Landowners Of Sólheimasandur Purchase Old Plane

The landowners of Sólheimasandur, home to Iceland’s most famous plane wreck, have purchased an old Douglas Dakota DC-3/C-47 plane from the DC-3 Friends Association, reports Vísir. The idea is for the aircraft fuselage to replace the deteriorating wreck on the beach.

Since the wreck gained fame, the landowners have monetised the plane wreck through parking fees. However, concerns grew about the wreck’s increasing deterioration. In a 2016 interview, Benedikt was asked whether a new wreck might be necessary.

“Yes, we’ve started looking for a new wreck,” the farmer replied with a laugh.

That was nine years ago. Now, a replacement has been found in an old military hangar at Keflavík Airport. The Ytri-Sólheimar Landowners’ Association has purchased a retired DC-3 from the DC-3 Friends Association for four million ISK.

Regarding the reason for the sale, the chairman of the DC-3 Friends Association, Tómas Dagur Helgason, explained that the association no longer had storage space for the aircraft and lacked the financial resources or capacity to maintain two planes in exhibition condition. The other plane, Páll Sveinsson, formerly known as Gljáfaxi, is preserved at the Aviation Museum in Akureyri.

We discuss this story and more recent headlines in the latest episode of the Iceland Roundup podcast with Grapevine publisher Jón Trausti Sigurðarson, Heimildin journalist Aðalsteinn Kjartansson and Grapevine friend and contributor Sindri Eldon. Listen below or on your preferred podcast platform.