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http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lawmaker-to-gift-dakota-aircraft-to-indian-air-force-1398091

Lawmaker To Gift Dakota Aircraft To Indian Air Force

April 22, 2016

Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar's passion for preserving military history has found support from the central government, which has agreed to accept a Douglas DC3 'Dakota' aircraft from him.

The Keralite, who recently completed a decade as a Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka, told IANS that he is "delighted that the Narendra Modi government has decided to accept this airworthy aircraft that was pressed into service way back in 1948".

He first offered the aircraft to the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, but failed to get a positive response. But with PM Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, that was not the case, he said.

"I brought this aircraft from Ireland in 2009 and moved it to London. I have completely overhauled the aircraft and it's now airworthy. Now we are waiting for clearances from various quarters, and once everything is cleared it will be brought to India and handed over to the Indian Air Force," said Mr Chandrasekhar, 51, who himself is a holder of a valid commercial pilot licence.

The businessman-turned-politician said that flying and aircraft were his passion right from early childhood.

"My father retired as an air commodore. He is over 80 and lives in Bangalore. Right from my childhood I have been seeing aircraft from close quarters. And the memory of my father waving to me from the aircraft that he used to fly in is still fresh in my memory," said Mr Chandrasekhar.

"History inspires the younger generation. The Dakota aircraft was the mainstay of our IAF for many years. I feel sad when I read reports of ships and aircraft of our defence forces being scrapped," added Mr Chandrasekhar.
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747-237 · Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 8:35 pm Post subject:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/dakota-aircraft-to-arrive-in-india-soon-parrikar-4647083/

1948 made Dakota aircraft to arrive in India soon

May 9, 2017

Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s offer to the Union Government to hand over the 1948 made Douglas DC3 ‘Dakota’ Aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) that will arrive in India shortly, is now getting all the mandatory clearances.

Speaking to IANS, the businessman-turned-lawmaker said the aircraft was currently in London.

“Since it is a long haul flight and has to fly over 11 countries, one has to get sanction from all these countries, for which we have applied for. I expect the aircraft to arrive in the country in the coming months and wish to officially hand it over on Vijay Diwas,” Chandrasekhar said.

Incidentally, he first made this offer to the UPA Government, but failed to get a positive response and it was only last year that a green signal came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

After buying this aircraft from Ireland in 2009, he has now made the aircraft airworthy in London, where it is waiting to begin its flight to India.
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747-237 · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 6:40 pm Post subject:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/air-force-gets-vintage-dakota-aircraft-from-veteran/article22745050.ece

Air Force gets vintage Dakota aircraft from veteran

February 13, 2018

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.
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747-237 · Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:06 am Post subject:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/restored-vintage-dakota-is-ready-to-return-to-india/articleshow/63753417.cms

Restored vintage Dakota aircraft ready to return to India

Apr 14, 2018

An Indian military aircraft, which played a pivotal role in the 1947-48 India-Pakistan war, has been fully restored to its original glory and is set to begin its flight back to India on Monday.

The refurbished DC-3 Dakota will become the third aircraft to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) vintage fleet at Air Force Station Hindon Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh when it arrives on April 25, joining the Tiger Moth and a Harvard aircraft. It will be used in aerial displays.

The WWII aircraft has undergone an extensive £580,000 refurbishment in the UK by Reflight Air Works Ltd. It was in service between 1946 and 1987 and was mainly used for transportation purposes.

Now air-worthy again, it will travel to India in short legs through multiple airspaces from Monday, stopping in various countries en route, with specially trained Indian and British pilots, as well as plenty of spares, on board.

Gifted to the IAF by MP and industrialist Rajeev Chandrasekhar, it has been named ‘Parashurama’ after the sixth avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism. “He appears at a time when overwhelming evil prevailed on earth to correct the cosmic equilibrium by destroying the evil forces,” Air Commodore Anil Sabharwal said, at its symbolic fly off at RAF Benson on Thursday.

Dakotas were introduced in the 1930s as part of the 12th Squadron of the then Royal Indian Air Force and were the main workhorse in Ladakh and the Northeast region. They did not carry weapons, rather troops and supplies during WWII. Significantly Dakotas helped carry troops of the Army's 1 Sikh Regiment to Srinagar on Oct 27, 1947, during the 1st Indo-Pak War.

It now has the tail number VP 905, the same as the first DC-3 of the IAF which airlifted troops in the J&K operations. “Because of those soldiers, we were able to save Srinagar from the invading forces,” Sabharwal said.

Diplomats from the High Commission of India in London inspected the aircraft inside its hangar before RAF pilots drove it out onto the runway and switched the engine on in damp, misty conditions. Parashurama will depart for India from Coventry on Monday, weather permitting, Sabharwal said.

The IAF decided to build a vintage flight unit in 2012 inspired by the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and has been gradually adding assets, he said.

“We have got a great relationship in aviation with the UK, whether it is refurbishing the earlier planes or buying Jaguars and Hawks,” Deputy High Commissioner Dinesh K. Patnaik said. “We are looking at having Hawks with arms on for training our frontline aircraft. Defence acquisitions will be on the agenda during Modi’s bilateral visit to the UK next week.”
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747-237 · Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 9:07 pm Post subject:

http://zeenews.india.com/india/iaf-welcomes-world-war-ii-era-dakota-dc-3-plane-as-it-lands-in-gujarat-2102965.html

IAF welcomes World War II-era Dakota DC-3 plane as it lands in Gujarat

Apr 25, 2018

A Dakota DC-3 aircraft of 1940 vintage landed in Jamnagar, Gujarat on Wednesday. It has been gifted by Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar to the Indian Air Force.

The World War II-era aircraft was obtained from scrap in 2011 and was restored to flying condition in the UK by Chandrasekhar for gifting it to the IAF. His father Air Commodore (retd) MK Chandrasekhar was a Dakota pilot in the IAF.

The Chief of Air Staff, BS Dhanoa, had ceremonially accepted the aircraft into the force from Chandrasekhar in February 2018. The IAF also signed a contract with Reflight Airworks Ltd London for upgrading its navigational systems. Chandrasekhar's father was present at the ceremony.

The aircraft commenced its journey from the UK on April 17 and was flown to India by a joint team crew of the IAF and Reflight Airworks Ltd.

The Dakota, christened 'Parashurama', will bear the tail number VP 905, the same as the first such aircraft in the Indian service that transported the troops in 1947 during the 'Kashmir conflict'. The induction ceremony of the Dakota is scheduled to take place on May 4, 2018, at Air Force Station Hindan.

A large fleet of Dakota DC-3 served in the IAF till 1988. Hailing the qualities of the aircraft, the Chief of Air Staff had said earlier, "They were introduced in the 1930s. As part of the 12th squadron of the then Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF), Dakotas were the main workhorse in Ladakh and Northeast region. And, they intervened in time to save the Valley of Kashmir (in 1947)."

"Military historian Pushpindar Singh had said that Dakota is the reason why Poonch is still with us. They helped in hastening the fall of Dhaka and liberation of Bangladesh. And, in 2014, we had given a shell on the Dakota to the Bangladesh Air Force," he had added.

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