Was a C-47 converted into a glider?

It was concluded that the best solution to the requirement was to convert the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, already in large-scale production. The aircraft chosen had been a Northwest Airlines DC-3 brought into military service at the start of World War II, and it was modified by removing the engines; the nacelles, which housed the landing gear, were left in place, closed off with streamlined hemispherical fairings that held fixed ballast to compensate for the absence of the powerplants. The work was carried out at Clinton County Army Air Field and was completed on 12 June 1944, with the first test flight taking place shortly afterward.

The XCG-17's cargo hold had a capacity of 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg). For towing, it was determined that the optimal aircraft was a single C-54.

Despite satisfactory test results, the aircraft failed to meet the Army's requirement of being able to land on unprepared fields. Although the XCG-17 was successfully tested, the need for such a large glider had already passed, and no further examples of the type were built. The prototype, once its trials were completed, went into storage. In August 1949 it was sold to Advance Industries, which reinstalled the engines to return it to powered-aircraft condition, in DC-3C configuration.