationally focused and very mission focused.
(00:55):
So, the first time that I went to Europe for. A D-Day commemoration was in 2014 for the 70th anniversary, and it was such a heavy lift and such an extraordinary, focused project that I really didn't appreciate the gravity until my last day flying in Normandy. One of the fellows I was flying with tapped me on the shoulder and he says, my airplane.
And I said, okay your airplane thinking there might have been something wrong with the aircraft. And he says, look out the window. And at that moment we were flying right over the American cemetery opposite Omaha Beach. And it all hit me just all at once. It was really probably one of the most moving experiences that I've ever had, and it really came rushing over me all at that time that not only that this aircraft had done this 70 years earlier, and that I was able to participate in that and be able to honor those people represented by those headstones on the ground underneath me. So that was the first experience of connecting.
The other very interesting experience of connecting to Placid Lassie and connecting to the commemoration is again in 2014. We first landed in Normandy. A Dutch historian flagged us down and says, I know your airplane. I know your airplane looked at him. I say yes, it's a C 47. He says no. Here's your airplane.
And he opened up the unit yearbook or the unit history for the 74th. And on the cover was a picture of Placid Lassie in wartime with her original nose arc. That was actually the first time that we became aware of her original wartime name. So, tell me more. And he says, I know the crew. And I said, I would love to speak with their families and tell 'em that the airplane's still flying.
He said Ed Tunison, the radio operator, is still alive and well in Palm Springs, California. So, he hands me a slip of paper with Ed's email address on it, and I. Whipped out my phone immediately, sent him an email and about two hours later I received a reply. Mind you, this is, 12 hours.
(01:20):
He was out in California, and it was Ed Tunison, the radio operator of Placid Lassie. Who was extraordinarily interested in what was happening to his airplane after they returned to us, they never saw the airplane again, and right then and there, we made the decision to have Ed come and join us in Europe for the rest of our trip in 2014.
So that was the second big impact for me was to be able to fly over. The beaches in Normandy and then over Holland commemorating Market Garden with one of the original crew of the aircraft, not only on board, but sitting in the pilot seat. So that was probably another one of the most moving elements of this entire thing.
And then ultimately the third is much more personal. My father was World War II veteran, and so each and every time I fly Lassie, I, I feel like I'm honoring him. And it's even doubly impactful for me because my son is also flying Lassie. So, it gets the two generations and hopefully subsequent generations honoring my father, Eric.
That's one of the most astonishing stories that we've heard in all of the podcasts we've done. That was really great. But restoring a historic aircraft is no small task. What was the journey like for you and your team to bring Placid Lassie back to her former glory? If I had known how much it would've changed my life I don't know if I would've embarked upon it at the outset.
The technical story is my friend James Lyle I mentioned before, bought the aircraft and had a group of Brits. In North Georgia, helping, getting her air worthy, she fat derelict in the field, missing engines, missing various flight controls and all that sort of stuff. And so, it was a herculean effort of Clive Edwards and his team to drag her outta the weeds and get her flying to go to Oshkosh.
(01:45):
In 2010, we had many adventures and misadventures, not the least of which is a group of. Londoners trying to order at a restaurant in North Georgia was an interesting confluence of culture clash, which was quite surprising. But we got her flying only took us two tries of getting one of the engines operating after the first one destroyed itself.
And then we got her flying then. The remainder of the time has been a kind of a rolling restoration or a flying restoration. Shortly after we got back from Oshkosh in 2010, we sent her to the paint shop and had her repainted in her original colors. And that was very interesting process because there are some really great resources and people who are very serious about.
The historical authenticity of the paint scheme. So, we were very fortunate to be able to get historically authentic paint colors and markings. And then going on from there, it's been a process of operating a an 80-year-old piece of machinery. We've replaced a few engines. We've had some dents and dings over the years, more and more, fortunately, we built so many DC three C 40 sevens, that parts are relatively easy to come by.
The thing that is not easy to come by with each passing year is the expertise to work on the aircraft. Certainly, the folks that worked on these aircraft in wartime, they've long gone. But even people who worked on them as civilians in the post-war years, that skillset is disappearing. So, in parallel to our operations of training and qualifying new crew members, it's also training and qualifying new mechanics and new crew chiefs to they understand how to safely and effectively operate these aircraft.
Eric, that's really great. Being a nearly 80-year-old piece of machinery myself. Having sat derelict in a field after being hit really hard in football, I can identify more with Placid Lassie right now than before. Eric. The Tunison Foundation's mission is not just about preserving aircraft, but also about educating the public.
(02:10):
How do you ensure that history comes alive for those who experience these planes? So, you are absolutely correct the. The mission of the Tunis and Foundation is really, is one of education. Lassie is the tool that we use, the hook, the historic artifact that gets people in, but it's really about telling the story and telling the story of the lessons of World War II Lassie's extraordinary in the sense that she flies most importantly, and there is no substitute for.
Seeing an aircraft fly and hearing it and smelling it. Certainly, a static aircraft or even watching a movie about it, it's not the same thing. And the other thing that Lassie does is she participates in a lot of commemorative parachute operations. So, folks like yourself who are either current or former paratroopers, they go out and in the same way that we try to recreate the experience from an aircraft standpoint. They are worked to recreate the experience from a soldier's, an airborne trooper standpoint. So, there's more depth and more relatability to the stories. Last is really great because the airplane can travel. Airplane can carry a large.
Crew of volunteers so that we have perpetual docents at the events that we attend, which are largely air shows and other World War II reenactment events. And people can watch a dozen or so round canopies go outta the aircraft and see what it was like and appreciate what it was like to be to be jumping in wartime.
Once we get somebody in the door, so to speak. The rest of the stories are just so fascinating. It very much resonates with a very broad section of population. It's interesting. Oftentimes I've found that people have a very specific connection to a particular aircraft. My ancestor flew this aircraft.
I saw this particular aircraft fly. The thing about the C 47. It touches so many different parts of the story. You have the aviation side, the flight crew. You have the maintenance side, you have the engineering side, because the DC three was bleeding edge technology in the late 1930s. You have the airborne troopers.
(02:35):
You have the medical evacuation. It touches so many different parts of the story that there's an angle for almost everyone, and you find it. It's really a great broad appeal to so many different people and ultimately a broad appeal and a segue into talking about. The post-war legacy really through, through the participation of the Berlin Airlift.
That was wonderful. Thank you very much. I'm falling in love with this aircraft, just like I fell in love with the rifle on an earlier podcast and of course fell in love with Masters of the Air. Eric Collaboration is key in these efforts. Can you tell us about your partnership with James Lyle and others who share this mission to preserve history?
Absolutely. Again, one of the wonderful things about a transport aircraft is it is a crude aircraft and it's a large crew and a large group of people that, that often travel in the aircraft and allows us to cast a wide net. But that's also a good analogy for the partnership that we have built over the years.
As I mentioned earlier, James Lyle was the original purchaser of the aircraft and sponsor of the aircraft. He had the foresight to lay the groundwork for the Tunis and Foundation to then ultimately be. An organization that would be self-sustaining and had received the support of many philanthropic individuals to help support Lassie.
The foundation through Lassie was the lead aircraft of the D-Day Squadron. So, the D-Day Squadron was the effort to bring a full squadron of C 40 sevens back to Europe for the 75th anniversary of D-Day and ultimately subsequent anniversaries. And through that effort we've partnered successfully with many other.
(03:00):
Large organizations within the historic aviation community, most notably the Commemorative Air Force. We have a wonderful partnership with them and their fleet. They have five C 40 sevens right now and partnering with many of the local organizations in our area, local schools, local trade schools, and ultimately organizations like Your Own, the, the World War II Foundation.
Thank you. That was a very detailed description, and I think the audience understands very well. What you're doing and why it's important. So, what are some of the challenges you face in maintaining and operating these historic aircraft, and how can the public support your work? So, the, there are many challenges.
The, probably the biggest challenge that we have, oftentimes you'll hear, the first one is money. And I don't think the money while is, it's, is extremely important. It costs a lot to operate these aircraft. And more and more over time as the parts and the supplies that are necessary dwindle.
But really the public most important, even beyond that is, is to tell these stories and talk it up. Talk about, hey, I heard, have you heard about this aircraft? Have you heard about. These stories, because that's ultimately what we're in. What we're here for is to keep these stories alive, keep these lessons alive, and make sure that they have relevance to subsequent generations.
And so, I think the public most importantly, can do that. Once as that happens the other support will come. As I said, financial support is always very much appreciated. But also volunteer support. We've got a volunteer corps of over a hundred people now that come in almost every weekend out to the hangar and help work on Lassie who travel with her on their own on their own dime.
(03:25):
And tell people about the, tell people about the stories and share, share her with the. With future generations. So again, you wanna learn more we're on. Go to our website, placidlassie.org tells you all about where we're gonna be and what we're doing, and as they say, tell a friend.
I think the audience will be very interested in that. And thank you for giving us that information.
You're listening to Front to the Films, and tonight's guest is Eric Zipkin, co-founder of the Tuna and Foundation. We're discussing the incredible story of Placid Lassie, a C 47 aircraft from World War ii, and the foundation's work to preserve history through restored World War II aircraft. Stay with us as we learn more about Eric's journey and the impact of these flying tributes.
Eric, what inspired you to personally take on the monumental, lemme say it again. Eric. What inspired you personally to take on the monumental task of restoring and preserving aircraft like Placid Lassie. My first interest in, in, in Lassie and I didn't even know that she was Lassie at that time, is, I'm a pilot and a gearhead and I had the opportunity to fly a DC three, which is a bucket list item for pilots.
That's what got me started. But really what inspired me is initially the connection with my father and the World War II generation and wanting to make sure that I shared those lessons with the rest of the world. That, that was the initial inspiration. Not a day goes by when I don't hear a story or some sort of attribute of.
(03:50):
And Lassie's story that relates to the world in which we live today. And so that inspires me day in and day out to continue with on this quest.
So, at this point, why don't you tell us a little bit about your father's experience and your father?
Sure. My father was joined the US Signal Corps, the Army Signal Corps in 1940 actually before the war started because he was a poor kid from Brooklyn who was looking to advance his advance his fortunes. And he did quite well. In service and was ultimately promoted to the technical officer of an early warning radar platoon.
So, he served in North Africa and then ended the war in in Italy. And like so many other members of the of the generation came back started a successful business and family and, it got me bit with the airplane bug because he learned to fly as a as part of the GI bill back in 19 50, 19 51 timeframes.
And always regaled me with the stories of him flying around after the war. And so, I, again, I got that bug and that's how I how I ended up getting into this.
(04:15):
That was really inspirational. So, what inspired you personally to take on the monumental task of restoring and preserving aircraft? We've already done that one, Tom? Yeah. Jumped out of it. Sorry.
The Foundation's work keeps history alive for future generations. What are your goals for the Tuna and Foundation in the coming years?
The overarching goal is to continue to accomplish our, me our mission of education and to make sure that we have the infrastructure. Place to be able to do that as long as is reasonably possible. And that really means people we are making sure that we have the right people to take on the man to take on the mantle and effectively and safely share Lassie with and other aircraft like Lassie with, with the rest of the world more specifically as I said, we went over to Europe first in 2014 for the 70th. Went over again in 2019 for the 75th, and we just got back a few months ago in 2024 for the 80th anniversary of D-Day. And I would like to be able to go back every five years. As long as we, we safely and practically can because even more than in the us.
Certainly, the stories of World War II are very vivid and very fresh in Europe in England and in Europe. And the ability for folks in Europe to see. Flying aircraft. Flying World War II aircraft is dwindling quite a bit. So, the more we can help support the better it will be for accomplishing our mission.
Wow, that's great. And I think you'll find people will want to support. I certainly will. I'd like to just step out of the prepared script because it, it occurs to me that you have a, also a monumental task in preparing the aircraft to do something like move to Normandy. Could you describe a little bit about what you have to do to get it over there and do whatever you do with it?
(04:40):
Sure. Interestingly we have both we have a lot of things in our favor compared to, what it was 80 years ago. We have modern GPS and weather reporting and satellite phones. We're able to plan and navigate much more easily than they did 80 years ago.
And the, it turns out that the geography hasn't changed. So, we go, and we fly to the same airports. We depart Northeastern us, go to Goose Bay from Goose Bay to Naar in the, which is known as B Bluey West, one on the southern tip of Greenland, and then Revic Prestwick, Scotland, and then ultimately into England.
The itinerary is very much the same, which is good because it's a well-worn itinerary. One that the airplane and airplanes like Lassie have done, thousands of times before. As with any old piece of machinery, you need to make sure that it's reliable. And the best way to make sure it's reliable is to fly the airplane.
So, our preparations really start with making sure that the airplane is flown, regularly. We try to follow the air show circuit. We try to bring Lassie out and share her with as many people as possible. And that helps us just keep everything lubricated, everything operating in any, these old airplanes, they want, they need to be flown.
So that's the most important thing. And then of course, going across the Atlantic, it's, it is at the end of the day, still the Atlantic. So, we have a full set of survival gear. Life raft survival suits all the communication equipment. And again, fortunately it's a well-worn path.
(05:05):
Once we're put all that stuff together, it's really just a question of waiting for the right weather because we are more weather limited than a more modern aircraft. And then and picking our time to go across the Atlantic. The other challenges that we have going across the Atlantic especially as we get into Europe there are ma many more challenges first of which is insurance coverage.
The insurance requirements for aircraft in Europe don't make any allowance for are based on the weight of the aircraft and they don't make any allowance for historic aircraft. So, we have to carry the same levels of insurance as an Airbus. So that's a big expense. And more and more in our, in it, it's becoming more and more challenging to secure that.
And then fuel and oil availability is becoming more and more challenging. Aviation gasoline, which is what we run on has been largely supplanted with jet fuel and throughout the world. So, the supplies and the access to avgas as they say. Is more and more challenging. So, as we've, each time we go over we're, we find ourselves having to do a lot more logistical, prepositioning and are more limited in our itinerary based upon the fuel availability.
And then the final thing is, once again, once you get into Europe the access to airports is much more limited. In the US we have this wonderful freedom to go in and out of almost any airport that we choose. With comparatively small restrictions in Europe, that's no longer the case. So again you're, it's a big planning process.
I'm glad that you gave us that. How high do you fly when you traverse the Atlantic? So, we're running anywhere from, typically it's between five and 10,000 feet. The aircraft is not pressurized, so we don't, we try to avoid going over 10,000 feet. We have flown across the Atlantic or portions of the Atlantic as low as 1,500 feet based on the weather.
(05:30):
Trying to find, get out of icing conditions and, yeah, basically get outta license conditions and deal with the weather there.
Thank you for all of that. In fact, it gives an idea as to why you need the support. So, if someone listening tonight wants to get involved or support your mission, what's the best way they can do that? The first thing to do would be you can go online. Tuna in foundation.org is our main webpage or placid lassie.org.
And you can learn all about what we're doing and learn when Lassie might be coming to your town or if you're in the in the New York area, New York, new England area. Lassie is based in in the Hudson Valley in Poughkeepsie. We host regular. Hangar day. So come on out and see her and as they say, feed the animals and actually participate in helping keep her clean and keeping her main maintained.
Eric, it's been an absolute pleasure having you on the show. Your dedication to preserving history through the Toson Foundation and aircraft like Placid Lassie is really inspiring. Before we wrap up, is there one final thought you'd like to leave with our audience?
I would like the audience to always think of the massive responsibility that we took on in fighting World War ii. That responsibility continues to this day.
(05:55):
That was short and sweet, but beautiful and inspiring, and thank you very much. And thank you again, Eric, for joining us tonight and for your incredible work in keeping the stories of World War II Alive. And to our listeners, thank you for tuning in to front to the films. If you'd like to learn more about the Tunison Foundation or support their mission, we'll include links in the show notes.
Until next time, stay curious, stay inspired, and keep learning from the past to shape our future. And as we leave, of course, our theme song, the theme from The Great Escape. This is Rendall out.
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