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A keychain forged from the original aircraft skin of the legendary Douglas C-47 'PH-PBA' — a D-Day veteran that dropped paratroopers of the 505th over Sainte-Mère-Église, later flew Prince Bernhard as the first Royal aircraft of the Netherlands, and is still airworthy today, operated by DDA Classic Airlines.
Few aircraft have a story like PH-PBA. On 6 June 1944 — five hours before the D-Day landings began — this Douglas C-47 departed Cottesmore airbase on 'Mission Boston' and dropped a stick of seventeen paratroopers of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, over Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. She wore the iconic black-and-white invasion stripes across her wings. Three months later, on 17 September, she dropped paratroopers near Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, where ground crew christened her 'The Squirrel'. After Eisenhower's personal approval, H.R.H. Prince Bernhard purchased her in late 1945 and on 6 February 1946 she officially entered the Dutch register as PH-PBA — Prince Bernhard Alpha — the first Royal aircraft of the Netherlands. Restored to airworthy condition in 1998, she is today operated by DDA Classic Airlines as a fully passenger-certified DC-3C. A portion of every tag supports the DDA Flight Support Foundation.