Why the Dakota DC-3 is important to aviation history in India and the world

As Naveen Patnaik unveils a restored Dakota, here's a look back at the aircraft's legacy

On Sunday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled a restored Dakota DC-3 aircraft at Bhubaneswar airport to mark the 107th birth anniversary of his father, Bijayananda (Biju) Patnaik. The Dakota is the same kind Biju Patnaik, who was Odisha’s chief minister twice, had used to fly Indonesian leaders to India under the threat of being shot down by Dutch colonisers.

The Dakota has a rich and storied history.

Manufactured by United States-based Douglas Aircraft Company (now part of Boeing), the Douglas Commercial 3 (DC-3) was a low-wing, twin-engine monoplane that first took to the skies in 1935. The DC-3 was