Construction completed at the Oklahoma City plant - February 1944

Built as a Douglas C-47A-10-DK

Allocated U.S. serial number 42-92709

Delivered to United States Army Air Force - February 19, 1944

Transferred to the R.A.A.F. under lend / lease agreement and arrived at Amberley, Qld - March 19, 1944

Allocated the R.A.A.F. serial number A65-41 - March 20, 1944

Operated using the radio call-sign 'VHCUK'

Allocated to No 36 Squadron, Parafield, S.A. - April 6, 1944

Due to extensive metal corrosion it was given a complete overhaul (2,464 hours) - September 1945

Overhaul was carried out by Australian National Airways

Allocated to 1 Aircraft Depot, Laverton - February 1, 1946

Allocated to No 37 Squadron, 86th Transport Wing, Schofields, N.S.W. - September 16, 1946

Allocated to the Care & Maintenance Depot, Tocumwal - February 4, 1948

Arrived Tocumwal for storage - April 14, 1948

Inspected by Qantas for possible purchase - December 23, 1948

D.C.A. approved the issue of an ex-RAAF C-47 to MMA for use in the Air Beef Scheme - January 21, 1949

MMA Engineer F. Colquhoun commenced servicing the aircraft - January 1949

Ferried Tocumwal - Perth - February 3 - 4, 1949

Flight crew: Capts C. Kleinig, A. Whitham; Engineer F. Colquhoun

Officially sold to MacRobertson Miller Aviation Company for $A12,500 - March 24, 1949

Aircraft was converted to 'customised' freighter standards in Perth

To maximise the payload all 'non-essentials' were removed from the aircraft including:

all de-icing panels, auto pilot, cockpit sound-proofing, auxiliary fuel tanks - main fuel tanks were cut in half

and rewelded, metal cargo floor replaced with lighter material, all screws and bolts checked for weight

Nett result was that this aircraft was one of the lightest DC-3 in the world at 6,852 kg empty weight

Freight capacity had increased from 4.080 kg to 4,540 kg

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-MMF - April 23, 1949

Registered to MacRobertson Miller Aviation Co Ltd

Based at Glenroy Station for operations on the Air Beef scheme flying Glenroy-Wyndham three times daily

Operated first service - May 13, 1949

Carried approximately 4,180 kg of chilled beef per flight to the Derby Meatworks for export

Replaced by A.N.A. Bristol 170 Freighter VH-INL on this service - May 1950

Returned to Perth and converted to passenger configuration seating 25 passengers

Registered to Commercial Aviation Company - October 1, 1955

Leased to MacRobertson Miller Airlines as registered operator

10,000 hour overhaul carried out at Perth over six weeks - October 1963

Used for high altitude photographic work by Kevron Photographics - 1964

Aircraft modified with paddle-blade props, superchargers and oxygen for flight crew

Registered to MacRoberston Miller Airlines Ltd - December 22, 1966

Withdrawn from service at Perth - January 1969

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd - September 29, 1969

Returned to service (freighter) and based at Port Headland for several weeks - December 2, 1969

Utilised on Perth-Kalgoorlie-Perth passenger services - January - March 1970

Sold to Ansett Airlines of Papua New Guinea - March 7, 1970

Aircraft had flown 47,344 hours

Departed Perth on delivery flight to Papua New Guinea - March 7, 1970

Ferry route: Perth-Forrest-Adelaide-Broken Hill-Rockhampton-Cairns-Lae

Registered to Ansett Airlines (Papua New Guinea) Ltd, Boroko - March 9, 1970

Entered service in full MMA livery

Repainted into full Ansett Airlines of Papua New Guinea 'delta' livery at Madang - October 15, 1971

Leased to Air Tasmania initially for 8 weeks - July 6, 1973

Arrived Hobart at conclusion of ferry flight in full Ansett Airlines 'delta' livery - July 7, 1973

Entered service with Air Tasmania in Ansett 'delta' livery with Air Tasmania titles - July 23, 1973

Operated in mixed cargo / passenger configuration

Aircraft was granted a liquor licence and classed as a public place - February 1974

Licensee was Air Tasmania's Chief Pilot Capt Terry Burns and aircraft configured with 32 seats

Sold to Air Tasmania - February 1974

Registered to Air Tasmania Ltd - February 12, 1974

Carried its 10,000th passenger - July 1974

Withdrawn from use when Air Tasmania ceased operations - 1977

Sold to H.C. Sleigh Ltd t/a Forrestair, Essendon - September 26, 1977

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - September 27, 1977

Overhaulled and converted to freighter configuration at Essendon Airport

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-MMF - November 18, 1977

Registered to H. C. Sleigh Pty Ltd

Entered service carrying freight between Essendon and Tasmania

Named 'Spirit of Port Arthur' by the Tasmanian Premier at Hobart - December 5, 1977

Operated final freight service Essendon-Launceston-Essendon - October 30, 1978

Withdrawn from use and stored at Essendon Airport having flown 54,255 hours

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - November 14, 1978

Sold to Great Pacific Aeroplane Company, Melbourne - September 1979

Aircraft remained stored at Essendon Airport

Sold to film producer John Lamond - February 1983

Aircraft was painted up in drab olive USAAF livery with false serial number '6903007' - May 1984

Trucked to Quarry Deer Park, Melbourne for use as a prop in movie 'Sky Pirates'

Trucked to Casey Airfield, Berwick, Victoria after filming - July 8, 1984

Trucked to Camden Airport, New South Wales for rebuild to airworthy condition

Sold to South Pacific Airmotive, Camden, N.S.W.

Trucked to Bankstown Airport, Sydney and placed at the back of Winrye Aviation hangar - June 21, 2002

Winrye Aviation intended to restore aircraft to airworthy condition

Observed parked on its undercarriage at Bankstown Airport - January 20, 2006

Observed in poor condition at Adams Aviation hangar, Bankstown Airport - September 2007

Current status - ?

VH-MMF. MacRobertson Miller Airlines - in full livery at Perth Airport, December 1968.

VH-MMF. MacRobertson Miller Airlines - in full livery at Perth Airport, December 1968.

VH-MMF. MacRobertson Miller Airlines - in full livery at Adelaide Airport, March 1970.

VH-MMF. Ansett Airlines of Papua New Guinea - in 'delta' livery at Lae Airport, December 1972.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the Ansett 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, September 1973.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the Ansett 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, September 1973.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in basic Ansett 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, February 1974.

 

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the revised 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, March 1976.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the revised 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, March 1976.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the revised 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, March 1976.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the revised 'delta' livery at Hobart Airport, April 1976.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the revised 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, May 1976.

VH-MMF. Air Tasmania - in the revised 'delta' livery at Essendon Airport, May 1976.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, January 1978.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, January 1978.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, January 1978.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, May 1978.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, September 1978.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the basic livery at Essendon Airport, May 1980.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the basic livery at Essendon Airport, April 1981.

VH-MMF. Forrestair Cargo - in the basic livery at Essendon Airport, April 1981.

VH-MMF. Forrestair - in a dismantled state at Essendon Airport, May 1984.

VH-MMF. Forrestair - the dismantled aircraft leaves Essendon Airport, June 1984.

6903077. USAAF - in camouflaged livery as a movie prop at Deer Park, Melbourne, June 1984.

'F-DH'. RAAF - in camouflaged livery as a movie prop at Berwick, Melbourne, July 1984.

2100550. USAAF - in camouflaged livery as a movie prop at Camden Airport, October 1998.