DC-3 PH-PBA Air France frontside view 17092008

Frontside view of Douglas DC-3C-S1C3G c/n 19434 (formerly a C-47A-75-DL) PH-PBA with historic Air France livery on this side at Soesterberg AB in The Netherlands on September 17, 2008. The other side of the aircraft was painted in an historic KLM livery. The aircraft was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) in 1944 and came into action for the Normandy landings. In 1947 it went to The Netherlands as PH-PBA and was commissioned as government aircraft, to be used extensively by Prince Bernhard, husband of the then Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. In 1975 it was phased out and became part of the exhibition in the former Aviodome museum at Schiphol Amsterdam airport. After 21 years on exhibition it was restored to airworthiness by Air Atlantique in Coventry. Parts of DC-3 G-BVOL (c/n 9836) were used to restore PH-PBA. In 2006 it was painted in a dual livery, KLM on one side, Air France on the other, to commerate the first flight of a KLM DC-3 to Paris on November 13, 1936. Check this gallery regularly for more details of PBA's amazing history and more photos of this peculiar aircraft. Collect them all!