The Shining
Dakota wingtips look their best when they shine like a mirror. However the original wings are coated with several layers of anti-corrosion paint that Hans calls it the ‘paint in the butt’. It took Hans several years to find somebody … Continue reading
Mosquito Planes in Florida
A number of Dakotas lived out their lives being used as spray planes for mosquito control in Florida. Hans Wiesman is touring the local airstrips hoping to find some hidden treasures.
Taking the Plunge
A Dakota in the ocean. Hans Wiesman can’t help himself…
Drug Smuggling
Quite a number of Dakotas in Colombia were in some way involved in the very lucrative business of drug trafficking – either by transporting drugs directly or by hauling supplies for the producers. If caught the planes get seized. This … Continue reading
Hidden Treasures
Everybody in Villavicencio seems to have some random Dakote parts somewhere. Here Hans discovered a steering column in a backyard. The part has since been restored and is part of the permanent Dakota exhibition at the ‘Wings of Liberation’ Museum … Continue reading
Love and Peace
Muslim clerics and Buddhist monks sitting in unison to give their blessings to the Dakotas that are being sunk in Phuket to form an artificial reef.
Fire watch: Starting the engines
Hans wanted to check out some remote unpaved airstrips in the middle of the Colombian Jungle that can only be reached by the Dakota. He had heard rumors, that quite a few Dakota wrecks that did not survice the rough … Continue reading
When it rains it pours…
We were originally scheduled to fly to a different airfield that morning – but the rain shut everything down. Well – everything except Hans who got antsy and went out on a treasure hunt to find Dakota parts in the … Continue reading
Bureau-crazy
The Malagasy chain of command to sell airplane wrecks is a seemingly unpenetrable maze. It requires countless meetings with officials that may – or may not be in charge and usually occupy offices with empty shelves doing nothing. Over breakfast … Continue reading