SOUTH EAST ASIA 1960s-1970s  -  INDONESIAN DOUGLAS DC-3s

Photographs taken by friends and colleagues in a part of of the world rarely covered by the aviation publications.
These pictures from the past show DC-3s in their final days with often little-known airlines and operators


PK-AKT Singapore-Paya Lebar, November 1971. Shell Oil's Indonesian associate Shell-Pertamina used a fleet of DC-3s,
most modified with the Maximiser kit to improve performance, as shown by engine nacelles and undercarriage doors.
Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-AKF Singapore-Seletar, November 1971.  Shell Pertamina.                                            Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-AKR Singapore-Paya Lebar, August 1971.  Shell Pertamina.                                           Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-AKR Singapore-Seletar 1974.  Now with PT Airfast Indonesia, an Australian-founded company,
 which took over Indonesian oil support operations on contract.                     Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-OBJ Singapore-Seletar, August 1980. Showing Airfast's yellow and white scheme.              Photo by Michael B. Austin


PK-SVD Singapore-Seletar 1977. Yellow and white Airfast DC-3 landing from an approach over the Straits of Johore.
Convair 240 N8329C which ditched in the Straits in September 1975 is being scrapped in the background.
Photo by Doug Green, via Paul Howard


Airfast's yellow and white VH-MIN at Sydney in September 1972 before being despatched to Indonesia.
It returned to Australia to be sold to Connair at Alice Springs in July 1974.      Photo by Roger McDonald


PK-CAA Singapore-Seletar June 1972.  This radio navaid testing aircraft was formerly Garuda's PK-GDQ. 
Photo by Ron F. Killick


Singapore-Paya Lebar, June 1971. Trans Nusantara Airways (aka Transna Indonesia), with name on nose McKar Lugraha
American aircraft dealer Stanley T. Booker was a founder of this airline, delivering this 1940 model DC-3 from USA in 1970.
After airline service it had been an executive aircraft in the States, having Remmert-Werner mods including the long windows.
Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-EHC Singapore-Paya Lebar, November 1971. Formerly Royal Australian Air Force Dakota A65-70, this was another
Stan Booker purchase which he ferried from Adelaide to Indonesia in 1969 as N16892.             Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-GDB Singapore-Seletar, November 1972 in Garuda's final DC-3 scheme                             Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-GDC Singapore-Seletar, May 1972 still in service with Garuda.                                        Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-GDC was later leased by Garuda to Transna (Trans Nusantara) and came to grief landing in monsoonal rain at Broome,
Western Australia on 21 January 1974. At the time it was operating a charter carrying oil rig workers to Portuguese Timor.
Photo: Geoff Goodall collection
 

PK-GDC became the Broome Tourist Bureau after being repaired and painted by Ansett Airlines of Australia in their own
colour scheme, with bogus registration "VN-BME" (BME was Broome's airline code).                 Photo by Geoff Goodall


PK-GDD Singapore-Paya Lebar, February 1972.  Operating in unusual all metallic finish.  Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-GDD was sold by Garuda to National Air Charter as PK-WWH, seen at Seletar in 1974 in the same metal finish


PK-JDB Singapore-Paya Lebar, late 1969. Purchased by Stan Booker from Royal Australian Air Force ex A65-85
and ferried from Adelaide to Indonesia in 1969 as N16130.                                            Photo by Peter R. Keating


Here's PK-JDB as N16130, firing up at at Adelaide-Parafield, South Australia to begin its delivery flight to Indonesia.
Photo by Mike Vincent


PK-JDG Singapore-Paya Lebar, February 1972. This is PK-JDB re-registered, in new Sempati Air Transport scheme.
Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-JJM Singapore-Seletar, November 1971.  One of two DC-3s owned by International Timber Corp.  Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-JJS Singapore-Seletar, July 1971.  The other International Timber Corp aircraft.                         Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-NDD of Merpati Nusantara Airlines somewhere in central Java in the late 1960s.            Photo: Alan Bovelt collection


PK-NDM with Merpati Nusantara Airlines in the late 1960s.                                               Photo: Alan Bovelt collection


PK-NDK Singapore-Seletar, October 1972. Leased by Merpati Nusantara to Dirgantara Air Services.  Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-OAZ Singapore-Seletar, October 1971. An early Airfast Indonesia PT aircraft, painted in their yellow and white scheme.
This DC-3 had flown to Airfast's home base at Sydney, Australia in April that year.                           Photo by Ron F. Killick


Jakarta-Kemayoran, May 1979.   Seulawah Air Services had re-registered this DC-3 from PK-RDG to PK-OSA.
Seulawah had purchased it in December 1969 from Australian Aircraft Sales, formerly MMA's VH-MMT. 
Photo by Barney B. Deatrick


Singapore-Paya Lebar 1966.   OO-AEP was leased by Pan American Indonesia Oil Co from April 1965 for a year.


PK-PAA Singapore-Paya Lebar late 1960s.  This Caltex Pacific Indonesia PT DC-3 has the Maximiser kit modifications


Caltex Pacifix Indonesia PT replaced its DC-3s PK-PAA and PK-PAB with this F.27 seen at Paya Lebar in August 1972.
Note the underwing long-range fuel tanks.                                                                                    Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-SVD Singapore-Paya Lebar, June 1971. Owned by Standard Vacuum Oil Co, which had based two DC-3s at
Palembang, Sumatra since the early 1950s. Both later had the Maximiser modification.         Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-SVE Singapore-Paya Lebar, October 1972.  Standard Vacuum's other Indonesian DC-3.       Photo by Ron F. Killick


PK-VJS Singapore-Seletar 1971.  P.N. Aerial Survey operated as PENAS, using light twins, DC-3s and DC-6s.
Photo by Ron F. Killick


Jakarta-Kemayoran, May 1979.  National Air Charter's PK-WWI and PK-WWL were on the airfield dump.
Photo by Barney B. Deatrick


PK-WWL at Bali-Den Pasar in happier times when leased by National Air Charter to Zamrud Aviation


Zamrud Aviation Corp was founded in Bali in 1968 and purchased 11 DC-3s from Lake Central Airlines in USA.
Zamrud was the airline of choice for many young Australian back-packers, experiencing adventurous flights from
Bali across the Indonesian islands, sometimes even reaching the destination Jakarta.   Photo: Alan Bovelt collection


Zamrud's PK-ZDH was later leased to Sempati Air Transport, seen at Seletar in July 1971.         Photo by Ron F. Killick


Armed Forces Museum, Jakarta, December 1980. At last count there were four DC-3s around Jakarta painted as "RI-001"
representing the first aircraft of the Indonesian indepence fighters' air force in 1947.               Photo by Barney B. Deatrick



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