Biju Babu’s Dakota DC-3, Behind Daring Indonesia Rescue, Struggles To Make ‘Short Trip’ From Kolkata to Odisha Capital. Govt Makes Fresh Effort

Bhubaneswar: Its rightful resting place is Odisha. With a cruise speed of over 300 kmph, in its flying days, it would have made the journey from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar in less than 90 minutes. But years have gone by with yet one more coming to an end, but the iconic plane has not been able to make what to its legendary pilot would have been just a short “hop”.

We are talking about the Dakota DC-3, which former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, an ace pilot himself, flew in the face of danger to rescue then Indonesia Prime Minister Sultan Sjahrir and Vice-President Mohammad Hatta in 1947.

The plane now sits as scrap at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (NSCB) International Airport in Kolkata.

For several years now, the Odisha government has been trying to bring the Dakota back to the state, where it will be kept at the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) for people to see and relive this glorious chapter in Odisha’s aviation history.

In a renewed push, the state Transport and Commerce Department on Friday floated a tender or Request For Proposal (RFP) for bringing the Dakota DC-3 back.

“Certainly, it is the most-prized possession of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik and also has importance for the people of Odisha. It will be a fitting tribute to the expert pilot and his machine if the aircraft will be brought back to the state and placed at the Biju Patnaik International Airport as a state treasure,” an older report in TOI had quoted researcher Anil Dhar as saying.

Dhar, a pilot himself, had located and identified the Dakota DC-3 at Kolkata airport and has been trying to bring it back to the state.

The historic flight

Indonesia gained freedom from Dutch rule in 1945 under President Sukarno and Prime Minister Sultan Sjahrir. But the Dutch invaded the country again by 1946.

India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru asked Biju Patnaik to rescue Sjahrir and Hatta.

Piloting the Dakota DC-3 along with his wife Gyan Patnaik, a pilot herself, Patnaik landed in Jakarta on July 21, 1947 and flew Hatta and Sjahrir from a jungle hideout to India via Singapore. The Dutch had warned to shoot down the aircraft.

According to an article Dhir had written in Odisha Bytes earlier, “The planes would fly from Kolkata with fuel stops at Mohanbari and Singapore. It was during one such operation that he rescued Muhammad Hatta, the then Vice President, and the Premier, Sutan Sjahrir, and brought them to India.”

Indonesia twice decorated Biju Patnaik with its highest civilian honour Bhumiputra for his bravery.

The Dakota DC-3 that he flew was part of Kalinga Airlines, which he had founded. It had a fleet of 18 Dakotas.