On Tuesday, the Air Chief Marshal (ACM) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) B. S. Dhanoa received a restored World War 2 DC3 Dakota aircraft from an IAF veteran. Douglas DC3 aircraft, better known as the Dakota carried the troops of the Army’s first Sikh Regiment to Srinagar on the 27th of October 1947, during the first Indo Pakistan War.
Member of Parliament (MP) and the son of Air Commodore (retired) M. K. Chandrasekhar, Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “The Dakota was also part of my childhood as my father flew it all over India and so today, I fulfil my dream of helping my father donate a DC3 Dakota to the Indian Air Force.”
Dhanoa in a statement said, “The Dakota is currently kept at Coventry airfield in the UK. It is set to fly next month. The vintage plane will traverse over 4,800 nautical miles. From the UK, the route will be through France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Oman, in that order. In India, the first stop would be Jamnagar, from where it will fly to Hindon.”
The gift deed was signed between ACM Dhanoa and Air Commodore (retd) Chandrasekhar at a handover ceremony. The DC3 Dakota aircraft Parashurama bearing the tail number VP 905 will be a part of IAF’s vintage fleet.
