National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Visit: Airpark in Winter - Northrop YC-125B Raider

By Fred Harl

Our last stop on the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force Airpark in Winter Series is the Northrop YC-125B Raider, a tri-motored military troop transport adaptation of the civil N-23 Pioneer once championed by former TWA President Jack Frye.  The first of thirteen initial YC-125As first flew in 1949 (only 20 years after the legendary Ford Trimotor ruled the skies) and ten additional YC-125Bs were ordered for testing for the arctic rescue mission.  The advent of the practical helicopter negated the need for the Raider, and they were quickly relegated to the ground maintenance trainer role and declared surplus by the mid 1950s.  Thirteen aircraft were once operating in the Miami area as C-125s.  One of the YC-125B arctic rescue aircraft s/n 48-0626 (painted as 48-0622) is featured here: