Icelandair's history traces back to 1937 following the formation of Flugfélag Akureyrar, which was established on the north coast of Iceland in the town of Akureyri. The outfit was renamed Flugfélag Íslands in 1940, and the airline soon took on the Douglas C-47 Skytrain to help expand operations that decade.

The first to arrive

The civilian Douglas DC-3 was introduced with American Airlines in 1936. Its military modification, the C-47 Skytrain, then performed its first flight in December 1941. Two years later, a unit of the military edition landed on Icelandic shores with the US Army and never left the nation. Flugfélag Íslands purchased the aircraft in 1946, and it was registered in the country as TF-ISH.

The carrier deployed it on passenger and cargo operations until 1972, before it was converted to perform fertilizer distribution and given to the National Land Reclamation Agency. According to Planelogger.com, it was in the hands of Landgraedsla Rikisins/State Soil Conservation Service from December 1978.

Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

The permanent home

The unit was re-registered as TF-NPK, and since 2005, it has been in the hands of the Icelandic Aviation Museum at Akureyri Airport. Simple Flying had the opportunity to tour around the site at the end of last month.

Founded in May 1999, the museum was founded due to the lack of space for private aircraft at the airport. The same year that TF-NPK joined, the facility was renamed Flugsafn Íslands. From small Beechcraft models to Boeing jets, several types from across the globe have been housed here over the years.

The museum notes that when Flugfélag Íslands decided to christen its aircraft with "fax" names in 1948, this unit got the name "Gljáfaxi." However, it now has the name Pall Sveinsson inscribed in its livery.

Photo: Sumit Singh | Simple Flying

With serial number 13861, the plane operated with the following core specifications:

• Wingspan: 29.11 m (95 ft 6 in)
• Length: 19.43 m (63 ft 9 in)
• Maximum weight: 13,154 kg (29,000 lb)
• Engines: 2x 1200 ha. Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92
• Cruising speed: 257 km/h (260 mph)
• Number of seats: 5

Historic vessel

A time capsule of World War II, two C-47 wrecks can be spotted across Iceland.

The type was used by the Allies during the war to transport troops and cargo.

When it came to civilian activities, the C-47 improved the comfort and performance of national flights within Iceland. A total of 10,174 units of the type were built, with the aircraft servicing operators worldwide, even today.

What are your thoughts about how the C-47 Skytrain helped expand aviation activity across Iceland? What do you make of the plane’s overall history? Let us know what you think of the aircraft and its operations in the comment section.

Source: Planelogger.com