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The Dakota Hunter: In Search of the Legendary DC-3 on the Last Frontiers Kindle Edition

by Hans Wiesman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 147 ratings
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A tale of a lifelong passion for a WWII aircraft that changed the author’s life: “It is almost like an adventure novel except it is true” (Air Classics).
 
This book tells the story of a Dutch boy who grew up during the 1950s in postwar Borneo, where he had frequent encounters with an airplane, the Douglas DC-3, a.k.a. the C-47 Skytrain or Dakota, of World War II fame. For a young boy living in a remote jungle community, the aircraft reached the proportions of a romantic icon as the essential lifeline to a bigger world for him, the beginning of a special bond.
 
In 1957, his family left the island and all its residual wreckage of World War II, and he attended college in The Hague. After graduation, he started a career as a corporate executive—and met the aircraft again during business trips to the Americas. His childhood passion for the Dakota flared up anew, and the fascination pulled like a magnet. As if predestined, or maybe just looking for an excuse to come closer, he began a business to salvage and convert Dakota parts, which meant first of all finding them.
 
As the demand for these war relic parts and cockpits soared, he began to travel the world to track down surplus, crashed, or derelict Dakotas. He ventured deeper and deeper into remote mountains, jungles, savannas, and the seas where the planes are found, usually as ghostly wrecks but sometimes still in full commercial operation. In hunting the mythical Dakota, he often encountered intimidating or dicey situations in countries plagued by wars or revolts, others by arms and narcotics trafficking, warlords, and conmen.
 
The stories of these expeditions take the reader to some of the remotest spots in the world, but once there, one is often greeted by the comfort of what was once the West’s apex in transportation—however now haunted by the courageous airmen of the past.
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  1. Print length
    674 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Casemate
  5. Publication date
    March 19, 2015
  6. File size
    71283 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Hans Wiesman takes us on an intercontinental crusade, country to country, island to island; and it’s fair to say his story could count as one of those likeable books you can pick up and put down as and when. By its very nature the story is episodic but do not take this as a criticism. The writing is assured and well paced and you can feel the enthusiasm of the author at the turn of every page. The photography is well captioned and, of course, the pix are all fascinating. Just about everyone has seen those internet snaps of Dakotas used by scuba divers and all this stuff and more is included in the author’s story. His passion is beyond doubt and his knowledge and experience in the field of seeking out aircraft could well be unrivalled. His contacts book must be huge and I presume he has to get people in to help write all his Christmas cards for him. The book finds a fitting conclusion with our man Hans helping to save the DC-3 now on display at the Merville Battery in Normandy. He gets the chance to mix Dakotas with his passion for Harleys and you cannot help but come away with the idea that this is pretty cool. In fact, if I needed to find the briefest of reviews for this book, then “pretty cool” would do it. I suspect the author would be satisfied with that if he ever finds time to slow down. It’s a big if!"
War History Online

"...a daring adventure story as he explores for these survivors and tells of their histories. It is almost like an adventure novel except it is true and makes for a very exciting story as the author goes in search of the legendary DC-3 on the last frontiers"
Air Classics

About the Author

Dutchman Hans Wiesman grew up in post colonial Borneo where his father worked as an engineer for Shell Oil. Growing up in the jungle, Hans was bitten by the Dakota bug at a young age, as the leftover cargo planes from WWII were the only connection to an outside world he had ever seen. 35 years later, while working as an advertising executive, Hans ran into a Dakota during a photo shoot in South America and was immediately mesmerized again. He decided to turn his passion into a full time job and has since been scouring the most remote regions of the planet on a quest to find the last forgotten Dakotas in the world

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00SGC4XT8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Casemate (March 19, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 19, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 71283 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 674 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 147 ratings

About the author

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Hans Wiesman

Hans Wiesman

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About the Author

Hans Wiesman (author of The Dakota Hunter book & blogs) traces his profound passion for the DC-3/Dakota and the PBY Catalina back to the age of five. Between the years 1951 1956, he lived in the Borneo Jungle and he flew in both aircraft with his father, a Shell oil exploration engineer. Hans' love affair with these aircraft has never faded and later in his career, being a Creative executive for an International Brand, he met the PBY Catalina again and created a TV documentary series with that legendary aircraft as being the image-carrier. It brought him another 250 flight hours with the PBY and a wealth of unique experiences and photographs on his double Transamerican tours. With only a few PBY Cansos/Catalinas now left in airworthy condition, the saga told and depicted in this book is his heartfelt personal and colorful tribute to this iconic aircraft.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
147 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Shannon
5.0 out of 5 stars What An Experience!
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book was a gift from my daughter. Mr. Wiesman carries the reader on a most interesting odyssey to the four corners of the earth. His insatiable passion for the DC-3 leads us with him to places where, at times, we face the dangers of uncertainty, while at others we experience his satisfaction of accomplishing goals. His writing style is easy and smooth with each event melding smoothly into the next.
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Bruce B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is one of the most interesting aviation books I have ever read and I read a lot. Not just about the DC-3 but a world adventure story. I bought the hard copy after reading it on my Kindle just to have in in my library. I was sorry for it to end. I took my first DC-3 trip when I was 10 years old. TWA to Chicago MidWay airport.
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David Mac
4.0 out of 5 stars More Than A Story About A Plane
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015
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Highly entertaining and not just for DC3 fans. Mr Weisman has many interesting stories to tell about the interesting countries he has visited searching for DC3 parts. Some may see irony in the fact he only wants the parts to build office desks but there is much more to his story and his affection for the plane shines through.

Not a total success in editing but a lively piece of story telling
4 people found this helpful
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John C. Howard
5.0 out of 5 stars If you're an airplane geek, you'll really enjoy this
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2018
Verified Purchase
Most books on a subject merely inform. This one is an adventure too! Learning about people and places in far-flung corners of the world as well as how the venerable Dakota still serves them, the story took me along for a memorable ride. There were enough pictures to complement the verbal descriptions too. Great story, well told!
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book I ever read
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2017
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Fascinating, exciting, heart pounding , tear jerking, this story of the quest for C47 Dakota survivors, wrecks and relics is great for any aviation enthusiaist or lover of a good story. Like tales told around a campfire this book gives a great story. Experiences only few can live but many dream of, I give it high praises.
2 people found this helpful
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Margo1918
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT DAKOTA STORY
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
Great Book, very interesting. Fantastic pictures as well. This chap has lived. If you like the DC-3, C-47 or Dakota, then this is a must read.
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Hillbilly Deluxe Sportfishing
4.0 out of 5 stars Book was OK
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2019
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Subject matter and stories are interesting. Writing style requires slower reading.
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George Staver
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Passion!
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018
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Hans has the passion it takes to travel and look all over the world for DC-3 parts. I think also enjoys the adventures that go along with his love for the greatest plane ever built.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein tolles (englisches) Lesebuch
Reviewed in Germany on October 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Für eine abschließende Beurteilung ist es zu früh, da der englische Text und die Fülle des Inhalts erarbeitet werden wollen. Aber da steckt jede Menge drin. Das Buch ist eine wahre Fundgrube für jeden, dessen Herz an alten Fliegern hängt. Und die DC-3, sprich Dakota, ist nun mal was Besonderes. Aber da ist noch mehr: Die Geschichten um die Geschichte. Die Plätze, auf denen die alten Zweimotorigen herum stehen und liegen. Die skurillen Typen, die diese Schätze hüten oder Teile von ihnen verkaufen wollen. "Dakota Hunter" ist ein tolles Lesebuch und über den technischen Inhalt hinaus auch spannende Unterhaltung. Mal sehen, was auf den vielen Seiten noch alles kommt.
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Hudson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and photos.
Reviewed in Canada on December 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great book - was a gift and the recipient loved it.
One person found this helpful
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hansdane
5.0 out of 5 stars Great adventure, highly recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2015
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This is a most attractive book, - nicely printed and bound and with gold-embossed lettering along the spine. More importantly, it is an exciting book. The author shares his adventurous life - and his love for the DC-3 - with us in a charming, informative and humoristic manner. A free and easy childhood on the threshold of the Borneo jungle was followed by university education in his native Netherlands and a career in the corporate world (which included several spectacular aviation related events). Eventually, he set up his own business and started tracking down, buying and converting the wingtips of defunct DC-3 aircraft into designer desks! His quest took him all over the planet and he writes hilariously about his failures and successes in developed and developing countries, trying to do business with people of all shades of honesty. The book is illustrated with a wealth of interesting colour photos. A must for anyone interested in historic aircraft, especially for fans of the 80-year old DC-3 in all its shapes and varieties.
3 people found this helpful
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Charles Gorner
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling.
Reviewed in Australia on October 28, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have had a love for the Dakota for years from being a RAF brat throughout the fifties and sixties to this day. Hans Wiesman's story held my interest from start to finish. Thank you Hans for a great book.
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mr graham archer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great adventure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2021
Verified Purchase
Being a huge aviation enthusiast, and also having a love for the Dakota myself, this book is truly amazing. I read this incredible book in the first lockdown last year and it was just the escapeism I needed. Hans, takes you on an adventure and a journey that you wish you were there with him. IT’S A MUST READ!!!!!
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