Iconic plane destined for scrap heap may one day fly again
/Jeff Morgan is a South Australian Mallee farmer who likes mechanical work and fixing things — whether it be cars, trucks or planes.
But he is coy when asked if his World War II era Douglas DC-3 will ever fly again.
"I have always stipulated it will be a good taxi-able aircraft," Jeff said.
"[But] who knows if you're looking down the airstrip and it's a beautiful day and everything is going well … ," he said.
He bought the DC-3 in 2000 after originally going to Adelaide to attend an RAAF auction to buy engine parts.
He and his son left the auction after hearing that the iconic aircraft that sat outside a West Lakes fast food restaurant was for sale.
"When we gave that phone call to mum to tell her that we'd bought a DC-3 she just couldn't believe it — and we couldn't either really," Jeff's son Marty said.
The plan was to convert the DC-3 into a boys' room on the farm at Marama, but Jeff — an aviation enthusiast and pilot — instead decided to restore it.
He has been working on the plane "off and on" and does not know how many hours have been spent on the project.
"He's very dedicated, he loves doing what he's doing," wife Christine said.
"He'd rather do that than anything else probably — rather than doing his farm work anyway."
Jeff has always had a passion for the Douglas DC-3 and its military cargo version the C47 also known as the Gooney Bird, but has never flown in one.
His DC-3 rolled off the production line in the US on October 10, 1942 and was dubbed Irene after a crewman's wife.
Jeff has never met anyone who flew Irene but has a World War II propaganda clip showing his DC-3 at work supplying troops in New Guinea.
Irene was then used by various airlines in Australia including TAA and was the first out of Darwin after Cyclone Tracy in 1974 carrying 25 evacuees.
It was later used for survey and mapping work and spent its last days flying fish from Tasmania across Bass Strait to Essendon airport.
The decommissioned plane was acquired by a fast food chain in 1982 and after being repainted in TAA colours, and fitted with tables and chairs, was placed outside the West Lakes restaurant.
An estimated 50,000 people a year dined in the plane.
"With most of the things that we restore here, everyone else has finished with them and think they're ready for the rubbish heap and that's about when we get them," Jeff said.
"I'm trying to put everything back as it was.
"I think that's the best way to have it," he said.
He started by tackling corrosion in the body and then set about sourcing "new, old stock" parts to restore the engines — both of which had seized.
When the engines finally fired into life again 24 years had passed since they had last operated.
The cockpit has also been fully restored and is operational.
The DC-3's wings were removed for the road journey to the Mallee and will be re-attached when Jeff finishes enlarging his farm hangar.
He has also fully restored a rare, early Cessna Skymaster to flying condition and is working on another Skymaster in his shed.
A restored Nissen hut on the farm houses a collection of military aircraft memorabilia.