The C-31A Troopship is a variant of the highly-successful Fokker F27 Friendship Regional Airliner.   The C-31A (F27-400M) was used as the primary jump platform by the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Demonstration Team from 1985 until 2019. 

“The C-31A proved itself to be one of the most rugged and reliable aircraft ever built,” Ken Breeden said, Golden Knights pilot and aviation maintenance officer. “The controls and long wingspan give the airplane a smooth and forgiving feel that is greatly admired for those fortunate enough to have flown these well-designed airplanes.”

The DeHavilland C-147A (DHC-8-315) has replaced the C-31A, which had reached the end of its life cycle and was expensive to maintain due to limited availability of replacement parts. It had been the only operational plane of its type in the United States since 2014. 

Bearing the name “Excalibur” but more commonly known as “Golden Knight 608” after her tail number, the aircraft wrapped up performances in the fall of 2019 before returning to the team’s home base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Following retirement, the C-31A was put up for sale and it was purchased by the Flying Dutch Cultural Heritage Foundation in the Netherlands. Her sister ship, “Ambassador” (“Golden Knight 607”), was retired in September 2018 and resides at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Both aircraft have been autographed inside by team members and passengers as a farewell.

SOURCE: U. S. Army Golden Knights & Wikipedia