The first RAAF aircraft to land in Saigon during the Vietnam War - a Dakota DC3 - will fly into Parkes on September 25 and 26 for a public visit.
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The historic DC3 will land at about 10.30am on Friday, September 25, and will be open for inspection until 6pm and again the next day from 9am until it flies out around 3pm for its home base in the NSW Illawarra.
The aeroplane is among about 30 aircraft housed at a museum operated by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) at Illawarra Regional Airport.
HARS now plans to convert its storage facility at Parkes airport to a restoration centre and satellite museum.
Some of its best known aircraft including "Connie" (a Lockheed Super Constellation passenger plane), a Caribou and Catalina will, from time to time visit Parkes to support the proposed museum and new HARS members in the region.
The DC3 was acquired by the RAAF in 1945 and operated for more than 50 years in a variety of roles including troop transport, paratroop drops, flying the courier route to Japan during the occupation and the first RAAF aircraft to land at Saigon on May 9, 1963.
The aircraft has attended air shows, over-flown anniversary celebrations and participated in military funerals and Anzac Day services in Sydney and the Illawarra.
Aircraft to be preserved at Parkes include a 1938 Lockheed 12 once owned by aviation pioneer, Sidney Cotton, a Huey Cobra helicopter gunship and a veteran of the Gulf War, an Iskra 2 seat jet trainer used by Warsaw Pact countries and a Jindivik Australian designed and built target drone.
There will also be a collection of aircraft engines, a jet engine test cell and overhaul machinery on display.
The HARS hangar at Parkes airport is also of historical significance as it was built and used during the 1940s as a maintenance facility for operational training units and has been a storage facility for HARS since 1995.
Access to the interior of the historic Dakota will be gained through a gold coin donation.
HARS officials will be at Parkes airport to answer questions during the two-day visit.