REMARKABLE LIFE OF A DAKOTA
D
akota ZS-NTE (c/n 11926) was
built at the Douglas Aircraft
Corporation plant in Oklahoma
City under contract number
W535-AC-2405 for the United States Army
Air Force (USAAF). It was a model C-47A-
1-DK. The aircraft was deemed ready for
service on September 24,1943 with USAAF
serial number 42-92157.
It was transferred under the Lend-Lease
agreement between the US and Britain and
allocated to the RAF, which sent it to the
Middle East on January 20, 1944 wearing
the serial FL565. Under RAF terminology, it
was designated a Douglas Dakota Mk III.
It was immediately transferred to 28 Sqn,
South African Air Force (SAAF) Transport
Squadron, Mediterranean Theatre, then
based at Castel Benito, Tripoli in Libya.
The aircraft operated ights throughout
the Mediterranean region, in particular
to Bari (Italy), Ras El Ma (Morocco) and
Rabat-Salé (Morocco). From June 1944,
it was based at Maison Blanche, Algiers,
continuing cargo and passenger ights
throughout the Med.
Italy was invaded in September 1943, but
the Allies made slow progress north fromhttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 53Main photo: Aer Lingus celebrated aviation
history with the 1943 vintage, freshly-painted
Douglas DC-3 ZS-NTE ying over the Irish
countryside. Frank Grealish
Far left: Standing proudly next to DC-3
ZS-NTE in Aer Lingus livery are (from left)
Captain Noel Flynn, Captain Ulrich
Spielmann and Captain Flippie Vermeulen.
Stefan Schmoll
Below left: Before DC-3 ZS-NTE arrived
in Europe, it was based at Rand Airport
Johannesburg, as part of the Springbok
Classic Air eet, providing sight-seeing
ights and safari tours in the region.
Michael Prophet
Below: The former World War Two aircraft
was a real head-turner at the Bray airshow.
Mateusz Koziatek52-56_prop_aer_lingusDC.mf.indd 53 02/02/2018 13:37