Scroll down this history page and peruse the awesome history of the DC3 Experiences "Gooney Bird".

Aircraft Type:                      Douglas C – 47B – 30 DK 
Current Registration:             VH – TMQ
Previous Identities:               A65 – 91  44 - 76552

Specifications:
Powerplants: 2 895 kW (1200 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp 14 cylinder twin row radial piston engines.
Performance: Max speed 346 km/h (187 kt), economical crusing speed 266 km/h (143 kt). Initial rate of climb 1130 ft/min. Max range 2420 km (1307 nautical miles), range with max payload 563 km (305 nautical miles).
Weights: empty 8030 kg (17,720 lb), max takeoff 12,700 kg (28,000 lb).
Dimensions: Wing span 28.96 m (95 ft 0 in), length 19.66m (64 ft 6 in), height 5.16 m (16 ft 12 in). Wing area 91.7 m squared (987 ft squared).
Capacity: Flight crew of two. Seating for between 25 and 28 passengers.

Production: 455 DC-3, 10,174 C-47 built, could be as many as 6,150 built in Russia & 485 in Japan under licence. More than 400 remained in commercial service in 1998 Other names for the DC3 are: Dakota (The British called it the Dakota, a clever acronym comprised of the letters DACoTA for Douglas Aircraft Co. Transport Aircraft);Gooney Bird; Super DC-3 (R4D-8); Skytrooper; Biscuit Bomber; Tabby (NATO code name for the Showa L2D); Cab (NATO code name for Lisunov Li-2); Dumbo (SC-47 Search-and Rescue variant); Sister Gabby/Bullshit Bomber (EC-47 dispensing propaganda-leaflets in Vietnam); Spooky/Puff the Magic Dragon (AC-47 Gunship); Dowager Dutchess; Old Methuselah; The Placid Plodder; Dizzy Three; Old Bucket Seats; Duck; Dak; Dakleton (South African C-47s which replaced their Avro Shackletons), Vomit Comet (Nickname used by US Army paratroops during the Normandy invasion.)

Aircraft History

21 March 1945            The aircraft was built at the Douglas Factory in Oklahoma City and Allocated to the United States Army Air Force on this day, with the serial number 44 – 76552. It was originally allocated constructor’s number 16136, But later this was found that this block of numbers had been duplicated with batch of Douglas Havoc Bombers and the constructor’s number was changed to 32884.   

 06 April 1945               Received at No. 3 Aircraft Depot, Amberley, Queensland, ex the USA and allocated the RAAF serial A65 – 91 and the call sign “VHRFH”

10 April 1945               Issued to No. 38 Squadron, ex 3AD, to maintain courier service.

02 July 1945                Aircraft log shows the machine flew from Archerfield to Mascot on this day.

18 September 1947       Issued at NO. 86 Transport Wing ex 38 Squadron.

03 March 1950             Port engine damage by fire near Kalgoorlie, WA, and engine change at Kalgoorlie.

17 August 1950            Issued to Repair and Salvage Unit at Darwin for operational duties.

21 February 1951          Received at DAP, Parafield, South Australia, from RSU, Darwin

25 June 1951                Transferred from No. 86 Transport Wing to No. 10 Squadron.

23 July 1951                 Issued to No. 91 Wing to replace A65 – 96.15

July 1955                     Transferred back to No. 86 Transport Wing from 91 Wing.

12 August 1959             Issued to 34 (S.T.) Squadron for Royal Tour and Used as a baggage carrier for HRH Princess Alexandria’s tour of Australia, August – Sep

23 September 1959        Issued to No. 2 Squadron and used for communications duties, attached to the Australian Ambassador, based in Saigon, Vietnam

03 March 1960              Reissued to No. 86 Transport Wing, ex 2 Squadron

1962                           Issued to 38 Squadron (a unit within 86 Transport Wing).

30 November 1964         Transferred to East Sale, Victoria.

11 October 1967            Based with No. 2 ATU. Currently 6767 airframe hours.

17 December 1968          At No. 2 Operational Training Unit.

21 April 1969                 Issued to No. 1 Flight Training School at Pearce, WA, with call sign “VMJFB”. This call sign later changed to “VMJRH”.

03 April 1974                 Issued to No. 2 Squadron, based at Butterworth, Malaysia.

09 June 1975                 Issued to Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU).

October 1976                Aircraft Ferried from Central Flying School, East Sale, Victoria, to be based at Pearce, replacing the former Pearce based machine A65 – 102 which had taken part in the Great Australian Air Race to Sydney that same month, en – route to the east for major overhaul.

10 September 1979         Issued to No. 2 Flight training School at Pearce. Total air frame hours 10033.40 hours.

09 June 1980                 To Radio School. Laverton. Victoria for conversion as training aid.

30 June 1980                 Flew from East Sale to Laverton at 13028.6 hours total time, and allocated for disposal as per tender document TV500/5/338.

15 January 1986             Sold to Golden West Airways, Queensland01 December

1987                            Sold to Rebel Air, Koomeela, as VH-TMQ03

December 1987              Arrived at Essendon Airport, ex Laverton still bearing RAAF serial A65-91. Registered to Mezeron Pty Ltd, 84 Bridge Road, Richmond,
Victoria 3121. Aircraft’s last flight for 12 years.

14 March 1988               Painted up with Canadian registration CF-TBA, and used in a ABC television documentary at Essendon Airport.

28 August 1988              Sold to Colbinra Transport of Maitland, NSW 2320. Over the years the aircraft deteriorated at Essendon, so much that the airport
authorities put an order on the aircraft to have it moved off the airport grounds. 

02 June 1995                Sold to John G. Love, operating as splitters Creek Airlines, of “Gnalta” RMB 668, Splitters Creek, NSW 2640, and dismantled for transport to Albury. However the dismantled aircraft was never taken to Albury. Civil Register shows change of ownership for VH-TMQ to Splitters Creek Airlines on this date.

01 July 1996                  Sold to Windjammer Promotions Melbourne. Trading as Air Nostalgia.

05 September 1996         Civil Register shows change of ownership on this date to Windjammer Promotions, Post Office Box 297B, Melbourne, 3001.

30 November 1999         Restoration to the aircraft now completed, including engine runs. Aircraft now fitted with 28 upgrade seats, belly mounted digitial camera. Seat – back video screens, etc. Rolled out of Essendon hanger on this day.

31 March 2000              Aircraft test flown by Bob Lane and Dave Beck, after 4 years restoration. It was it’s first flight in 12 years. Air Nostalgia’s Managing Director Robert Fisher had wanted to call the aircraft “My Mortgage” but was talked out of it, and  a compromise name “Myra” – a play on words for “My Mortgage” was used instead.

2000  - 2008                Air Nostalgia operated charter and evening flights over Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay, winery visits and wilderness tours and Around Australia Tours from Essendon Airport

2009 - Current             Sold to Gooney Bird Pty Ltd operating DC3 Experiences around Victoria, Australia and other states. Remains based and operational at Essendon Airport.