1/144 14527 Minicraft US Navy R4D-5 Operation High Jump - Antarctic Mapping Aircraft - (C-47 DC-3)
Plastic Model Kit, Box Condition: Sealed Exc++
Still factory sealed. Dated 2005 and features a very good model of the Navy DC-3 with markings for Operation High Jump. The US Navy spearheaded this project which started in 1946. The main purpose was to train men and test equipment under polar conditions, as the United States wanted to be prepared to match the USSR in any type of terrain & weather should hostilities occur between the two superpowers. Operation High Jump consisted of over 4,000 men, 13 ships and 26 aircraft. Six of these were Navy R4D-5s which were sent to conduct the aerial survey of Antarctica. When the airfield was ready, they were launched from aircraft carriers using JATO rockets. Once on the ground, they were fitted with skis which allowed them operate on any runway conditions. Before the operation ended in 1947, 1.5 million square miles of Antarctica's interior and 5,500 miles of the coastline were mapped.
$20.00