Florida Air Cargo – March 6, 2023
Mo Aguiari has produced a very entertaining and informative 29-minute YouTube video about Opa-locka Airport based DC-3 operator Florida Air Cargo. Lots of great ramp shots and interviews with Sergio Alen, President and CEO; Keith Kearn, Direct of Operations; and veteran Propliner pilot Roberto Amador.
Ugandan HS748 – February 26, 2023
Tobias Ralle sent me photos of HS748 EY-639 taken at Entebbe International Airport. The photos were taken today by Diane M and show the stored aircraft to be complete and in good condition. The aircraft is the former 5Y-CBI.
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DC-6 Firebomber RC Model – February 22, 2023
Dennis Wright recently sent me a photo and link to a YouTube video of a radio-controlled DC-6 model that he has built. "I came across your web site while researching the history of N90739. I built a radio control scale model DC-6 and selected the fire bomber livery from the days just before she was retired. I won't ever be able to fly a full-size DC-6, so this is as close as I can get. I noticed you are friends with Jim Buckwalter whom I believe piloted this aircraft as one of his favorites. I thought you guys might get a kick out of this." Dennis did a great job with the model and it appears to be almost real in the photo. For comparison, I've included a couple of photos taken of the aircraft in 2000 in Redmond, Oregon by my friend Ted Quackenbush.
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Finnish Aviation Museum (2016) – February 14, 2023
Björn Kannegießer visited the Finnish Aviation Museum in Vanne, Finland in 2016 and photographed DC-3 OH-LCD "Lokki" and CV440 OH-LRB. For more information about the DC-3, check out the museum’s website. Although the DC-3 was on display outside in the 2016 photo, it appeared to be in excellent condition.
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Chandler Memorial Airpark (March 2001) – February 7, 2023
Arizona's Chandler Memorial Airpark was the longtime home of T&G Aviation and Biegert Aviation and an epicenter of Propliner activity during the 1970's, 80's and 90's. Biegert Aviation ceased operations sometime in the early 1990s and T&G Aviation became International Air Response (IAR) and moved to Coolidge Municipal Airport in 2005. Before moving, IAR scrapped most of its remaining stored aircraft consisting mainly of DC-7s and a DC-6. DC-7B N4889C was donated to museum and a number of Douglas cockpits were acquired by collectors. The field was renamed Gila River Memorial Airpark and the aircraft left behind included the DC-7B, two PV-2s, a Howard 500 and four former Biegert DC-4s, which immediately became the targets of local vandals and graffiti "artists." While the Gila River Indian Community has aggressively enforced a no trespassing policy, they have been powerless to stop the vandalism, which has included arsonists setting fire to two of the DC-4’s and the DC-7B. I visited the field in March 2001 when IAR was still based at the field and photographed both the active and stored aircraft on site. Contrast this with the sad remnants that Ken Swartz photographed in May 2018 and January 2023.
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1987 Vintage Firebombers – January 25, 2023
Jim Buckwalter has previously shared quite a number of photographs from his days flying vintage firebombers. His latest batch of photos date from the summer of 1987, when he was flying DC-4’s for ARDCO. "I recently went looking through old photos and found some from the Summer of 1987, when I was flying ARDCO DC-4’s out of Silver City, New Mexico. The first photo is N460WA T151 at Silver City with the second photo showing T151 from another angle and N9015Q T152 parked beside it. I was copilot on T151 that summer. First half of the contract was at Silver City and the second half at Klamath Falls, Oregon."
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Coolidge Arizona Hercs – January 23, 2023
Sean Keating visited Coolidge Municipal Airport in Arizona on December 31, 2022 and photographed a number of International Air Response (IAR) C-130A’s and a Lynden Air Cargo L382 that are stored at the airport. The airport was once home to IAR before the company moved operations to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. One of the aircraft stored at the airport was C-130A N119TG, which made an emergency landing at Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) on Sunday August 25, 2019 after experiencing hydraulic issues shortly after departing the Santa Maria Public Airport. Unable to extend its landing gear, the aircraft slid off the runway and came to rest on its right wingtip. For more information about the aircraft and incident, check out the August 24, 2020, April 24, 2020 and September 18, 2019 reports on this website.
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DC-4 N55CW at Western Sky Aviation Warbird Museum – January 6, 2023
As reported on May 1, 2022, DC-4 N55CW departed Keystone Heights, Florida on April 27, 2022 for the Western Sky Aviation Warbird Museum in St. George, Utah where it arrived safely the next day. Ron Shusterman recently visited the museum and photographed the Skymaster in her new home.
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Carvair "Fat Annie" – January 4, 2023
Dave McMahon visited Gainsville, Texas in mid-November and the airport manager was nice enough to allow him to take some airside photos of Carvair N89FA "Fat Annie.” While this iconic airplane hasn’t flown for at least 10 years, from Dave's photos it appears to be in reasonably good condition.
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2008 Rescue of Canadian PBV-5A Canso – January 1,2023
Two videos document the amazing 2008 rescue and ten-year restoration of PBV-5A Canso C-FNJE by a group of six Alberta farmers calling themselves the Fairview Aircraft Restoration Society. The aircraft is essentially a Canadian version of the PBY-5A Catalina built by Canadian Vickers Aircraft and delivered to the RCAF on June 22, 1944 as 11094. Retired and stored by 1957, it was sold in April 1961 and operated by a number of companies over the next 35 years before being acquired by Buffalo Airways in June 1996. Buffalo operated it as Tanker 702 until it crashed during a water pickup at Sitidgi Lake, NWT on July 24, 2001. The lake is located 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle and moving it to "civilization" posed an enormous challenge for this determined group of farmers. After retrieving it from the shores of the lake, it was moved 30 miles across the arctic tundra to the Dempster Highway where it was transported to Inuvik and barged down the Mackenzie River to Hay River. Ten years later it made its first flight on May 27, 2018 at Red Deer Regional Airport in Alberta.
2008 Recovery
2018 First Flight
This is an amazing story about a small group of determined individuals who decided to do something to save this historic airplane rather than sitting around grousing that "Someone ought to save that airplane." My hat’s off to them and I wish there were more like them!
DC-6 on Display in Santo Domingo – December 7, 2022
Michael Prophet recently sent me a link to some photos of a former Compania Dominicana DC-6 that was on display in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Roy Blewett confirmed that the aircraft was DC-6B HI-92 and it had been on display since early 2012 at the Escuela Técnico Profesional Movearte. The aircraft was delivered to Pan American in August 1952 as Clipper Aurora and was acquired by Compania Dominicana in March 1964. Retired in January 1982, the aircraft was stored in the weeds of the Santo Domingo Airport until rescued and put on display. Looks like it needs some TLC.
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Lancaster California Relics – December 6, 2022 - Updated December 8, 2022
Hart Fessenden visited Fox Field in Lancaster, California on a quiet Sunday morning in late October and came upon a trio of vintage Propliners that were once part of the defunct Milestones of Flight Air Museum. C-97G 53-272 is owned by Bill Dempsay and is currently for sale. C-119C N13745 is former USAF 48-322 and is the oldest surviving C-119. It was also owned by Bill Dempsay as late as 2020 and is probably still owned by Bill. Sean Keating inspected the aircraft in in 2020 and reports "The C-119 has a lot of corrosion, no fabric left, damage to left wing spar probably by a forklift or truck from the underside and the left main gear retraction strut mount has been damaged badly." The third aircraft is AW650 Argosy N1430Z and it has also been deregistered. FAA records indicate its previous owner was The Museum of Flying in Santa Monica, California.
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DC-3 "Pacific Pearl" – December 1, 2022
John Olafson recently photographed DC-3/C-47 N231GB at Hemet Airport, where it was sporting a very nice paint job with Pacific Pearl nose art. "I was at Hemet on November 30th and was very happy to see this beauty. Over the years I have seen quite a few DC-3's at Hemet and they were all in bare metal, so this was a welcome sight. That was the only one of the type I saw there. I'm not sure about the meaning of Pacific Pearl but it looks cool."
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2022 Wings Over Illawarra Airshow – November 24, 2022
A very nice "walkabout" video from the Wings Over Illawarra Airshow held on November 12/13, 2022. The video features many vintage aircraft from the HARS collection including the DC-3, C-47, DC-4, Super Constellation, P2V, PBY, S2F, P-3 and B747-400.
Derelict DC-4’s at Gila River Memorial Airport – November 4, 2022
Boneyard Safari posted a recent photo of the four former Biegert Aviation DC-4’s Gila River Memorial Airport (formerly known as Chandler Memorial Airport). With trespassing law strictly enforced by the tribal police force, it’s amazing to me how these aircraft have gotten so vandalized. As reported on June 12, 2020, DC-7B N4889C was destroyed by a fire set by vandals, which further begs the question "Where are the tribal cops when the bad guys are doing their evil deeds?" I guess they’re only interested in harassing aviation enthusiasts who only want to document the destruction of these aircraft.
Kelowna Flightcraft CV580 – October 23, 2022
John Olafson recently photographed CV580 C-GKFG landing at Kelowna, BC. "I caught this beauty coming in to Kelowna Sept 27th and was happy it was coming a bit later than usual. It does two flights a day carrying freight between Kelowna and Vancouver. Its 70 years old and has been with KF for 25 years and I hope it keeps flying for them for a long time." I photographed this aircraft when it was taxiing to the cargo area at Vancouver International Airport in September 2014. She's definitely aging well!
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Former RAAF C-47 – August 30, 2022
Howard Mitchell recently posted some very nice C-47 photos on Facebook. "HARS Aviation Museum's Ex RAAF C-47 A65-94 had a busy pilot training morning 26/8/22 with eight take off and landing circuits."
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DC-6’s and a DC-7C – August 23, 2022
Gary Plomp recently forwarded some photos from his collection. The aircraft include DC-6’s PH-DDS, G-APSA, and G-SIXC along with DC-7C 85-CA. All were photographed on various dates in 1998.
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TAT Ford Tri-Motor – August 20, 2022
I lived in the town of Morgan Hill, California just south of San Jose in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s. There was a restaurant/golf course/hotel/museum called The Flying Lady owned by a local entrepreneur and part of the airplane collection was Ford 5-AT-B Tri-Motor N9651 painted in Trans World Airline/TAT colors. He would occasionally fly the airplane, taking off using one of the golf course fairways. In 1990 the aircraft attended the Watsonville Fly-in and Airshow, where I photographed it. I’ve included these photos and one of it at The Flying Lady. The aircraft is currently part of Kermit Weeks’ Fantasy of Flight collection in Polk, Florida.
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Braathens S-A-F-E DC-6B – August 2, 2022
Kenneth Blackwood recently photographed DC-6B N151/LN-SUB at the Flyhistorisk Museum Sola in Stavanger, Norway. The DC-6B arrived in Norway on June 2, 2020 after an epic 15+ hour nonstop flight from Yellowknife, NWT. It flew with Braathens S-A-F-E as LN-SUB in the 1960’s before going to Conair as C-GICD Tanker #47 in January 1976. After 21+ years of service with Conair, it was acquired by Everts Air Cargo in October 1997 and registered N151. This well used DC-6B flew for Everts 23+ years before running out of Part 121 airframe hours. Painted in period Braathens colors by Everts in May 2020, this veteran aircraft is now on static display at the museum in Stavanger. Rob Everts personally commanded the delivery flight to Norway and reported that the aircraft performed flawlessly. There’s no doubt that it could have continued to fly cargo for many more years in Alaska, if not for the expensive Part D inspection required by FAR Part 121.
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C-118 Spray Testing at TNT – July 3, 2022
Roger just keeps coming up with these gem photos. I was very fortunate to be part of the group at TNT Airport that witnessed these test flights. Seeing a C-118 flying 50 feet over the ground up close and personal was quite the experience! Here’s Roger’s description of the day’s events. "On January 25, 2013 we joined Carlos Gomez and Marc Wolff at the TNT Airport to certify the deposition of spray from the new spray system installed on the wings. This is C-118 N70BF. There were several very lucky guys that got invited to record the event. In the end, it was certified and one hell of a lot of fun." I’ve added a GREAT VIDEO and a couple of my photos from that day.
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Super DC-3/Grumman Mallard Father-Son Adventure – July 2, 2022
Some more great photos from Roger Jarman. As usual, there’s a story to go with the photos and it involves a great father-son flying adventure to SUN ‘n FUN. "Volunteering my time has always a rewarding experience. In this case it was aviation related. One Saturday in April, 1995 I met Charlie Clements as he fueled his Douglas Super R4D-8 (DC-3) at Page Av Jet in Miami. He said fuel was cheaper there than at Ft Lauderdale Airport. He was returning to Ft Lauderdale to wash and prep the plane to fly to SUN 'n FUN the next day."
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DC-4 "Lady Jane" – June 29, 2022
Most folks associate Roger Jarman with Atlantic Models or the "Eastern DC-7B" but Roger worked in and around Miami International Airport during the days when Propliners were common at the airport. Roger is an ardent photographer and he documented the demise of a hapless DC-4 (N62433) named "Lady Jane" in the early 1990's. He recently found those photos and shares his story and photos. "Ah, the story of the "Lady Jane" DC-4 in Miami. We had an airplane owner asked if he could park on our ramp for "60 days max" while he prepped it for a cargo operation. He told the buyer it was a "sure fire" money maker. Well after a year and still on our ramp, Gus Conner offered to tow it to Corrosion Corner. I told him to go ahead because my customer was not taking my calls. The plane got towed and within an hour I got a call from my customer demanding to know why I towed it off our ramp...... The airport had immediately notified him to take care of it. The plane was moved but within a year it was towed again to get scrapped for non-payment of parking. The poor guy that bought it found out later that the plane was never going to get on a certificate because of wing spar corrosion. Douglas never had a fix for that. So it was chopped up, and the customer lost at least $400K. The Lady Jane (named for the customers' wife) is no more."
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Grounded in Alaska – June 22, 2022
Dietmar Schreiber spent a couple of weeks in Alaska in June where he was blessed with some amazingly sunny weather for his hallmark air-to-air photography. He also managed to find time to photograph two grounded relics; C-119G N9027K parked at the south ramp of Anchorage International Airport and C-123K N123K parked at Nikiski Air Strip.
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Former RCAF C-119G on Display at U.S. Museum – June 21, 2022
Former RCAF C-119G Flying Boxcar 22105 c/n 10736 is on display at the Col. John Moriarty Memorial Air Park at Niagara Falls ARS, New York as USAF serial 51-2680. According to Joe Baugher’s excellent website, 51-2680 disappeared while on a flight from Homestead AFB, Florida to Gran Turk Island, Bahamas on June 5, 1965 with the loss of nine crewmembers. The museum aircraft saw service with the RCAF from November 1952 to November 1966 and was sold to Hawkins & Powers Aviation as N15506 after retirement. Although Hawkins & Powers converted a number of C-119G’s to air tankers, I'm not sure if this aircraft was ever converted. Hawkins and Powers traded it and two other C-119s to the USAF Museum in December 1988. After being on loan to the Milwaukee ANG at General Mitchell International Airport it was placed on display at Niagara Falls ARS in July 2006.
Ukrainian AN-26 Photo – June 11, 2022
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East African Propliner Photos – June 6, 2022
Tobias Ralle forwarded some amazing photos from the East African countries of Tanzania and Kenya where DC-3s, HS748s and F-27s are still active. While not all of the aircraft are of Propliners, they are from a very interesting part of the world and I decided to include them. The photos were taken between 2016 and 2019 and depict both active and stored aircraft.
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Vatry France AN-12 Photos – June 5, 2022
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Early 1990's Ashville, North Carolina Photos – June 2, 2022
Jim Buckwalter is a regular contributor and recently sent me an email with some interesting photos taken at Ashville, North Carolina in the early 1990’s when props ruled the firebomber and “freight dog” communities. Sadly, N406WA T119 was heavily damaged by Hurricane Maria in September 2017 at San Juan, PR and was later scrapped.
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"N406WA T119 was on a spring contract at Asheville, North Carolina, early 90’s. The copilot asked to be off for a week so Gary asked me to if I would fill in for him. I did that a lot, Gary and Meg would pick me up at Falcon Field in their Aero Commander and fly me out to California, or tell me to go to Phoenix and everything would be arranged to get me to Codie d’Alene Idaho. I enjoyed it. "
"The exhaust mod was no improvement and the collector system was reinstalled. I think with the collector pipes, old T119 was the best sounding airplane I ever heard. It was that good and I like all radial engine songs."
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Vintage Firebomber Photos – May 13, 2022
Jim Buckwalter recently forwarded some photos of vintage Evergreen, ARDCO and Sis-Q Flying Service firebombers dropping their loads back in the day. Jim provided a brief description of each set of photos.
"First up, Evergreen’s P2V-5 T145 N206EV out of Coolidge, AZ making a run. This Neptune, along with another, sat around at Marana for a while and then got bought by Neptune and returned to service. "
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Vintage Late 80’s/Early 90’s Propliner Videos – March 18, 2022
Sean Keating recently sent me an email with links to some YouTube videos he thought I would be interested in. I viewed them today on my 60 inch flat screen and was amazed by the quality of the videos that I’m guessing were produced in the late 1980’s/early 1990’s and as part of a series called SKYBOUND. They are high quality, high definition professionally produced videos with outstanding action and in-flight photography. While produced way before Go-Pro technology was invented, the use of aircraft mounted cameras was used extensively. Due to the names on the credits, I’m assuming that the video was produced by a Dutch group. Each video is about 30 minutes and is well worth watching…lots of Propliners of the era along with other interesting aircraft.
PROPLINERS - This video is packed with DC-6, DC-7, Constellation and other Propliner action from Miami’s "Corrosion Corner" and Santo Domingo.
Bush Flyers - In addition to light aircraft, this video includes South American Convair and Canadian C-46 action.
Water Airplanes – In addition to Alaskan floatplanes, this video includes PBY Catalina, Shorts Sunderland, Martin Mars, CL-215 water bomber and Chalks Grumman Goose action.
Alaskan KC-97 Storage Shed – March 1, 2022
Chris Alloway recently photographed the fuselage of former USAF KC-97 at Unalakleet, Alaska. The aircraft was written off after catching fire while offloading fuel in Unalakleet on May 18, 1989 and converted to a storage shed sometime after that. For more information about the aircraft and the incident, check out the May 4, 2020 report on this website.
1956 Westover AFB Open House KC-97G – February 28, 2022
Stan Lukasiewicz photographed KC-97G 52-2761 at the May 1956 Westover AFB open house. After retirement from the military, it was sold to Hawkins and Powers in 1982 and registered N29862. I photographed this aircraft in December 2021 at Greybull, Wyoming, where it has been stored for a number of years. For more information about all of the aircraft currently stored at Greybull, check out the December 2021 article on this website.
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Hawkins & Powers – February 4, 2022
Wyoming PBS produced an eight-minute video on the history of Hawkins & Powers told by Bob Hawkins, the son of H&P co-founder Dan Hawkins. Bob also discusses the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting, which is located at the rest stop on Highway 14, adjacent to the South Bighorn County Airport.
The Airlines of Willow Run – February 3, 2022
This video captures a presentation on The Airlines of Willow Run given by Bruce Haviland at the Yankee Air Museum on January 1, 2016. The presentation includes many vintage photos taken by Bruce's father of the airport and the many Propliners that visited the airport during its 1950's and 60's glory days.
Colombian DC-3s – January 29, 2022
This 2009 52-minute professionally produced video titled Deadliest Roads Colombia: Pilots of the Amazon has some great DC-3 footage from Villavicencio and other Colombian locations.
RCAF C-119G Over The Years – January 2, 2022
John Olafson recently sent me an email and photos of an RCAF C-119G taken over a period of 66 years; spanning from while in service with the RCAF in 1965 to being on display at the March Air Museum in California. Many former RCAF C-119s migrated south after being retired and were used as firebombers for a number of years before finally being retired again and put out to pasture. "Your article on the Greybull Ghosts prompted me to look through my old slides and I came across this photo I took in 1965 of an RCAF C119 at St Hubert, Quebec. I was stationed there at the time and worked at the Air Defence Command HQ where I was a communications operator. One day a few of us got to take a weekend “Flip” to Winnipeg and back in this one in winter. The inside of the aircraft was crammed full of radar jamming equipment used in exercises which tested intercept aircraft. We spent most of the flight sitting on the floor in our parkas playing hearts. Shortly after this flight one of the C119’s was found to have cracks in the wing spar and they were all inspected and some others had cracks, so they were all grounded and that spelled the end of the C119 in the RCAF. They were scrapped and some sold and 22122 was purchased by Hawkins & Powers in Nevada. I’m not sure if it ever worked as a fire bomber."
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"Now, in 2021 I came across 22122 on Flickr and am happy to see they have restored it to its beautiful RCAF Air Defence Command scheme. Photo courtesy of Tom W. McKinnon."
R3350 Test Stand Engine Runs – November 22, 2021
As reported on March 9, 2021 and January 25, 2020, Patrick Smart recovered two R3350 engines salvaged from the burned remains of L1049G 5T-TAF, which had been set ablaze by vandals on January 30, 1997. The engines, along with other items not consumed by the flames had originally been salvaged by the Malta Aviation Museum Foundation before making their way to the UK. Patrick acquired the engines and restored one of them to working order.
One of the more difficult items to find for the project was a prop dome. Patrick was able to source one from Karl Stoltzfus, but it wasn’t the correct model. I asked him how he was able to overcome this problem. "I used the dome that Karl supplied and we made some shims to allow us to use the dome, the 43h60 hub and blades together. It works a treat and I think its fitting that the dome that Karl supplied is fitted to the engine. I am going to get a brass plaque made for Karl with some appropriate words as a mark of respect."
He recently emailed me links to two YouTube videos, one produced by Historic Aero Engines and the other video posted on his YouTube channel. Have a look…you won’t be disappointed.
Wade’s Salvage Yard – November 14, 2021
Dave Broom visited Wades Salvage Yard in Atco, New Jersey on November 6, 2020 with camera in hand. The facility contains an amazing assortment of aircraft fuselages, engines, wings and other assorted bits and pieces. The collection includes mostly former military helicopters, fighters, bombers and cargo aircraft. While most aircraft are difficult to identify from the photos, an educated guess can be made on a few. A Super Constellation nose section is most likely former NASA C-121G N420NA, which has escaped the notice of enthusiasts for 50+ years. A KC-97 nose section numbered 0210 is most likely KC-97G 53-210 and a C-133 nose section is most likely C-133A 56-2011. The C-133A was used by the FAA at its Atlantic City facility for wide body post-crash external fuel fire testing in the late 1970s. Before seeing Dave’s photos, I had never heard about the salvage yard…it’s definitely on my bucket list to visit! Here are a few of the Propliner photos but check out Dave's Flickr post to see all 155 photos.
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Washington National Airport July 1997 Open House – September 13, 2021
When Washington National Airport (now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) opened its new terminal in July 1997, it held an open house and invited the public to tour the new facility. Save-A-Connie (Airline History Museum) M404 N145S; Mid-Atlantic Air Museum M404 N450A; and Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation C-54E N500EJ were invited to attend and were open to the public for tours during the event. Sadly, all three aircraft will probably never fly again but they made for a great display during the event. Here are some photos I took at the open house on July 20, 1997.
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Why Do Lockheed L-188 Electras Still Fly In Canada? – August 1, 2021
Alex Praglowski has produced a very nice 6:31 minute video focusing on the use of Electras and CP-140 Auroras in Canada.
C-47 'That's All Brother' Restoration - July 4, 2021
A very interesting three-part documentary about the June 1945 D-Day invasion and the story behind the restoration of C-47 ‘That’s All Brother’ by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF). The almost three-hour/three-part compilation includes the discovery of the aircraft; its restoration at Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh; and its return to Normandy in 2019 to take part in the celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Propliner Potpourri - June 30, 2021
More Propliner photos from Eric Roscoe, including a wide variety of types from Europe and North America.
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American Airlines - From Flagship to Astrojet – June 21, 2021
This episode of the "Celebrating Aviation with Mike Machat” series examines the American Airlines color scheme that remained essentially unchanged from the 1930’s on the DC-3 to the 1960’s on the first generation of jet airliners, including the B727. The 20-minute YouTube video includes rare never-before-published photos from the Craig Kodera and Jon Proctor collections.
DC-7 Photo Collection – June 21, 2021
And last but not least...Eric Roscoe's DC-7 photos.
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DC-6 Photo Collection – June 21, 2021
More Eric Roscoe photos...this time DC-6s.
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DC-4 Photo Collection – June 20, 2021
Eric Roscoe has an amazing collection of Propliner photos and he generously shared these DC-4 and Carvair photos, most taken in the 1960s.
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Before She Was "Miss Montana" – May 3, 2021
Before she became “Miss Montana” DC-3 N24340 was a hard working “freight dog” hauling auto parts and other cargo around the United States. I recently received the an email from Robert Killen saying that, after reading my article about the resurrection of "Miss Montana" in the January 2021 issue of Air Classics, he realized that he had photographed her when she was hauling auto parts for McNeely Air Charter back in the summer of 1998. ”The plane flew into Oxford, MS. late one afternoon to pick up a load of automotive parts. The crew loaded the parts and stated that they had to be in Detroit by the next morning. Around dusk, they took off and headed north. I took several pics of the cockpit, which the crew claimed was "upgraded." To me it looked pretty worn. The most interesting feature of the DC-3 was of a big map of the United States glued to the back of the bulkhead going into the cockpit area. "Navigation aid", they said. It was a very interesting visit with an old airplane and a young crew." Many thanks to Robert for his report and photos. The last two photos were taken at AirVenture in July 2019 and at Duxford in June 2019...what a difference! For more information about "Miss Montana" check out the April 26, 2019 report on the DC-3 page of this website.
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DC-7B Rescue – April 28, 2021
A short but professionally produced video about the rescue of DC-7B N4887C by the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta.
Oldies But Goodies – April 21, 2021 - Updated April 30, 2021
Eric Roscoe dug into his collection and sent me these three interesting photos from the 1960s.
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Willow Run Memories – April 20, 2021
Eric Roscoe was lucky enough to experience Willow Run Airport during the late 1990’s and sent me some fascinating photos featuring and amazing array of CV640s and Electras operated by Zantop and other freight carriers. Many thanks to Eric for sharing his photos.
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Winter in Fairbanks – April 18, 2021
Bo-Göran Lundkvist visited Fairbanks in early March this year and photographed many of the Propliners that call Fairbanks International Airport home. While many folks visit Alaska in the summer months, Bo-Göran was there when snow was still on the ground and has allowed me to share some of his photos on this website. He also visited Chena Hot Springs and photographed DC-6A N6174C, which is mounted high above the resort on pylons. Many thanks to Bo-Göran for sharing his photos.
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Well known Canadian aviation historian and photographer Ken Swartz visited Basler Aviation back in May 1989 when the company was just getting into the DC-3 turboprop conversion business and received a personal tour from Warren Basler. He captured an amazing collection of DC-3 photos, including Basler Airlines DC-3 freighters and two aircraft undergoing conversion. One of these was N96BF, which I photographed three years later in August 1992 at the Oshkosh airshow. Many thanks to Ken for sharing these photos.
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HEAVY METAL -- THE BIG LEAGUE – March 3, 2021
In March 1992, John Reed joined the crew of a Trans Air Link DC-7C on an epic 40-hour/2,200 mile cargo flight around the Caribbean. He took videos during the flight and has created three YouTube videos to preserve a bit of history from those bygone days. Here he gives a brief summary of each video…
A three-part series of films featuring a two-day Caribbean cargo trip on the very last Douglas DC-7C in commercial service as operated by Trans-Air-Link, in March 1992. This heavy piston propliner was a key player in long-range, trans-oceanic passenger airline service in the late 1950's before the age of the jetliners. Most survivors lived out their few remaining years as converted freighters.
Our 2,200 mile route takes us from Miami to St. Maarten (SXM), then to St. Croix (STX), St. Thomas (STT), San Juan PR (SJU), Borinquen PR (BQN) and back to Miami.
Part One entails a detailed introduction and covers the first leg from Miami (KMIA) to St. Maarten (SXM). The first two-thirds of this leg is at night as operations start at approximately 12:45 AM.
Part Two covers legs 2-5 from St. Maarten (SXM), to St. Croix (STX), St. Thomas (STT), San Juan PR (SJU) and Borinquen PR (BQN).
Part Three covers the crews' dealing with major hydraulic failure at Borinquen PR and then the final flight leg back to Miami.
This comprehensive full-audio footage is very rare, and will likely never be replicated, but we hope more such footage will surface from somewhere in the future. DC-7C's have long since disappeared from the skies.
These films are best viewed at full-screen and with the volume cranked right up. Thanks for watching
John A. Reed
Green Cove Springs NP-3D – March 3, 2021
As reported on February 18, 2020 and October 19, 2020, NP-3D has been stored at Reynolds Airpark in Green Cove Springs, Florida for a number of years. Rob Spray photographed the aircraft in 2019 and generously allowed me to post them.
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Ju-52 Air-to-Air Photos – February 27, 2021
Jan Frieben recently forwarded me some very nice air-to-air photos of Lufthansa Ju-52 D-AQUI taken by noted Swiss aviation photographer Joe Rimensberger. As reported on February 26, 2021, it was grounded as the result of Lufthansa’s decision to end its historic aviation program. It was moved in September 2020 to the Quax Flying Club display hangar in Paderborn, Germany. The aircraft will not be made airworthy and will be on static display.
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Bridger Aerospace CL-415 Video – February 25, 2021
This professionally produced 7½ minute video highlights the training of Mesa, Arizona based Bridger Aerospace pilots in the Canadair CL-415 water bomber.
HARS C-47/DC-3 Inflight Video – January 22, 2021
The HARS Aviation Museum posted a very nice 10-minute video on YouTube documenting a flight of its C-47/DC-3 VH-EAF along the coast of Australia from Albion Park to Sydney and return. The flight was made on December 17, 2020 to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the DC-3's first flight. It’s a very well made video and well worth the ten minutes it will take to view it.
1950s Airport Video Compendium - January 20, 2021
This very interesting collection of airport videos from the 1950s has been around since January 2016 and is a must see for all Propliner enthusiasts. In addition to quite a bit of footage from Idlewild (JFK) there is footage from a number of other airports around the world included in this 20 minute video. Before starting the video, turn off the sound because the music is REALLY BAD!
MIA 1976 - January 10, 2021
Tom Mechlin forwarded some photos he took at MIA in June 1976. Lots of interesting Propliners called MIA home in 1976. Other than a handful of IFL Group CV580's that are based at MIA, the airport is totally devoid of any Propliners these days. Sigh.....
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February 1972 Cape May County Airport - November 9, 2020
I first visited Cape May County Airport, New Jersey in January 1972 when I was stationed at nearby McGuire AFB and had a day off to do some exploring. At the time, the airport was the home to a number of derelict former US Overseas Airlines DC-4s and DC-7s along with a contingent of retired Allegheny M202s that had been acquired by Associated Products of America. During the 1950’s and 1960’s US Overseas Airlines was a large supplemental airline that was headquartered at Cape May County Airport. The airline operated a large fleet of DC-4/DC-6/DC-7 aircraft, many of which were abandoned at the airport when the airline ceased operations in 1964. All of the aircraft have since been scrapped.
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January 2002 Cape May Caribous - November 8, 2020
During the late 1980’s/early 1990s Newcastle Aviation acquired a large number of C-7A/DHC-4A Caribous from around the world with the plan on converting them to turbo-prop power. The aircraft were flown to the company’s facility at Cape May County Airport to await conversion and over the years 20+ aircraft have been stored at the airport. Other than N400NC c/n 240, I don’t believe that Newcastle converted any other aircraft. This aircraft was lost on August 27, 1992 in Gimli Airport, Canada with the loss of three crewmembers. In the mid-1990’s Penn Turbo acquired the Cape May aircraft and rights to the conversion STC. Since then, at least four aircraft have been converted…N302PT c/n 302, N303PT c/n 303, N238PT c/n 238 and N600NC c/n 237. I recently heard that Tony Porterfield/Rampart Aviation of Colorado Springs had acquired the Cape May aircraft and conversion STC from Penn Turbo but I have been unable to confirm this. The company owns N600NC. The following photos were taken at Cape May County Airport on a chilly January day in 2002. Since that time, the large former Associated Products of America hangar has become home to the Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum. For a detailed Caribou production list, check out this website http://www.dhc4and5.org/BouRev_12.pdf
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DC-3 On The Move – October 31, 2020
Jacob Naber photographed DC-3 N95460 a year ago being moved from the Brooks Fuel yard at Fairbanks International Airport on October 29, 2019. I believe, but haven't confirmed, that the aircraft was moved to the nearby Chena Marina Airport.
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Basler's Latest BT-67 – October 26, 2020
Mike Wilson photographed BT-67 N844TH at St. Mary's County Airport in southern Maryland on the 19th of October. This aircraft is the latest conversion (#67) delivered by Basler Turbon Conversions. I photographed it in Basler's Oshosh production hangar on August 7, 2020 when it was about a week away from being flown to a paint shop in Canada. I hangared my Bonanza at the airport in the late 1990's and must say that aircraft operations have become much more interesting!
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Borinquen DC-4 – October 26, 2020
Luis Rodriquez recently photographed DC-4 N74AF in Borinquen, Puerto Rico. This aircraft was involved in a ground collision with Super Constellation HI-542CT on February 3, 1992 at Rafael Hernández International Airport when its brakes failed. Both aircraft were abandoned and have been slowly decaying over the past 28 years. While the Super Connie has been spared the work of graffiti artists, the DC-4 hasn’t been as lucky.
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1995 Air North DC-3 Wreck – October 17, 2020
Mike Golberg photographed the wreckage of Air North DC-3 C-GZOF as it was being transported through the streets of Vancouver after crashing on August 19, 1995. The aircraft had just come off lease to Wagisla Air and had taken off from Vancouver International Airport when the pilots experienced an overspeeding prop on the #2 engine. They declared an emergency and the aircraft was destroyed after striking an embankment while trying to land on the airport’s runway 30. For additional information about the accident, check out the Aviation Safety Network report. Thanks to Mike and Fred Barnes for sharing their photos.
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Aviation Warehouse – September 28, 2020
For the past 25+ years, Graham Robson has been a regular visitor to the Aviation Warehouse in El Mirage, California. The company specializes in the rental and sale of aviation related props for movie and television projects and is a treasure trove of aviation artifacts. Graham has generously shared a sample of the many photos he has taken over the years and has written a very interesting article chronicling those visits.
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Air Spray - Red Deer, AB – August 20, 2020
Pierre Gillard visited Airspray headquarters, maintenance base and storage area at Red Deer Regional Airport in May 2020. He was kind enough to allow me to share some of his photos on this website.
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Buffalo Airways - Yellowknife, NWT – August 20, 2020
Pierre Gillard visited Buffalo Airways headquarters and operations base at Yellowknife Airport in March and May of 2020. He was kind enough to allow me to share some of his photos on this website.
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Buffalo Airways - Red Deer, AB – August 20, 2020
Pierre Gillard visited Buffalo Airways maintenance base and storage area at Red Deer Regional Airport in May 2020. He was kind enough to allow me to share some of his photos on this website.
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Moroccan DC-7C Missle Strike – July 4, 2020
T&G Aviation DC-7C N90804 was hit by a heat seeking missile fired by Polisario Front rebel soldiers on June 8, 1988, while on a locust spraying contract in Africa. After being hit by the missile, the #1 engine departed the aircraft resulting in the aircraft making an emergency landing at Sidi Ifni in Morocco. T&G DC-7C N284 was flying in a loose formation with N90804 and was also struck by a missile causing it to crash with the tragic loss of all five crewmembers. The soldiers apparently thought the two aircraft were Moroccan C-130s. Here are two photos of the damage sustained by the aircraft. It was repaired and flown back to Arizona and stored for a number of years before the nose section was chopped off and the remaining aircraft scrapped. The nose section is current stored at the CAF Museum at Mesa-Falcon Field. Report by Paul Horst Vd and photos by Tom Karst van der Meulen.
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Idlewild Airport in the 1950s – July 1, 2020
The short 1 minute/42 second color video offers a fascinating view of Idlewild Airport (now JFK Intl Airport) back in the mid-1950s. There's got to be more footage but I've never seen it...hopefully one day additional footage will make its way to YouTube.
Alaska Air Fuel DC-4 – July 1, 2020
This five minute Crave Life video has some very nice footage of both the interior and exterior of Alaska Air Fuel DC-4 N96358. I don't quite understand what the title "Uncovering the 22 myths of the Douglas DC-4 fuel aircraft still flying Alaska" refers to but the video quality is good and is definitely worth five minutes of your time.
May 2018 Visit to Gila River Memorial Airport – June 18, 2020
Ken Swartz visited Gila River Memorial Airport on May 17, 2018 and photographed the eight aircraft that were left behind when International Air Response moved out in early 2006. The airfield, formally known as Chandler Memorial Airfeld, is owned by the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) which has a very strict no trespassing policy. Luckily Ken didn’t have any encounters with the tribal police during his visit, which can’t be said for more than a few aviation enthusiasts, including myself. While the GRIC is adept at catching folks meaning no harm to the aircraft, they are totally incapable of stopping the rampant vandalism that has been inflicted on the aircraft, including the torching of DC-4 N44908, Howard 500 N130P and most recently DC-7B N4889C.
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Flying Bulls DC-6B - Restoration of a Diva – April 25, 2020
This professionally produced 14 minute video very nicely captures the rescue and amazing four-year restoration of Flying Bulls DC-6B OE-LDM. The 1958 era aircraft was the second to last DC-6/7 type aircraft produced and has an interesting history including being the presidential aircraft of Yugoslavia’s Marshall Tito and Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda. It later operated as a VIP tour airplane in Africa before being acquired by Flying Bulls.
May 2018 National Air Force Museum of Canada – April 18, 2020
Photos from Ken Swartz's May 24, 2018 visit to the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario.
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2018 Arizona/California - Part 3 – April 17, 2020
Final batch of photos taken by Ken Swartz in 2018 at various Arizona locations in 2018. Also included is a photo of C-46D 44-78019 at Palmdale Airport in California.
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Frankfurt Airport C-47 and C-54 – April 16, 2020
Anthony DI PUMA forwarded the following email message and photos from Frankfurt, Germany. "Please find attached pics of C-47D 43-49081 and C-54E 44-9063, which are on static display at the end of Frankfurt Airport runway near the official spotting place. The aircraft are well maintained and weather was perfect in October 2019 when I visited. Also, thank you very much for your very interesting and accurate website I visit now at least once a week."
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2018 Arizona - Part 2 – April 16, 2020
Additional photos taken by Ken Swartz in May 2018 at scrapyards adjacent to Davis Monthan AFB.
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2018 Arizona - Part 1 – April 15, 2020
Photos taken by Ken Swartz at various Arizona locations in 2018.
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March 2018 Aviation Warehouse – April 12, 2020
Ken Swartz toured the U.S. west coast and Arizona in 2018 and has generously agreed to share his photos from that trip. There are too many for one report so I’ll start with photos taken by Ken on March 3, 2018 at the Aviation Warehouse in El Mirage, California. The company has been in business for 35 years and specializes in the sale of aircraft mockups, cockpits, passenger cabins and other assorted aircraft parts for the motion picture industry. Although access is reportedly restricted to paying customers, Ken managed to get some interesting photos.
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July 2013 Brooks Fuel Fairbanks Yard – March 29, 2020
Rolf Keller visited the Brooks Fuel yard in Fairbanks on July 1, 2013 and recently forwarded some photos of that visit. At that time, Brooks had been out of business for two years but had recently sold DC-4s N96358 and N3054V to Alaska Air Fuel. As luck would have it, Roger Brooks was outfitting the later aircraft with fuel tanks the day of Rolf’s visit and he was able to photograph the aircraft in the yard. The first eight photos are in Fairbanks with the last photo of N96358 taken on June 26, 2013 at Palmer Municipal Airport, where it was already in operation with Alaska Air Fuel.
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Why Buffalo Airways Doesn't Own Turbo DC-3's - February 15, 2020
Operating in a part of the world where 100LL Avgas is scarce, many folks wonder why Buffalo Airways hasn't replaced their DC-3's with turbine verions. Mikey McBryan explains why in this YouTube video.
Antarctic BT-67 (DC-3T) Rescue - December 31, 2019
This YouTube video tells about the amazing 2013 rescue of Kenn Borek Air BT-67 C-GEAI "Lidia" from the Holtanna Glacier in Antarctica. The aircraft had been leased to ALCI Aviation and was conducting a tour operation when was involved in a takeoff incident on December 20, 2012 with 15 passengers onboard. Although there were only two minor injuries, the aircraft suffered substantial damage to both the forward fuselage and left wing. Facing considerable technical and weather related challenges, the team rose to the challenge and on Day 44 the aircraft was flown out headed for its home base of Calgary, Canada. Here’s a link to a summary of the accident on the Aviation Safety Network website.
Vintage 1998 Firebombers - December 29, 2019
In 1998 National Geographic Television produced a program about firebombers and the folks that flew them. The program was filmed at Fox Field in Lancaster, California and features lots of footage of P-3, Privateer, DC-4/6 and P-2 firebombers in action both on the ground and in the air. The program was 28 minutes long and is currently available on YouTube. None of the aircraft featured in the program are currently on contract with the USFS with the P-2's just recently being retired. Airstrike currently has "Call When Needed" contracts for their P-3 with California, Colorado, Alaska and Oregon but none with the Federal Government.
Late 1960's Aerial Photo of Fox Field – December 24, 2019
I’ve seen this iconic aerial photo posted many times on the internet. It’s the California Airmotive storage yard at Fox Field in Lancaster, California taken in the late 1960s and I thought it would be a great photo to include on this website. There are 30+ Constellations and almost as many DC-6/7 type aircraft in the photo. While a few aircraft escaped to fly again, most met their fate at this desert airport. When I visited the airport in 1977, there was not one remaining. Oh boy was I disappointed!
Forgotten NP-3C – December 23, 2019
Kevin Palmero recently posted photos on Facebook of the derelict remains of former Naval Research Lab NP-3C BuNo 153442/BH-357 at Reynolds Airpark in Green Cove Springs, Florida. It appears it's been picked clean on most useful spares and probably doesn't have too much more time before the scrapman pays of visit. I plan on driving to the airpark to get some photos before it's gone.
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Flabob DC-3 & C-47 – November 27, 2019
John Olafson visited Flabob Airport on November 24th and forwarded some photos of DC-3 “Flabob Express” N103NA and C-47 “What’s Up Doc” N60154 in action. The C-47 participated in the “Daks Over Normandy” event in June.
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Florida Air Transport C-118B at Kalaeloa Airport in Hawaii – September 16, 2019
Florida Air Transport C-118B N70BF is based at Kalaeloa Airport, Hawaii on a standby oil dispersant contract. Flightcrews were undergoing recurrent training in August 2019 and Carlos Gomez sent me some interesting photos of the aircraft. I particularly like the sunrise (or sunset) shot.
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Former Finnish Air Force F-27-100 on Display – June 13, 2019
Antti Hyvärinen forwarded some photos of former Finnish Air Force Intelligence Fokker F-27-100 serial FF-1. Built in 1965, she was finally retired in 2015 and was rarely seen during her military service. She’s on display at the military area of Pirkkala Airport in Tampere, which is normally open to the general public just once a year. The two other former Finnish Air Force Fokkers are at Pori Airport and used for mechanic training. FF-2 is an F-27-100 while FF-3 an F-27-400M.
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Bangkok, Thailand 2018 – April 13, 2019
As a first officer for Finnair, Antti Hyvärinen has the good fortune of being able to visit many cities around the world. In 2018 his schedule included Bangkok, Thailand, where he tracked down and photographed a number of Propliners. Many thanks to Antti for sharing his photos.
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BT-67 Photos at Easton Municipal Airport – April 12, 2019
Curtis Brandt works at Easton Municipal Airport on the eastern shore of Maryland and recently captured some nice photos of BT-67 N141PR doing pilot training at the airport. For additional BT-67 photos and photos of the eastern shore of Maryland, check out Curt's website at www.skipjackphotography.com and his Facebook page.
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2003 Coventry Classic Airshow – April 10, 2019
The 2003 Coventry Classic Airshow was one of the last large gatherings of Propliners in the U.K. and was held on May 31st and June 1st. The weather cooperated and there were large crowds both days including the usual Propliner diedhards along with folks from the local area out for the day to enjoy an airshow. Neither group was disappointed as the airshow included quite a few Propliner and Warbird flight demos. I met a number of enthusiasts that I had been communicating with for years but had never met in person. The only down side of the airshow was the unfortunate crash of a “Spirit of St. Louis” replica shortly after takeoff after one of the wing braces failed. The aircraft spiraled to the ground within sight of the crowd resulting in the death of the pilot. It had arrived a few days prior to the airshow from Sweden after crossing the North Sea. If the strut had failed during this flight, it would have been another one of those missing aircraft mysteries. Sadly, time marches on and this event will never be repeated.
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Rand Airport, South Africa – April 8, 2019
Tobias Ralle visited Rand Airport in South Africa in October 2018 and photographed the airport's amazing collection of Propliners. Rand Airport is a privately owned civil airport situated in Germiston, Johannesburg and is home to a number of charter operators, flight schools, aircraft maintenance companies and the South African Airways Museum. Propliners at Rand range from airworthy to near derelict and it's safe to say that Rand is only second to Fairbanks, Alaska in the number of Propliners that call the airport home. Many thanks to Tobias for sharing his photos.
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CV440 Fuel Stop at Meridian, Mississippi - April 4, 2019
Freddie Poitevent photographed the Convair at Meridian Regional Airport (MEI), Mississippi on March 9, 2019. Freddie recently reported on Facebook that the Convair regularly stops at the airport for fuel. Thanks much to Freddie for sharing his photos.
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Mexican YS-11s and CV640s – March 4, 2019
Paul Filmer and Sandy Tweedie traveled to Mexico in February 2018 in search of interesting and exotic aircraft. One of their photo stops was Saltillo Airport where they photographed the airport's diverse population of active and stored aircraft. Paul forwarded photos of the YS-11 and CV640 aircraft they encountered and allowed me to include them on this website. Check out Paul's website at skippyscage.com which includes an extensive collection of aircraft photos from his worldwide travels.
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Coventry Airport Propliners – March 2, 2019
Michael Prophet visited Coventry Airport on July 15, 2018 and forwarded the following report and photos. "I saw your posting on the Coventry DC-6 and decided to spring into action and send you these pictures. Last year I visited the Flying Legends Airshow at Duxford and together with Graham Robson we decided to make a detour and visit the 'Night Fright' C-47 project at Coventry."
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Everts Air Fuel C-46 – February 23, 2019
Nigel Rayner was in the right place at the right time when he photographed Everts Air Fuel C-46R N7848B “Dumbo” on the ramp in Fairbanks. “Found your new web page on Facebook. I now have it book marked and get access to it…excellent site. In May/June 2016 I visited Alaska and Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife (my second visit to Yellowknife) with The Aviation Society, Manchester. We visited Everts at both Anchorage and Fairbanks. We had a full tour round at Fairbanks. The enclosed picture I took at Fairbanks on Friday 3rd June 2016. There was a heavy rain shower in the morning and the apron was just drying out in the afternoon. While walking across the apron to photograph this C46, I suddenly became aware of its reflection in this rather large puddle. As you can imagine, I am rather pleased with this photograph. I think it looks right.”
Alaska - May/June 2018 – February 23, 2019
Antti Hyvärinen visited Alaska in late-May/early-June 2018 and was kind enough to forward these photos from his trip. Alaska is just about the last haven for Propliners where they can be seen in operation every day at airports in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kenai, Wasilla, Palmer and Wolf Lake. My guess is that they will continue to operate until avgas is no longer available.
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1972 South Florida Airports – February 10, 2019
In April 1972 I visited Fort Lauderdale for spring break. On April 2nd, which happened to be Easter Sunday, I ditched my friends and did a quick photo tour of Miami International (MIA), Fort Lauderdale International (FLL) and Opa-locka (OPF) Airports. Life got in the way and it would be over 30 years before I would return to south Florida and visit these airports. MIA and FLL were totally unrecognizable from my earlier visit with only OPF recognizable in 2004. Since then it has evolved into an executive airport with propliner operators slowly being squeezed out. While the quality of these black and white photos isn't the greatest, I hope you enjoy them.
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| Page Top | Home |
----Created 10 February 2019-----Updated 6 March 2023