Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal (ACM) B.S. Dhanoa on Tuesday received a restored World War-II DC3 Dakota aircraft from an IAF veteran.
“The Dakota [Dak] 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,” said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP and son of Air Cdre (retd.), M.K. Chandrasekhar, a Dakota Pilot.
The gift deed was signed between ACM Dhanoa and Air Cdre (Retd) Chandrasekhar at a handover ceremony.
The DC3 Dakota aircraft Parashurama bearing the Tail Number VP-905 will be part of the IAF’s vintage fleet. This Tail Number is the same as that of the first Dakota aircraft that transported troops of 1 Sikh regiment to Srinagar on October 27, 1947 for operations in J&K in the first Indo-Pak war. On that day, three Dakotas of No. 12 Sqn took off at 5 a.m. from Wellingdon airfield (Safdarjung) in New Delhi for Srinagar. By the end of day, 28 Dakota sorties were flown, including six civilian sorties.
