Construction completed at Oklahoma City plant - November 6, 1943

Built as a Douglas C-47A-1-DK

Allocated U.S. serial number 42-92274

Transferred to Royal Australian Air Force under lend / lease agreement as A65-29 - January 7, 1944

Used the radio callsign 'VHCTZ'

Allocated to No 34 & 35 Squadrons during the war

Withdrawn from use and struck-off charge - August 23, 1946

Sold to Trans Australia Airlines

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-TAE - September 9, 1946

Registered to Australian National Airlines Commission

Aircraft was named 'Gregory'

Operated first revenue service with T.A.A. as a freighter - January 13, 1947

Leased to New Zealand National Airlines Corp - March 3 to December 8, 1960

During the lease it was crewed by T.A.A. staff

T.A.A. crew: Capts G.R. McDougall & M.C. Ostwald; First Officers A.W. Johnston & R.A. Hume

Reregistered as VH-SBL - December 8, 1960

Underwent conversion at Hawker de Havilland, Sydney to passenger/freight configuration - June 1964

Delivered to Lae, New Guinea to commence T.A.A. Sunbird Services - August 11, 1964

Aircraft was renamed 'Mt Hagen'

Sold to Air Nuigini - November 1, 1973

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - June 1, 1974

Entered onto the New Guinea Aircraft Register as P2-SBL - June 1, 1974

Reregistered as P2-ANR - November 18, 1975

Sold to Forrestair Pty Ltd

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-SBL - October 28, 1976

Registered to Forrester Stephen Pty Ltd, Melbourne

Converted to pure freighter configuration and used mainly on Bass Strait services

Withdrawn from use and placed in open storage at Melbourne's Essendon Airport - November 1978

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - November 14, 1978

Sold to General Cargo Airways

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-SBL - February 24, 1981

Registered to Cranways Pty Ltd

Sold to Setair Pty Ltd - November 18, 1982

Sold to Gold Wings Air Cargo - July 28, 1983

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - February 24, 1984

Sold to Aero Yandee Pty Ltd - November 1985

Refurbished and returned to passenger configuration

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-SBL - October 9, 1986

Ferried to Western Australia and used joy and charter flights

Sold to Air Rambler (Australia) Pty Ltd - t/a DC3 Queensland - March 9, 1988

Sold to P. P. Starr, N.S.W. t/a Dakota National - July 30, 1992

Aircraft had now flown a total of 48,080 hours

Sold to Dakota National Air (Australia) Pty Ltd - April 6, 1994

Damaged when undercarriage collapsed during pilot endorsement at Camden Airport - March 26, 1997

Aircraft repaired and resumed service with Dakota National - current

VH-TAE. Trans Australia Airlines - in 'silver tail' livery at Melbourne Airport, date unknown.

VH-SBL. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - in the 'white tail' livery at Brisbane Airport, date unknown.

VH-SBL. TAA Sunbird Services - in the full livery at Lae Airport, July 1966.

VH-SBL. TAA Sunbird Services - in the full livery at Lae Airport, date unknown.

VH-SBL. TAA Airlines of New Guinea - in the 'blue-tail' livery at Mt Hagen Airport, August 1973.

P2-SBL. Air Niugini - in the full livery at Lae Airport, September 1975.

P2-ANR. Air Niugini - in the full livery at Lae Airport, August 1976.

P2-ANR. Forrestair - in full livery and original titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, October 1976.

VH-SBL. Forrestair - in full livery and original titles in flight over Melbourne, December 1976.

VH-SBL. Forrestair - in full livery and original titles in flight over Melbourne, December 1976.

VH-SBL. Forrestair - full livery with Wards Air Cargo titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, February 1977.

VH-SBL. Forrestair - full livery with Wards Air Cargo titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, July 1977.

VH-SBL. Forrestair - full livery with Wards Air Cargo titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, July 1977.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - full livery & modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, January 1978.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - full livery & modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, January 1978.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - full livery & modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, February 1978.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - full livery & modified titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, May 1978.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, November 1978.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, April 1980.

VH-SBL. Forrestair Cargo - in a very neglected state at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, December 1980.

VH-SBL. General Cargo Australia - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, May 1981.

VH-SBL. General Cargo Australia - without titles at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, May 1983.

VH-SBL. Gold Wings - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, December 1983.

VH-SBL. Gold Wings - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, December 1983.

VH-SBL. Gold Wings - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, December 1983.

VH-SBL. Gold Wings - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, January 1984.

VH-SBL. Gold Wings - withdrawn from use and stored at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, April 1984.

VH-SBL. Travair - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, October 1986.

VH-SBL. Travair - in the full livery at Brisbane Airport, date unknown.

VH-SBL. O.T.M.S. - in basic Travair livery at Brisbane Airport, November 1987.

VH-SBL. NorthEast - in basic Travair livery at Cairns Airport, date unknown.

VH-SBL. DC-3 Queensland - in the full livery at Cairns Airport, September 1988.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - in the original livery at Bankstown Airport, September 1992.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - in the revised livery at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, June 1993.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - in the revised livery at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, June 1993.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - in the revised livery at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, December 1993.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - in the modified livery at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, September 1995.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - in the modified livery at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, date unknown.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - with new titles at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, October 2003.

VH-SBL. Dakota National Air - with new titles at Sydney's Bankstown Airport, January 2004.