Construction completed at the Douglas Oklahoma City plant - May 29, 1944

Built as a Douglas C-47A-25-DK

Allocated U.S. serial number 42-93536

Transferred to the R.A.F. under lend / lease agreement as KG647 - June 4, 1944

Designated a Dakota III by the Royal Air Force

Arrived in England at conclusion of delivery flight - June 4, 1944

Allocated to No 575 Squadron & No 1680 Flight during the war

Leased to British Overseas Airways Corporation (B.O.A.C.) - April 3, 1946

Entered onto the U.K. Aircraft Register as G-AIAZ - June 1946

Returned to R.A.F. and placed in storage at No 22 Maintenance Unit, Silloth - July 31, 1946

Sold to Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney for 20,000 UKP - September 1946

Cancelled from the U.K. Aircraft Register - October 18, 1946

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-SMI - December 9, 1946

Registered to John Fairfax & Son Pty Ltd, Sydney

Arrived in Sydney on delivery flight in wartime camouflage livery - February 14, 1947

Flight crew: Capt H. Purvis and upto 12 fare paying passengers

Entered service with John Fairfax & Son on newspaper delivery flights - March 31, 1947

Withdrawn from use and placed in storage at Camden, N.S.W. - May 27, 1952

Sold to Bureau of Mineral Resources - Geology & Geophysics Division - November 10, 1953

Converted for mineral survey work

Reregistered as VH-MIN - December 1, 1954

Registered to Bureau of Mineral Resources

Aircraft was operated and serviced for the Bureau by Trans Australia Airlines from June 1955

Flew survey flights over south-west Tasmania and King Island - January 12 - 14, 1955

Flew survey flights around Broken Hill area - February 1 to March 15, 1955

Flew survey flights around Chillagoe-Einasleigh-Gilberton area - September 12 to October 31, 1955

Flew survey flights around Cloncurry-Mt Isa area - October 3 - 4, 1955

Withdrawn from service and ferried to Tamworth for storage - May 18, 1972

Aircraft was advertised for sale by tender - conditions applying to its sale required it to be scrapped

in Australia or exported

Tender of $AUD 11,500 received from Gulf Enterprises Pty Ltd, Lae, New Guinea

Aircraft was to be used to transport prawns between Daru and Cairns

This sale did not meet the required tender conditions, nor did the next highest bidder

Aircraft sold to Mr K. Singh, Tamworth for $AUD 8,555 - July 6, 1972

Resold & registered to Helicopter Utilities, Bankstown, N.S.W. - July 20, 1972

Sold & registered to Airfast Helicopter Utilities Pty Ltd - October 17, 1972

Sold & registered to Connair Pty Ltd - August 1, 1974

Registered to Northern Airlines (Operations) Pty Ltd - June 18, 1980

Withdrawn from use and stored at Alice Springs - June 1980

Sold & registered to Setair Pty Ltd, Melbourne - February 5, 1981

Sold & registered to Rebel Air Pty Ltd, Sydney - August 11, 1983

Registered to Wan-See Company Pty Ltd - February 1, 1984

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - February 3, 1984

Aircraft underwent a major airframe inspection - February 1984

Returned to the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-MIN - February 24, 1984

Sold to D. Johnstone of Colbinra Transport Pty Ltd - December 1988

Registered to Colbinra Transport Pty Ltd - t/a Komeela Aviation - December 8, 1988

Utilised for tourist flights, VIP charters and freight charters

Sold to South Pacific Airmotive - May 1994

Registerd to South Pacific Airmotive Pty Ltd - June 10, 1994

Operated as a freighter

Sold & registered to Dakota National Air (Australia) Pty Ltd - May 1, 1988

Advertised for sale by Administrators Hall Chadwick - February 2004

Dakota National Air t/a Discovery Air sought investors to keep airline operating

Still in operation as of August 2005

VH-SMI. The Sydney Morning Herald - in the full livery at Brisbane Airport, March 1948.

VH-MIN. Bureau of Mineral Resources - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, February 1968.

VH-MIN. Bureau of Mineral Resources - in the full livery at Canberra Airport, April 1972.

VH-MIN. Bureau of Mineral Resources - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, date unknown.

VH-MIN. Bureau of Mineral Resources - in the full livery at Mt Isa Airport, date unknown.

VH-MIN. Airfast - in the full livery at Sydney Airport, September 1972.

VH-MIN. Airfast - in the full livery at Sydney Airport, September 1972.

VH-MIN. Airfast - in the full livery at Cairns Airport, June 1973.

VH-MIN. Airfast - in the full livery at Brisbane Airport, July 1973.

VH-MIN. Airfast - in the full livery at Essendon Airport, date unknown.

VH-MIN. Connair - in the original livery at Alice Springs Airport, February 1978.

VH-MIN. Connair - in the full livery at Alice Springs Airport, August 1980.

VH-MIN. Connair - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, January 1981.

VH-MIN. Connair - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, January 1981.

VH-MIN. Connair - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, January 1981.

VH-MIN. Setair - in the full livery at Melbourne's Essendon Airport, May 1981.

VH-MIN. Setair - in the full livery with 'I Love Melbourne' titles at Sydney Airport, January 1982.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in Setair livery with 'I Love Melbourne' titles at Sydney Airport, July 1983.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in the basic Setair livery at Sydney Airport, August 1983.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in Setair livery & 'Operation Outback' titles at Sydney Airport, September 1983.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in Setair livery with '2UE Sydney' titles at Sydney Airport, January 1984.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in the new livery at Sydney Airport, September 1985.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in the new livery at Sydney Airport, September 1985.

VH-MIN. Rebel Air - in the new livery with 'Ansett' titles at Sydney Airport, December 1985.

VH-MIN. South Pacific - in the Rebel Air livery at Cairns Airport, May 1996.

VH-MIN. South Pacific - in the Rebel Air livery at Brisbane Airport, June 1996.

VH-MIN. Dakota Downunder - in the Rebel Air livery at Brisbane Airport, date unknown.

VH-MIN. Dakota National Air - in the full livery at Sydney Airport, November 1999.