SUN ‘n FUN 2018 hosted a rare airlift aircraft that resonates with veterans of the war in Southeast Asia. It’s a deHavilland CV-2 Caribou.
If airlifters, those classic carriers of cargo and combat troops, sometimes get overshadowed by the fighters and bombers, that does not detract from the pivotal significance of the transport mission to the success of military operations.
The Caribou was built in Canada with short field performance in mind. The U.S. Army used it as the CV-2, bringing troops and supplies into rugged airstrips in Vietnam where larger USAF C-123s and C-130s dared not go.
By 1967, a realignment of missions in the services saw the Army Caribous transferred to the Air Force, which redesignated these tactical airlifters as the C-7.
Doug Jeanes, director of the Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas, headed up the crew that flew the Caribou to SUN ‘n FUN.
Jeanes is enthusiastic about spotlighting the importance of airlift heritage at air shows, offering a glimpse into the future of Caribou cargo displays.
The Cavanaugh crew is developing a Vietnam-era tactical flight demonstration that includes the Caribou, A-1 Skyraiders, an O-2, A-37, and UH-1 helicopter.
Look for this demonstration to debut at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas in May 2018.
