New rebuild "USAAF" C-47 to fly in Oz

[wixlova]

A rebuld underway at Bankstown airport in Sydney will shortly allow a C-47/DC-3 to take to the skies again.

VH-MMF is been fitted out and rebuilt to handle 15 or so excutive style seating for pax.
This will increase Bankstown Dc-3 population a bit more.

She will be for a first in Australia supposively painted in a USAAF WW2 scheme which is unqiue, as all Australian flying C-47/DC-3 are either civil or RAAF schemes.

Sadly Dakota Natinal Air a DC-3 operator who did charters and flight out of Bankstown since early 1990s and then went out of business in early 2003 and is now back but on a smaller scale, used to have wonderful fllight -- once glamorus fleet total of 6-7 DC-3 and nowdays use only around 2 Dc-3 for flight in Sydney.

Back in 1990s it was common at Bankstown to see at times, up to four DC-3 take off and fly to airshows or charters. Alas those days will never happen again.

[Mark_Pilkington]

She will be for a first in Australia supposively painted in a USAAF WW2 scheme which is unqiue, as all Australian flying C-47/DC-3 are either civil or RAAF schemes.

Actually the North Queensland Warbirds have the former Malcolm Long C47 under active restoration to fly, that has been in US camouflage as "Jungle Skippers" since its original restoration at Chewing Gum field in the late 1980s?? and flew to Wangarratta as part of the long collection on display at Airworld until @ 2002?

Construction completed at Oklahoma City plant - 1944
Built as a Douglas C-47A-30-DK
Allocated U.S. serial number 43-48234
Delivered to United States Army Air Force
Assigned to the Pacific theatre of operations during the war with U. S. Transport Command
Aircraft was struck-off charge at Manila, Philippines
Sold to the Commonwealth of Australia
Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-DMV - March 26, 1947
Registered to Department of Civil Aviation
Reregistered as VH-CAO - February 9, 1951
Aircraft was operated and serviced for D.C.A. by Trans Australia Airlines until March 10, 1962
Sold to Brain & Brown Air Freighters - March 10, 1962
Aircraft was reregistered as VH-BAB - March 10, 1962
Registered to Brain & Brown Air Freighters Pty Ltd, Melbourne
Converted to freighter configuration and operated as such
Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - October 3, 1974
Aircraft underwent a major overhaul and inspection
Returned to the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-BAB - February 11, 1975
Registered to Air Express Holdings Pty Ltd - November 1976
Withdrawn from use - 1979
Sold to Chewing Gum Field Aircraft Museum, Tallebudgera, Queensland
Delivered to the Museum - July 21, 1979
Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - July 23, 1979
Whilst on display at the Museum it was painted up in United States Army Air Force livery
Carried the markings '348234' - coded 'X6A' and named 'Jungle Skippers'
When museum closed aircraft was relocated to Drages Airworld, Wangaratta, Victoria
Placed on display but now coded 'X16A' and renamed 'Oklahoma Gal'
Airworld Museum ceased operations - January 23, 2002
Aircraft sold by Wangaratta Council at auction

http://www.warbirdadventures.com.au/restoration.html

The aircraft (S/N 43-48234) was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Corp in the USA in 1943 and served with the USAAF 317th Troop Carrier Group (Jungle Skippers) 39th Squadron in Papua New Guinea from 1944 to 1947.

It was then operated by the Australian Dept of Civil Aviation from 1947 to 1962, and subsequently with Brain And Brown carrying freight between Melbourne and Tasmania from 1962 to 1978.

From 1978 to 2005 it was displayed at the Drage Air World at Wangaratta Victoria before being transported by road to Warbird Adventures Mareeba for full restoration.

Progress to date has involved re-assembly of the aircraft to the point where it is now on display.

The aircraft is currently being repainted in Jungle Skippers colours and work will start in earnest after completion of the P40 Kittyhawk.

regards

Mark Pilkington

[Oscar Duck]

Mark, any updates on the Albury DC-2?

[Mark_Pilkington]

for those unaware this relates to the world's oldest surviving DC2, A30-11 s/n 1286 formerly NC13736, one of 8 in the world.



In the 1980's it was externally refurbished and painted as KLM DC2 PH-AJU and put on poles at the Albury Airport to commemorate that aircrafts night landing during the 1934 Centenary Air Race.

It had sufferred from the elements and was taken down from the poles nearly 5 years ago ,with intention to restore it and place it on display under cover in the new airport terminal, but the council baulked at the costs, and looked at other options including cutting it up and sticking "bits" on display.


An EOI or Expression of Interest has been issued by Albury council is for the "disposal" of the aircraft by the council.

The council and the Uiver Trust set up by the council had previously contemplated cutting the DC2 up to mount its cockpit and other selected parts on the wall of the new terminal.

Certainly no way to treat a rare DC2, one of 8 in the world, and this being the oldest of those, and therefore the oldest surviving Douglas Commercial Airliner in the world.

Common sense appears to have prevailed and the Council is now undertaking an EOI in the hope someone will offer to purchase the aircraft, and take it off the Council's hands for restoration and display elsewhere.

Hopefully the aircraft will now be transferred to a bonefide museum, remain in Australia and be restored and placed on display under cover., however a US group associated with Eastern Airlines are apparantly interested (the 10 RAAF DC-2's originally flew with Eastern Airlines in the USA as part of Eddie Rickenbackers famed "Great Silver Fleet")



Far too much of an aeroplane, far too an important type and historic example to scrap and break into bits for an "artistic" display!

regards

Mark Pilkington

[ZRX61]

supposively

????