VT-AUE  Douglas DC-3                        (c/n  19519)

                                    

                                          This photograph is from the album of Ben Manuel, and was taken at Madras in 1948.  .  Ben's
                                          grandfather worked for Air India after WW II.    Clearly the subject of this shot were the airline
                                          employees, rather than the aircraft itself, although this DC-3 photo is interesting in that it shows
                                          "The Tata Line" titling below the cheat line rather than following the 'Air-India" as was the norm
                                          in latter years (see VT-AUR).         VT-AUE was a former C-47A-080-DL, delivered to the
                                          USAAF in 1944, serial 43-15053.    It was released to Tata Airlines in November 1945 which
                                          was renamed Air-India a year later.   Another name change in August 1953 found it registered to
                                          Indian Airlines Corporation.     Like several other IAC machines, it went to the Indian Air Force
                                          in 1960 when the domestic Indian national carrier upgraded to Viscounts and Friendships.