VT-AUR  Douglas DC-3                                          (c/n  13686)

                                    

                                           I received this horrible grainy print from Air India in 1949.  The last letter of the rego appears
                                           to be an "R" on the original print.  Since it is an early conversion, and shows  Air-India "The
                                           Tata Line" on the cabin titling, I am assuming that it is -AUR.  Both VT-ATR and VT-AVR
                                           were also DC3s but were owned (originally) by Indian National Airways and Airwork (India)
                                           Ltd. respectively.  If some expert on Indian Civil Aviation (and there don't appear to be any)
                                           can dispel this notion, I would be more than happy to hear from them.  Anyway, Tata Air Lines
                                           had renamed itself Air-India in 1946 and operated until 1953 when it became a "Line" under
                                           the newly formed (and nationalized) Indian Airlines Corporation.  Eight former independent
                                           companies were merged to become "Lines" within the new nationalized corporation. They were:
                                                       Airways (India) Ltd;    Bharat Airways;         Himalaya Aviation
                                                       Kalinga Air Lines         Deccan Airways        Air India
                                                       Air Services of India    Indian National Airways
                                           Following this amalgamation, the "new" Air-India operated a vast fleet of DC-3s.   VH-AUD
                                           remained with IAC until the early 1970s when it wound up in the knacker's yard in Bombay.