Propliners and Skytrucks

Actually there have been at least two C-46s on the US airshow circuit; both belonged to the (then) Confederate Air Force, “Tinker Belle” which was based at Big Spring, Texas, and “China Doll” which iirc flew from California…not sure whether either is still operational though.

BTW, on History Television in Canada is a documentary/reality series called Ice Pilots NWT, centred on the Arctic operations of Buffalo Airways who operate DC-3s, C-46s and C-54s; among the C-46s seen is C-FAVO which I posted on the other thread. There’s some really fine flying footage in that series.

S.

And for me 8609 was the star of the 50th Anniversary of the Air Lift at Tempelhof in June 1998.
That was quite a show! It was the first (and probably last) time I saw 6 C47/C53/Dakotas, plus 4 C54/R5D/DC4s together. Plus a lot of other hardware.

Laurence

Steve T and others,
Many thanks for some great photos . I well remember the MATS Connie over my house en route Coventry to Duxford . The sound of those engines was pure magic,tragic that it sits in the salt air in Korea.
Surprising that nobody has put a C-46 on the airshow scene before now. Operating costs and CAA type certification are against it. There were alot of FAA mods.

Finishing on a British theme!

Avro York G-ANTK being restored at Duxford, April 1989

Same date and location, Airspeed Ambassador gets a repaint. I think this one was a sole survivor even then…pity, it’s a terrific-looking design

Same time and place again, HP Hermes fuselage, again a unique survivor

Same visit, different museum…RAFM’s oft-lamented lost gate guard Blackburn Beverley, XH124

And finally we have one of the few extant relics of the flying-boat era, Short Solent NJ203, owned (at least at that time) by the Grant brothers of Oakland, California, and on display at a museum there

S.

Closeup of the massive pusher props on the XC-99 in Texas

XC-99 cockpit (such as it still was by 1992)

XC-99 upper cargo bay

tbc

Never can have too many MATS Connie shots; here’s N494TW taxiing at Elmira NY airshow toward the end of her flying career

And another shot of her in the air…such a majestic sight (and sound)…

Cockpit of L1049 CF-RNR during her time as a bar next to Toronto airport

And the cabin. This Connie was a really nice display piece; Seattle did well to obtain her

tbc

ConifAir DC-6, St-Jean, Quebec, 1983

And another

And a third

And ConifAir’s other C-121A/L749, C-GXKR, which iirc eventually made its way to Holland?

tbc

These three date to the early 80s…

Presidential propliner #1…Roosevelt’s C-54 “Sacred Cow” in storage at Dayton

Presidential propliner #2…Truman’s VC-118 “Independence”, also at Dayton

Presidential propliner #3…Eisenhower’s VC-121C “Columbine III”, Dayton again

tbc

Millard’s C-GDWZ parked at Toronto after the company quit flying

Ex-Millard C-54 of Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation on show at the 1996 Hamilton airshow. (Incidentally, HIAS may be revived in 2012 as part of CWH’s 40th anniversary celebrations. The last year for HIAS as a full airshow was 2001.)

Another immaculate USAF-schemed C-54 at one of the three Batavia NY Wings of Eagles events. Never saw this one anywhere else!

tbc

Millardair C-54 G-GQIA sits it out at Mt.Hope soon after the nose gear collapsed during circuits-and-bumps there in spring 1985

C-GQIB at Toronto circa ’85 when Millardair was still operating

C-GQIC taxis in on two engines, same day as the shot of QIB

tbc

Mid-Atlantic Air Museum’s Martin 404 visits Elmira NY for one of the last few Wings of Eagles events there (circa 1999)

ConifAir C-54 at St-Jean, Quebec, 1983

And another

tbc

Ooo, a Breguet Deux-Ponts…didn’t think any of those still existed.

The Berlin Airlift group’s C-54 is another former Millardair bird, but I forget which one (either C-GQIB or ‘QIC, I think–can’t be C-GFFQ or ‘FMQ as those two were scrapped at Brantford).

Thanks for the additional pix all. I’ll dig out a few more too…

S.

Ah 1997 ! Thank you Adler Tag, your memory is better than mine 🙂
Lets not forget the connies travelling companion ‘spirit of freedom’ …. I have some photos of the display inside this one …. somewhere ???

Keith.

Yes 1997, 50th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. She displayed at Biggin and I still have the pamphlet I was given when I had a look round her in the static park. Such a shame she no longer flies, and her Korean colours aren’t nearly as flattering as the old MATS scheme.

Last Connie I remember seeing fly in the UK ?????? Duxford and Cosford …. Can’t remember the year …. 50th aniversary of the Berlin Airlift ????

Talking about Constellations, here is one I took at London Airport (Northside) in July 1959 (AP-ACQ).

Laurence

July 2005 Fontenay France

Here’s the Nantes Connie last summer, now much more accessible…

Wonderfully evocative pictures. I grew up during the DC, Connie, Strat era and have always had a very soft spot for them all.The P&Ws and the Wrights in the Connie made such a satisfying sound……….:)

F-BGNJ at Nantes in 2008 before her move across the airfield to the passenger/freight terminals’ side. Sadly – due to Ryanair ceasing flights from there to the UK – I have not been back since 2008 to get a better photograph of her in her now more accessible location!