Old Props Working In AK

The Fred Olsen C-46s were regukar visitors to Southend in the late 60’s along with Martinair Daks. The c-47s and c_117s were regulars overhead on their way Braintree- Southend- Dover. Great Days!

More European C-46’s!

The C-46 was rare aeroplane in Europe

Fred Olsen used them for a while but probably for England the best known were the Capitol machines used by Lufthansa one in their livery and I think there was another US outfit with some based in Germany.

These were small numbers…..single figures….perhaps just two or three at any one time.

BOAC did have an early model very briefly.

Alaska has become quite a haven for older rarer types and must be quite an exciting job flying theses type in that environment.

Garry

Have just found my copy of CURTISS-WRIGHT C46 COMMANDO by A.B. EASTWOOD published by A LAAS INTERNATIONAL in 1971.
Yes BOAC did have one of the CW 20 prototypes registered G-AGDI in September 1941 and named ‘St Louis’. It was reduced to scrap at Filton Bristol on the 29-10-43. I was amazed to see that Handley Page registered a C-46A-60-CK MODEL on the 26-7-66 as G-ATXV, it was stored at Fort Lauderdale in Florida! Come on you Handley Page buffs tell us the reason why!
The Swiss nearly had two but HB-AAE (Aeropa) was not taken up(ntu), subsequently being registered to Transair(Sweden) Ltd. as SE-CFF on the 5-6-59 at Stockholm. Crashed at Thyville airport Congo on the 13-1-64! HB-AAF was ntu by Aeropa but registered in the USA as N4086A to Aeropa and sold to Oman Farnsworth Wright. Was he any relative of the Wrights?
Italy had I-SILA owned by Societa Aerea Mediterranea(S.A.M.) from 31-1-62 a C46A-45-CU until 7-68 when sold to the USA. S.A.M. also owned I-SILV from 5-62 until 7-68. It was a C 46A-45-CU and was leased to the United Nations for some time until sold to the USA in July 1968.

i flew a good few times in K-681……noice and smell….lovely!

The Danish and French C-47s were certainly around then. People probably forget but the USAF had various C-47s based at Mildenhall up to the early 70s and the USN had a number of C-117s there and at Keflavik.

Beam me back then, please Scotty.

Sticking on my tangent (with apologies!), Gatwick used to receive a number of military C-47s in the 1960s and early 1970s. My sadly incomplete notes indicate the following having put in appearances there:

RCAF 455
RCAF 457
RDAF K-681
Armée de l’Air 23639

Do these ring true?

Just found a couple of C-46 photos taken at Turnhouse (60’s name) in the late 60’s, enjoy, Keith.

Credit to Colin Laurie for both, with permission !

Sorry if I am going off at a tangent but is the Belgian AF C-47B K-16:OT-CWG still with the Musée de l’Armée in Bruxelles?

Yes – at least it was in January this year.

Mr Whitton do you remember this coming into Turnhouse around the same time as the Belgian AF C-47 K8:OT-CND late 69/early 1970?

Sorry if I am going off at a tangent but is the Belgian AF C-47B K-16:OT-CWG still with the Musée de l’Armée in Bruxelles?

Do you mean LN-FOH Lockheed L-188AF Electra ?
Thought LN-FOE was a Dassault Falcon 20 :confused:

No. I think even I can tell the difference between a very noisy tail wheeled piston engined freighter and an Electra.

On second thoughts (as I have long since lost my notebook from that era) it was probably LN-FOR. Mr Whitton do you remember this coming into Turnhouse around the same time as the Belgian AF C-47 K8:OT-CND late 69/early 1970?

The C-46 was rare aeroplane in Europe

Fred Olsen used them for a while but probably for England the best known were the Capitol machines used by Lufthansa one in their livery and I think there was another US outfit with some based in Germany.

Pehaps rare i Europe, but not in Scandinavia. Fred Olsen op three; LN-FOP/R/S…and Transair Sweden also op a fair number 1957-66: SE-CFA/B/C/D/E/F/G/H and SE-EDP/R/S.

BOAC did have an early model very briefly.

Correct, the CW-20-prototype was reg G-AGDI and used from late 1941/early 1942. It was broken up in October 1943.

I remember seeing LN-FOE at Edinburgh back in 1969/1970 or so.

Do you mean LN-FOH Lockheed L-188AF Electra ?
Thought LN-FOE was a Dassault Falcon 20 :confused:

I remember seeing LN-FOE at Edinburgh back in 1969/1970 or so.

The C-46 was rare aeroplane in Europe

Fred Olsen used them for a while but probably for England the best known were the Capitol machines used by Lufthansa one in their livery and I think there was another US outfit with some based in Germany.

These were small numbers…..single figures….perhaps just two or three at any one time.

BOAC did have an early model very briefly.

Alaska has become quite a haven for older rarer types and must be quite an exciting job flying theses type in that environment.

Garry

Nice article and great photos.

I’m really pleased to see that the C46 is still pulling a wage somewhere.

I don’t think we ever had many in Europe –at least i can’t remember seeing many pictures of European C46s.

Well done!! Great shots!! 🙂 😀
Thanks for sharing.

Martin

Thanks for that, I love the old piston aircraft,great photographs.