Douglas DC3 Dakota

The West Wyalong Lions Park offers visitors the chance to have a close up look at a Douglas DC3 Dakota C47A. A plaque commemorates the history of the plane, parked in the New South Wales town along the Newell Hwy. The Douglas DC3 Dakota is located in Lions Park on the junction of the Newell and Mid Western Highway's, West Wyalong. Built in 1943 in Oklahoma City, the plane was donated to the West Wyalong Lions Club. The designation 'DC' stands for 'Douglas Commercial'. Production of Civil DC-3s ceased in 1942, although military versions were produced until the end of the war in 1945. The DC3 is the world's most successful commercial aircraft with 10,928 examples being built. Bland Shire Council received state funding to restore the DC3/C47 to its former glory. The DC-3 was originally designed in America in 1935 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for a long range passenger aircraft for American Airlines. It was first flown in December 1935 and could carry ~20 passengers at ~300km/h for ~1600km or ~1000miles. The military version of DC-3 is officially called C-47 Skytrain (US Army Air Force), or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF), and was also nicknamed Gooney Bird. The RAAF used 124 Dakotas. In commercial guise ANA/ANSETT-ANA operated 70, East-West Airlines operated 7, QANTAS operated 20 (owning 8), and TAA operated 23 DC-3s.