Keychain made of: Fairchild C-82 Packet 44-22991

Before the Flying Boxcar came the Fairchild C-82 Packet, a bold twin-boom cargo plane that redefined what military airlift could be. Designed near the end of World War II, it featured rear-loading clamshell doors and a spacious fuselage that made loading heavy cargo faster and easier than ever before. Only 223 were built between 1944 and 1948, and despite its potential, the C-82 was underpowered and short-lived. Its challenges, however, led directly to the improved C-119 Flying Boxcar, one of the most successful transport aircraft of its era. MotoArt has preserved the story of one rare survivor, C-82A-10-FA serial number 44-22991, through authentic PlaneTags made from its original aluminum skin, a lasting tribute to the aircraft that bridged wartime innovation and the age of modern airlift.

MotoArt’s Packet, serial number 44-22991, was built as a C-82A-10-FA and delivered in 1944. By 1950, it had been transferred to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in Ravenna, Ohio, where it served as one of 32 C-82s used for aerodynamic testing and research.

In 1962, aviation preservationist Walter Soplata purchased the aircraft and moved it to his famous property in Newbury, Ohio. For more than sixty years, it stood among the historic aircraft in his private collection, protected from scrapping and preserved for future generations.

Today, MotoArt honors both the aircraft and Walter’s legacy with the Fairchild C-82 Packet PlaneTags, continuing his dream of safeguarding aviation history.