Originally designed by Chase Aircraft in the late 1940s, the C-123 was introduced in the mid-1950s and built by Fairchild. The U.S. Air Force used it primarily as a cargo and military transport aircraft for operation on short and unimproved runways, and it was used exactly for those purposes during the Vietnam War. It also took part in Operation Ranch Hand, defoliating the South Vietnamese jungle. The C-123 attending AirVenture, Thunderpig, is a K-model Provider and is owned and operated by the Air Heritage Museum in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.
Air Heritage’s C-123 was operated primarily as a training aircraft and went to the boneyard in 1981. In the early 1990s, the museum acquired the airplane and spent
about a year getting it into flying condition. Since then, the museum has flown it around the country for air shows, and it’s been featured in a number of TV shows and movies, including American Made, starring Tom Cruise.