Page 36 - Photos by Friends and Guests

Vintage Transports, photos by Friends & Guests (36)

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On a regular basis people sent me photos, to share their enthusiasm for vintage airliners or to illustrate a question. These photos have been lingering in a scrapbook or a discarded box somewhere and/or probably wouldn't find their way to Online-use or publication.
To prevent them from getting lost, with permission of the sender, I would like to share them on this page.
Photos already online (personal websites, airliners.net, jetphotos.net, etc) are not meant to be included here.

Mikey McBryan of Buffalo Airways published this photo of L.188AF G-LOFC on his Facebook account; the first leg of the ferry flight (Coventry,UK - Keflavik,Iceland) had been completed (27Apr2013).
Mikey wrote: "We made it to Iceland! Overnighting here, then off to Nunavut (CYFB) tomorrow morning."

This closes the chapter on L.188 Electra's (the airworthy ones, two hulks are still at Coventry: G-FIJV and G-LOFB) in Europe, G-LOFC (c/n 1100) was the last to leave. Hopefully it will see a long and active career with Buffalo Airways in Canada.

Good coverage of the entire event plus flashback to the Electra's career at Coventry can be founde here:
http://globalaviationresource.com/v2/2013/04/27/news-last-atlantic-airlines-l-188-electra-g-lofc-departs-coventry-for-final-time/

Martin 'Joe Joe' Prince Jr sent me this, dated 22Apr13: DHC-2 N2749 at Lake Hood.
N2749, a Beaver waiting to get in the water

More photos by Joe Joe on my website HERE and HERE

Stewart Lanham sent me this in Dec.2012, he wrote: "A more recent photo of C-47 JA5019 at ANA's Haneda site, compared to those others on your Off-Airport (Asia) page.
The engine previously displayed next to this nose has been moved across the road to the lobby of another ANA building, along with the Tristar procedures trainer."

Avro Anson 6924, photo by Alger Brown

Mark Pomponi alerted me to these interesting photos, but he had Carol Moore dig up the history and permission to publish these images:
"The plane was on a training mission from the Brantford Airport and had to make an unscheduled landing in a farmer's field because of a mechanical problem. I believe the year was 1942.
The farmer who owned the land that it landed on, didn't want the plane on his property; so it was towed to the Brown family farm.
Alger Brown is the photographer and for that era he was quite a talented photographer. He was a farmer but
he had his own dark room for printing his photos, on his farm.
The plane was repaired and flew out under its own power two days later."

Avro Anson 6924, photo by Alger Brown
Webmaster: I think this is an Avro Anson Mk.I, converted to Mk.III standard.
The military serial is obviously 6924.
The BCATP had many of this type of aircraft in use for training of aircrew.

Avro Anson 6924, photo by Alger Brown

The Anson was derived from the commercial six-seat 652 and the militarised version, which first flew on 24 March 1935, was built to Air Ministry Specification 18/35. A distinctive feature of the Anson I was its landing gear retraction mechanism which required no less than 140 turns of the hand crank by the pilot!
The Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy operated Ansons until 1952.
A total of 11,020 Ansons were built by the end of production in 1952. [Wikipedia]

Brandon, Manitoba has a British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCATP) museum, which I visited in 2007.
See MY REPORT

Of interest maybe this website: A Short History of Abandoned and Downsized Canadian Military Bases

60 aircraft assembled on arrival as Mk.III from U.K. supplied Mk.I airframes.
6753, 6754, 6756, 6757, 6758, 6772, 6773, 6774, 6775, 6776, 6777, 6778, 6779, 6780, 6781, 6782, 6783, 6784, 6785, 6786, 6787, 6788, 6790, 6791.
6818, 6819, 6820, 6821, 6848 (converted back to Mk.I), 6853.
6901, 6910, 6911, 6912, 6913, 6914, 6915, 6916, 6917, 6918, 6919, 6920, 6921, 6922, 6923, 6924, 6925, 6926, 6927, 6928, 6929, 6930, 6931, 6932, 6933, 6948,
6949 (converted back to Mk.I), 6951
7003
N9843
Source: http://britishaviation-ptp.com/avro652_2.html

Larry Kraus published some excellent photos, on the WIX forum, of Butler's DC-7's at their new base at Madras,OR.

Butler's DC-7' airtankers at Madras, Oregon

The WIX forum is where you'll find the Warbird Information Exchange; this is the thread referred to.
Larry wrote about the change to Madras:
"The runway at Madras is about 5.100 feet long, but only 75 feet wide, with soft earth on the end of rwy 34; so touching down short isn't an option, but we can't afford to leave too much unused runway behind us while landing.
The Tillamook museum airplanes (upon their move from Tillamook to Madras -Webmaster) shouldn't have any problems and Erickson Aero Tanker has landed an MD-87 in Madras with no problem.
All of that said, Madras Airport is a very pleasant and quiet rural location with mostly friendly and helpful people. It's much more relaxed experience operating from Madras than doing so from Redmond. The only real complaint being the relatively short and narrow runway for DC-7 operations.

Butler Aircraft sold their air tanker division to Erickson Aero Tanker last year. The changeover took place in November. I'm expected by Aero Tanker to continue flying T62 on the State of Oregon contract in Medford, but I'm not entirely sure that I want to do so.
I understand that construction has started on a huge new hangar for Erickson's museum that's supposed to be north of the ex-Butler hangar."

More information about air tankers on my webpage HERE..

Jeremy Hamburg sent me this shot of a partly obscured plane wreck, photo dated 13Jan13:
"Near Hall Beach" is all he wrote (no reply to my request for more information - anyone? EMAIL).

No doubt Jeremy meant it as a contribution to my page on Abandoned Wrecks of the Arctic North

The legendary Ed Dugan C-119 crash
Greg Lee sent me photos of the legendary Ed 'Dead' Dugan C-119 crash in Alaska.

Ed Hobson sent me this in March 2013.

Ed wrote: "Here are 3 pictures of a crashed C-119 at Ashiya (Japan) taken in the fall of 1956. It is a burned out hulk sitting on the grass at the end of the runway, near the beach."

MORE DETAILS ON C-119 INFORMATION PAGE (3)

Steve Nation posted this shot of Tanker 16 at Chico (taken on 19Feb2010, from over the fence) on Yahoo's Airtanker forum. N716AU isn't going anywhere anymore..

Tanker numbers versus tailnumbers HERE...
My visit to Chico,CA in 2008

Following was sent to me by Terry Fletcher:
"Last year I passed through Abbotsford, on 03Jul2012.
I noted C-FOPV / Tanker 66 for which you don't have a photo on your AirTanker Id page."

"Also L188 Electra C-FYYJ / Tanker 60 which does not appear in your Database; the picture was taken across the airfield, for identification purpose only as the heatwave spoiled photography."

Lockheed L.188AF (c/n 1143, manufactured 1961) flew cargo in Europe with Fred Olsen Line, registered LN-FOG; it was rereg'd in June 1997 as G-LOFD for Atlantic Cargo in the UK.
On 16Mar10 it was registered C-FYYJ for Conair, after conversion to airtanker for aerial fire fighting operations

Mark Schroeder sent me more material on Mt McKinley Air Freight / Mt McKinley Airways including a gruelling image of the DC-3 NC91002 crash..
More on my Alaska Early Aviation webpage..

Mt McKinley Airways, NC91002, crash wreck

Super Guppy Turbine F-BTGV was retired to Bruntingthorpe in 1996 following 25 years service with Airbus, where it had been preserved as a static exhibit.
A team of volunteers have started restoration work on the aircraft at Bruntingthorpe,UK to repair damage and improve it’s overall condition and appearance. The full depth of restoration has yet to be determined.
In 2003 I visited the UK and visited a Guppy (at Bournemouth) as well as the Super Guppy at Bruntingthorpe, see HERE..
This particular photo was grabbed from their Facebook page and shows tough conditions during Feb.2013.
Visit their website: www.superguppy.co.uk

A recent picture of the grim conditions Buffalo Airways a.k.a. 'Ice Pilots' have to operate in...
Lockheed L.188AF C-FBAQ (c/n 1039) is seen departing for another assignment.
The Ice Pilots adventures have been broadcasted on tv in certain countries (series 4 at this time), but can also be downloaded on iTunes (e.g. thru their website www.icepilots.com).

Fred de Ruiter sent me this in Feb.2013: I came across this Canadian Grumman Tracker at a small museum at Downsview, near Toronto. Photo dates from 03Aug2011. Unfortunately the weather wasn't too good; there was a small museum but I didn't take many photos at the time.

On December 4, 1952 the prototype Grumman Tracker flew for the first time. The Tracker was designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), a role where it would detect submarines then attack them.
Trackers utilized passive and active acoustic search systems and a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) to find the submarines. The weapons used to attack the subs and surface vessels included depth charges, torpedoes, bombs and rockets.
In the 1960s the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was looking for a replacement for their aging Grumman Avengers which were used in the ASW role. The Canadian Government decided on the Grumman Tracker, and 100 examples were built by deHavilland Canada under license in Downsview, Ontario.
Originally designated CS2F, the Canadian Trackers flew their sub-hunting missions from land bases and the HMCS Bonaventure. When the Bonaventure was retired, the Trackers flew coastal surveillance missions.
Saved by a strong need for coastal surveillance and fisheries patrol in the early 1970s, the Tracker continued active operation until April 1991, when the last Tracker was retired.
Source: Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

Frans Truyens sent me this in Feb.2013:
"Made these photos at the Aeromuseo in Málaga on 08Feb13.
As you can see the Dove is in a real bad shape! Even the cabindoor had fallen out... I put it back and asked my wife to hold it in place, so I could make a photograph in an attempt to dress the Dove with a shade of dignity!"

Aad van der Voet provided these details of its history:
"Even though this aircraft is painted as PH-VLA, it is in fact N9888A, c/n 04534.
This is ex Moroccan Air Force CN-MBA and it was acquired by Euroworld/Visionair (Jeff Hawke) as N9888A in the late 1970s. It was stored at Malaga in 1979, and it was never to leave...
Initially its condition was allowed to deteriorate, but later it was placed on display near the airport terminal in anonymous colours, without titles or registration.
In 1998 it was acquired by the Museo Nacional de Aéropuertos y Transporte Aéreo, and in late 1999 they painted it in Martin's Air Charter colours as 'PH-VLA', to honour the airline that had been so important to its airport and its tourism industry.

Martin's Air Charter's real PH-VLA was not a DH.104 Dove, but a DH.114 Heron: c/n 14050. This aircraft was sold in 1964, and eventually became a Saunders ST-27 conversion in Canada. It was broken up in the early or mid 1980s.

There was one other 'PH-VLA'.
In May 1961 DH.104 Dove c/n 04184 became PH-VLC, but it was accidentally painted as PH-VLA. This was of course soon corrected to PH-VLC. This aircraft eventually ended up in Senegal as 6V-ACM, fate unknown."

My page Photos by Friends & Guest (16) shows this Dove in 1994 when it graced the lawn at the Air Terminal of Malaga airport; it was later repainted in the livery of Martinair (Amsterdam,NL-based airline which ceased its short haul pax charter flights on 01Nov08. Malaga-AGP played a dominant role in its history of holiday flights, ever since Martinair was founded in 1958).
Faded glory, but refusing to die!
(See also Martinair in Changed Livery gallery).

Herman Dekker has a remark on his website that when DH.104 Dove was delivered the tailnumber PH-VLA was applied by mistake and changed to PH-VLC 'asap'!

You may also find this amusing to read: Memories by Hans Beunk on Cameroon Air Transport and DH Dove PH-MAD

See also more of Frans Truyens work on this website HERE..

DHC-2 N1108Q at Campbell River on the dry..
N1108Q was reg'd to Promech Inc. (of Ketchikan,AK) on 07Oct05, so what is it doing here..?

More photos by Dirk Septer on this website HERE and HERE

Colleen Rankin sent me this in Feb.2013, she wrote:
"I live very remote, on Afognak Island, about 80 miles north of Kodiak, Alaska.
While doing beach cleanups this summer we found something that we felt was an airplane part, wrapped up in fishing net and it had made its way to shore.
The part has honeycomb between the inner and outer wall. A friend did some research and found out about Warm Wind Three, a C-119 that disappeared in November of 1952 on a flight from Anchorage to Kodiak...
Do you know anyone that may be able to confirm if this could be part of that aircraft? It is of a size that might be an engine cowling."

The Aviation Safety Network database provided details on 'Warm Wind Three':
C-119 51-2560 (c/n 10518) crashed into Mt. McKinley 07Nov1952. The airplane was on a flight to the Big Delta in the Interior as part of Excercise Warmwind. ASN.
But I fail to see how parts of that plane crash could find its way out to sea..?

Afognak Island, Alaska

If it is part of a C-119 perhaps C-119 49-0172 (c/n 10409) would be a better candidate: crashed 16Jan 1952. 'On a routine resupply mission to Seoul Air Base (K-16), the airplane suffered a possible prop blade failure.
Both engines separated from aircraft in flight, and the Flying Boxcar crashed into the sea off Pohang (K-3).' ASN.

If you are interested in the C-119 Flying Boxcar you find more on my website HERE..

Ken Swartz sent me these in Sep.2012, he wrote: "My first visit to Basler at Oshkosh since 1989!
No photos were allowed in the hanger, where two DC-3s were under conversion and a third held for a future military sale. My visit was on July 27, 2012"

DC-3 Aero Libertad at Basler
Several Aero Libertad DC-3s found their way to Basler at Oshkosh, XE-RPE and XE-RPN.
This must be DC-3A XE-RPN (2167) as XE-RPE was picked up by the Tulsa Air and Space Museum.

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
Douglas C-47A N21BF (c/n 9832) is ex/ Canadian Air Force (12938) as that cheatline testifies.
While reported at Nashville,TN in 1998, it was reported to Oshkosh two years later; and never left.

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
The finished product: Basler BT67 N300BF (c/n 15299/26744).

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
C-47 Skytrain N88874 painted up as a warhorse '42-847/EN'
Aero Heritage Museum (founded may 2002) restored N88874 (c/n 12693) as AC-47D 'Spooky' gunship. Hence the 'Puff' cartoon on the nose. In more recent years 'Puff' also sat outside a restaurant, 'Anzio's Landing'.
Quite a number of Basler's BT67 conversions found their way to the military in Latin America, some as gunships.
On 04Sep2015 it was again reg'd to American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum.

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
There is a hint of a tailnumber here but I cannot make it out...
Ken wrote: "I took a close up of the tail of the ex/ USMC C-117 fuselage in the Basler yard; although the serial and other markings were painted over, I read the following 'C-117', '17216' and 'HCMS-32' on my photographs."
He added: "Bob Curtis on Classic Propliners added the following info 'I saw this in the Allied Aircraft Yard at Davis Montham in 1987, where it was marked 'C-117 annexe' and 'HEMS-32' so that ties in nicely.
It was allocated N102BF in April 1994'."

So HEMS-32 is probably correct ....

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
Douglas C-117D N100BF (c/n 43361) was purchased by Basler Turbo Conversions in April '94;
Ex/AMARC where it had been stored after military service (BuNo. 50796).

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
DC-3C N683LS (c/n 43084) sits here with Basler almost like a garden ornament!
For years it flew freight for Dodson Int'l from Rantoul,KS.
UPDATE: Conversion #63 was completed in 2017 and was ferried 08May17 to Bar River Airport (CPF2), near Sault Ste. Marie, where Basler has much of its paint work done (by Springer Aerospace I presume). It was
reported back at Basler's ramp at Oshkosh on 12May17 in full Northstar Air colourscheme.

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
Douglas R4D-5 N843MB (c/n 13228).
N843MB is a former Collier County Mosquito Control sprayer, operating until end-1990s from Naples,FL.
It was reg'd to Basler Turbo Conversion in April 2009.

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
Douglas C-47H N47060 (c/n 19066) is a fairly recent addition as my page Photos by Friends & Guests (18)
shows a 2009 image when it still resided at Calhoun,GA. I had come across it there too in 2000, HERE..

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
This is Douglas R4D-6 N57123 (c/n 16422/33170).
During the 1990s it was parked for years in Arizona at Mesa-Falcon Field.
It has been rumoured to have been both N6059U (1977) and N4443Y (1984) but these tailnumbers were never officially registered with the FAA and it may well have served either or both the CIA or DEA...

DC-3 at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
DC-3A N61981 (c/n 2216). Delivered to American Airlines in may 1940 as NC25685!
In more recent years, in august 1995, it changed from tailnumber N144FS to HR-AQI for Caribbean Air.
Through various owners but with a lackluster flying career it ended up here with Basler Turbo Conversions, somewhere around 2009 I think; it may well still feature a 30-seat cabin interior!
UPDATE: Terry Fletcher sent me an Oct.2015, N61981 established a new home at Cape Cod with Chris Siderwicz!

Convair at Basler Turbo Conversions, Oshkosh
Convair CV440 N114BF (c/n 146). Strange resident here.. Supposedly bought by Kermit Weeks in 2008, but..?
So that deal newver happened because it remained at KOSH, but N114BF was rereg'd on 30Nov2015 to the
Historical Flight Foundation; probably to nick a few more spares from it..?

In reference to below issue Roger Botting wrote me and sent this image of DC-6 ET-AAX: "..took this photo late 70's in Malta of Douglas DC-6B ET-AAX c/n 45523. Note the conspicuous Shackleton in the background!."

Ethiopian Airlines DC-6 ET-AAX
I quite like the barbed wire in the photo!

C/n 45523 was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines as ET-T-25, was rereg'd as ET-AAX, went on to become 7O-ACA with Alyemen Airlines of Yemen; while becoming N839TA for Atlas Aircraft Corporation, it probably never served under that tailnumber and fell victim to the scrapman at some point, at Aden.

Alan Hayden sent me this on 07Feb13, he wrote:
"I wonder if you can confirm this is (was) a DC-6?
I took the photos in a field beside Addis Ababa Airport, last week, (beside the cargo area customs) and have been trying to find out what type it is..."

While first reactions expected this to be the sad remains of DC-6A ET-AGY, I think following link to my Plane Mysteries Gallery will see it is rather more likely to be ET-AER, another DC-6A which was scrapped in 1980s. Click HERE...

Roger Botting sent me these photos when (nov.2011) allowed on the ramp in Guatemala City IAP.

IL-18 CU-C1515
Ilyushin IL-18GrM CU-C1515 (c/n 188010805) of Aero Caribbean Cargo; becoming a rare breed those IL-18's...
(Ilyushin IL-18 on Wikipedia)

BT-67 Guatamala Air Force
Basler Turbo BT-67 590 of the Fuerza Aerea Guatamalteca, screeching tires...

N181FL seen landing 2011 Guatamala Int'l Airport
Convair CV580 N181FL (c/n 387) of IFL Group (former Contract Air Cargo).

Richard Nash sent these images from his collection, taken at London-Gatwick.

Wikipedia has this on SA de Transport Aérien:
'SA de Transport Aérien (SATA) or SA de Transport Aerien Genève, was a Swiss airline founded in June 1966, with its head office on the property of Geneva Airport,[1] and with its base in Geneva. It finished its activities in 1978. It started as an air-taxi operator and evolved to passenger and cargo charters to points in Europe, the USA, South America and the Caribbean.
SATA had two major incidents with its aircraft. On July 17, 1973, while landing at Tromsø/Langnes Airport in Norway, a Convair CV-640 landed heavily, bounced, and landed back nose-down, resting 15m short of the runway end. On December 18, 1977, SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle 10R crashed into the sea while on final approach to Funchal Airport in Portugal, killing 36.'
LINK
Wikipedia however fails to mention SATA operated the Convair propliner. For this I found details on ATDB.aero
which included the CV640 HB-IMM (c/n 412) - which must be the one depicted above.
ATDB also included in the fleetlist Vickers Viscounts HB-ILR and HB-ILP.

Another one taken at Gatwick, Aer Turas (a 'Freightdog' from Dublin, Ireland which was founded in 1962 and acquired by Aer Lingus in 1980) Douglas DC-7.
DC-7 Aer Turas
I thought I could make out 'EI-AYY' in the photo, but according to ATDB.aero this can not be correct; the likeliest choice would be EI-ATV: DC-7C/F (c/n 45188), ex/ KLM PH-DSI (ended with Compagnie Gabonaise d'Affrêtements Aériens as TR‑LNZ, was scrapped at some point).

Stewart Lanham wrote me: "As promised for your Off-Airport Gallery, the An-2 HA-MDQ, plus the An-2 at the Kozlekedesi Museum in Budapest city.

Stewart also sent this one which I include for the mystery of it!
Springdale,AR (25November2000). "I don’t normally recommended a visit to a hamburger stall but I found Ronald McDonald surfing a Piper twin N1812 on top of a drive-in stall in Springdale,AR.
Would anyone know the identity of this aircraft or the significance of what I believe to be a false registration?" EMAIL
Piper Seneca Springdale McDonalds
This article suggests the aircraft was removed on 29May2008: www.roadsideamerica.com

Mark Schroeder sent me this in Feb.2013: "This appears to be a promotional photograph taken in 1946 for Mt McKinley Airfreight. In the photograph of the group of people standing in front of the plane, Lee Chesterfield (President, b.1918-d.1946) is on the far right."
The company was short-lived, see my page History of Alaska Air Carriers.

Created: 03-Dec-2012