"Normandy" DC-3 PH-PBA retro KLM livery 20082011

Douglas DC-3C-S1C3G c/n 19434 (originally a C-47A-75-DL) PH-PBA on display during the Military Aviation Spectacle of the Aviodrome museum at Lelystad airport in The Netherlands (EHLE) on 20 August 2011 with its retro KLM livery, dating back to the 60's of the last century. At the time the color scheme was only used for the remaining Dakotas of KLM Aerocarto and KLM freight service. The aircraft was delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) in 1944 and came into action during 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 then Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. It was known at the time as the "Royal Dakota". In 1975 it was phased out and exhibited 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 for the restauration of PH-PBA. Since then, PH-PBA is officially registered not as a C-47A, but as a DC-3. It was again refurbished and repainted in 2010 and revealed with its new livery during a ceremony at Schiphol airport on 7 December 2010.

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