An historic Second World War plane which ended up in pieces in a themed pub is Hendon RAF Museum's newest exhibit.
Built by the United States Air Force in 1944, the Dakota III arrived at its final home in the Grahame Park Way museum on Wednesday, June 26.
Its fuselage sections will now be on show in the fun 'n' flight interactive exhibition for kids. The nose and smaller component parts are bound for the RAF Museum's site in Cosford, near Birmingham.
The Dakota had already made a name for itself with its involvement in the liberation of Europe as part of the No. 233 Squadron, with leaflet-dropping sorties and successful parachute drops on D-Day.
It flew for a number of companies after it was sold for civilian use in 1946, but stopped flying in 1984 and lay in storage until 1991.
A British restaurateur then bought it to form the centrepiece of his Dakotas American Bistro, near Aldershot.
The plane's propeller was used as a low-speed fan, and the two sides of the fuselage formed the sides of the cocktail bar.
The Bistro closed this year, and the parts were donated to the RAF Museum by the pub's new owners.
July 2, 2002 17:30
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