from Hans Wiesman
It was back in 1999, that the Avionart founders Hans and Dolph started to track and collect wing panels from the legendary Douglas DC-3/ C-47/ Dakota aircraft. This plane flew in huge numbers over Europe and SE Asia during the wartime operations, and went after the war widely into civilian operations.
By now, the vintage plane is a much-wanted museum piece, but there are still a number of Dakotas flying in commercial operations, in the out backs of the Americas.
Avionart is a supplier of unique design furniture and interior decoration objects, typically based in parts of the Dakota. Their experience takes them all over the design-scape, turning wingtips from the legendary Dakota plane and convert them into very impressive personal desks with mirror-polished finish.
Over the years, Hans had to go deeper into remote jungles, mountains and tundra’s in order to find the precious metal for their trade. The "Dakota Hunter" was born with the adventurous search trips to Bolivia, Alaska, Brazil, Colombia, Madagascar and others.
With the final Dakota built some 65 years ago, the efforts are mounting in order to find and salvage them from crashed planes. In faraway mountain sites, from old jungle barns in the Alaska tundra’s, or forgotten bone yards in the cold High Andes outbacks of Bolivia, the trips sometimes mirror an Indiana Jones film – particularly when dealing with the locals, smugglers, customs, colonels and self proclaimed owners. Due to restrictive regulations, limited shipping facilities, trafficking controls etc., the goods are long time under way.
Eventually, some two years later, Avionart receives the wingtips in Europe, and the Dakota parts go to the workshop for an elaborate presentation that includes mirror polishing, trimming and legs assembly. The result of all this work is a stunning desk, with an intriguing history, a survivor of wartime operations and a timeless design from the hand of the Donald Douglas, who designed and built the most successful plane in the 100 years of aviation history: the Iconic Dakota /DC-3/ C-47.
The wingtip desk is a unique war relic that might as well have flown over the UK, Normandy or the Himalaya Mountains into China in the war years 1941-1945.
Over the years, Avionart has developed more impressive furniture, based on the same idea of converting authentic vintage aircraft parts into dual-purpose artifacts with a furniture function.
On www.avionart.com, you can find their full range of products and more information to purchase.
