Propliner Photos & Videos

One of the really nice things about hosting this website are the photos and videos that arrive on a continuing basis from folks wanting to share them. Some are current, while others go back to the mid-1940�s. While I use some on the �Propliner News� page, not all can be used and I�ve created this page to collect and share these items with visitors to this website. I hope you enjoy them.

Aero Dinosaur YouTube Channel - April 5, 2024

John Reed's Aero Dinosaur YouTube channel features a large and very entertaining collection of Propliner related videos. "AeroDinosaur focuses on the twilight operations of large obsolete propliners and similar military aircraft that dominated the 1930's through the early 1960's eras. It's mainly about legacy heavy piston aircraft such as the Douglas DC-7, DC-6, Lockheed Super Constellation, Boeing B-29 Superfortress, Martin 404 and others, operating in their twilight years from the late 1980's to the present, in freighter, "museum" and private operations. Most of this "full-and-accurate" audio/video footage is rare and otherwise unpublished up to now." It's definitely a "go-to" website for any Propliner enthusiast.

Kelowna Convairs - February 29, 2024

John Olafson reports from Kelowna, BC. "I popped in to KF Aerospace for a quick look around and the two CV580�s are looking great. I noticed N580HW is sporting some advertising on the tail. It will get the attention of motorists driving along the road inside the airport. And the photo of C-FKFA and N580HW shows the edge of the roof on the south section of the museum. It was designed to replicate the leading edge of an aircraft and that�s a nice touch. The north section of the building has the same feature on the roof edge." "I was hoping to see the DC-3 Odessey which is inside, but there was a lot of things going on around it, so I will leave that for another visit."

Shell Creek Airpark DC-3's - February 13, 2024

Ethan King reports on his recent visit to Shell Creek Airpark. "This past week I was on vacation in the Sarasota, Florida area and decided to try to visit Shell Creek Airpark. After getting permission I was able to walk around and take a look at the many DC-3s that are there. I recalled that recently "Lady Luck" was moved there from Punta Gorda Airport but did not see any photos of her after being at her new home. I took a few and have attached them here. She looks pretty good considering the storm damage. Her wings and tail are still removed and you can see some of the damage to the flaps and around the horizontal stabilizer. Hopefully she will be put back together and flying at some point." "Attached are some of the other photos I took at Shell Creek. It doesn�t seem that much has changed since the last update in your website. I did not get pictures of two of the fuselages that are there. I would be interested to know the history of the Electra as I couldn�t find anything about it. The tail number is linked to Amelia Earhart�s plane and of course that plane is not anywhere near Florida." NOTE: While the Electra is marked N16020, according to the Airframe Dossier website, its true identity is N16085 c/n 1214.
Former Ozark Airlines DC-3 Hulk - January 24, 2024

John photographed former Ozark Airlines DC-3 N139D at Malcolm Island, Saskatchewan, Canada in 2015. The aircraft, which crashed on takeoff July 10, 1969 was still wearing Ozark Airlines colors and titles. John reports "N139D (c/n 2027) was delivered to TWA as NC18953 in January 1938 and impressed for USAAF service as C-84 42-57513 in June 1942. Returned to civil registry as NC18953 in October 1944 and acquired by Ozark in May 1953 and registered N139D. Sold by Ozark in December 1965 and operated by a number of owners until crashing on takeoff at Malcolm Island on July 10, 1969, while on a charter flight to Duluth, Minnesota. It was owned by JH Logsdon at that time and there were no fatalities or injuries."
"End of the World" C-47A - January 19, 2024

Our cruise ship "Serenade of the Seas" made a two-day visit to Ushuaia, Argentina and my eagle-eyed wife Dee Dee noticed a DC-3 from our cruise ship balcony. Turns out, the airplane was former Armada de la Republica Argentina C-47A (serial 0172/code 5-T-22, c/n 9578), which is on display at the general aviation area of Comandante Berisso International Airport. The aircraft entered service with the US Army Air Force around 1942 as 42-23716 and later served with the Armada de la Republica Argentina as serial 0172/code 5-T-22. It was withdrawn from use in 1979 and went to the Aeroclub in about 1985. Restored in 2004, it was placed on display adjacent to the Ushuaia Aeroclub. A new modern airport was opened in 1995, replacing an older one, which is now used by the Ushuaia Aeroclub. Being the great wife she is, Dee Dee agreed to hike over to the airport (about 1.5 miles each way) later in the day after our tour and I took some photographs of it. Ushuaia is located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago which is on the southernmost tip of South America. Nicknamed the "End of the World" the city is the gateway to Antarctica cruise ship and scientific expeditions.
Song of the Clouds - Air Travel in 1956 - January 15, 2024

Check out this great Shell Oil 35-minute promotional film titled Song of the Clouds - Air Travel in 1956, featuring a smorgasbord of vintage Propliners in action. Many thanks to John Olafson for sending the link.

California Propliner Roadtrip - January 8, 2024

Sean Keating is currently traveling through California photographing interesting Propliner relics. He reports "Cary Grant's CV240 is currently stored in Shafter, California. I have been watching it every year since I saw it on a trailer. This year it has simply moved 100 feet into a compound." For more photos and information about this aircraft, check out Sean's December 2019 report on Ruud Leeuw�s website. (search ctrl F for "N396CG") Another interesting aircraft is an unidentified C-46 in in a garden in Riverside, California. "This unidentified C-46 has existed at 5178 Rubidoux Ave, in Riverside for many years with some sources quoting 1947. Best info is from Ruud Leeuw�s website." (search ctrl F for "Rubidoux")
Unalakleet C-97 Storage Shed - November 15, 2023

As reported in a May 4, 2020 post on this website, C-97L N4580Q was written off after catching fire while offloading fuel in Unalakleet, Alaska on May 18, 1989 and the fuselage repurposed as a storage shed. Dan Baldini photographed the fuselage in 2007/08 and I believe it is still in use as a storage shed. Can anyone confirm this?

Don Q C-97G - September 22, 2023

I was in Wisconsin for my daughter's wedding this past weekend and stopped by Dodgeville, Wisconsin to have a look at C-97G N227AR. The aircraft has been on display outside the Don Q Inn since October 16, 1977, when it was flown to the adjacent Dodgeville Airport (now closed). There's a very interesting video titled Landing a C-97G at Dodgeville, where the pilot Tom Thomas gives a talk about landing the massive aircraft on the airport's 2,700 x 30-foot runway. (Footage of the landing begins at 26:09 in the video) The aircraft was delivered to the USAF as KC-97G 52-2764 in 1953. It was later converted to a C-97G and its final assignment was with the California Air National Guard before being retired in April 1970 and flown to Davis Monthan AFB for storage. It was acquired by the Foundation for Airborne Relief in the early 1970'sand registered N227AR. Not sure if it was ever operated by the foundation before being acquired by Don Quinn for display at the Don Q Inn. I found it somewhat encouraging that, even though the aircraft is open to the public and visitation is totally unsupervised, most of the cockpit instruments were still in place. Perhaps the folks in Wisconsin are an honest lot.
Circa 1970 UAL DC-6 and DC-6B's Stored in Tracy, California - September 22, 2023

Richard Broome recently posted an absolutely fascinating circa 1970 photo of 45 former United Airlines DC-6 and DC-6B stored at Tracy Municipal Airport on the Douglas Big Props Facebook Group. United retired the DC-6 on February 28, 1970, with most being put out to pasture at Tracy, a small general aviation airport in central California. According to Richard, N37572, N37577 and N37581 were the last in service but they were not stored at Tracy nor were any of the cargo DC-6A's. The DC-6A's were still very much in demand with second tier cargo haulers and many had long post-UAL careers. The passenger aircraft were essentially worthless as airliners and most of the aircraft stored at Tracy were broken up by Mars Aviation and their valuable components, such as engines sold off. Twenty years later, I flew over this airport on a number of occasions and I can attest that there was no trace of the DC-6's. Many thanks to Richard for sharing Captain Ricky Lewis' photo.

Former BOAC DC-7C Forward Fuselage - September 20, 2023

Antti Hyvarinen visited the European Museum of Hunting Aviation (Musee Europeen de l'Aviation de Chasse) in Montelimar, France on September 16th and photographed the forward fuselage of DC-7C N90802. This aircraft was delivered new to BOAC in November 1956 as G-AOIB and sold to Saturn Airways in April 1964 as N90802. Named "Miss Germany" Saturn retired the aircraft in 1968 and it was stored at MIA. Lucky to escape the Miami scrapman that claimed a number of former Saturn DC-7C's, it was sold over the years to a number of leasing companies. It was leased to the Jolly Voyager Traveler Club in 1970 before being acquired by Aero Union in 1974 and converted to a firebomber. T&G Aviation bought the aircraft in 1979 and operated it as Tanker 115 for a number of years until it was sold to Baquero Servicios Aereos SL in 1995. I don't believe it was operated for very long by Baquero and it was subsequently stored at Cordoba, Spain before being acquired by the museum.

I have a bit of personal history with this aircraft. Hired by Saturn as a summer/apprentice mechanic at JFK during the summer of 1967, I spent a few weekends that spring doing some training at the airport. During one of the weekends, N90802 was being prepped for a flight to Germany, where it would spend the summer flying around Europe. The aircraft got stuck after one of its main gear broke through the thin tarmac on the maintenance ramp and was all hands-on deck to free the airplane. After finally being freed, the DC-7C made it to Germany as scheduled. It's great to see that at least part of this iconic aircraft has been saved. Many thanks to Antti for sharing his photos.
EAA AirVenture 2023 - August 8, 2023

While not quite as many as in previous years, a fairly decent collection of Propliners attended AirVenture 2023. I spent three days at the show and, along with some of my photos, I have included additional photos taken by Antti Hyvarinen, Nigel Hitchman and Roger Syratt. Many thanks to Antti, Nigel and Roger for sharing their photos.
Circa-1973 Mojave Stratocruisers - July 18, 2023

Henry Tenby posted a YouTube video from his series "Pre Internet Plane Spotting" featuring photos of retired Boeing B377 Stratocruisers stored at Mojave, California. The photos were taken by Gerd Killian on September 20, 1973 using Kodachrome slide film and are very impressive. It's interesting to note that Gerd appeared to have unfettered access to the aircraft...something that would never happen in today�s world of ultra secure post 9/11 airports!

Alaska 2023 - July 17, 2023

Antti Hyvarinen visited Alaska in late-May/early-June this year and graciously shared many of the photos he took in the "Propliner-Rich" region. While the number of active Propliners is decreasing, there are still quite a few active and still lots to see in the storage areas...definitely worth the trip north! Many thanks to Antti and I hope you enjoy his photos as much as I did.

Anchorage International Airport - May 26th-29th

Wolf Lake Airport/Palmer Airport - C-123K at Wolf Lake and remaining photos at Palmer Airport - May 29th

Nenana Airport - May 29th

Fairbanks International Airport - Active aircraft on Everts ramp - May 30th

First Photo - Former Everts DC-6 bought for house project and stored in residential neighborhood in Fairbanks area - May 30th

Next Two Photos - Everts remote storage lot at Fairbanks International Airport - May 30th

Fairbanks International Airport - Everts North Hangar storage area - May 31st

Fairbanks International Airport - Miscellaneous aircraft parked around the airport including DC-6 N4390X, which is used as the emergency response trainer - May 31st

Fairbanks Area - Two former Everts DC-6s and a former Brooks Fuel DC-3, which is parked at nearby Chena Marina Airport - May 31st

First Photo - Two former Brooks Fuel DC-4s (N90201 & N99212) stored on the Chena River in Fairbanks - May 31th

Remaining Photos - Everts famous storage lot at Fairbanks International Airport - May 31th

Fairbanks International Airport - Active aircraft on Everts ramp - June 1st

Anchorage International Airport - Desert Air Alaska ramp including three DC-3s and a Basler BT-67 - June 2nd

Remnants of the Brooks Fuel aircraft fleet spread around Fairbanks International Airport and the nearby area
Boxcar Alive in Palmer - July 8, 2023

During Dietmar Schreiber's June 2023 visit to Alaska, he had the good fortune to witness John Reffett firing up the engines on C-119F N8501W. John treated me to the same show in 2019 and I can attest that C-119 engine runs are very impressive. In Dietmar's own words. "During my Alaska visit in June I had the great opportunity to see the Boxcar at Palmer alive. It took more than five hours from the preparation to the final engine run with both engines on full power, but it was worth every single second!" Dietmar also shot a video of the engine runs, which he posted on YouTube. Many thanks to Dietmar for sharing his photos and video.
Nova Scotia Aviation Museums - July 1, 2023

Ken Swartz recently visited Nova Scotia and toured three aviation musuems, including the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum, Shearwater Aviation Museum and Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum.

Greenwood Military Aviation Museum

Avro Anson Mk.II - RCAF 7135

Avro Anson Mk.II - RCAF 7135

C-47B/CC-219 - RCAF KN451

Lancaster Mk.X - RCAF JB226

Lancaster Mk.X - RCAF JB226

C-130E/CC-130E - RCAF 130328

Note: The Lancaster is painted in the colors of an RCAF aircraft lost over Europe that belonged to a squadron now resident at Greenwood.

P2V-7/CP-127 - RCAF 24101 P2V-7/CP-127

P2V-7/CP-127 - RCAF 24101 P2V-7/CP-127

P-3/CP-140A - RCAF 140119

Note: The ID painted on the Neptune is not the original aircraft ID. It is a USN example flown to Canada after retirement.

CP-107 Argus - RCAF 10717

H-44A - RCAF 9592

H-44A - RCAF 9592

Note: The ID painted on the H-44 at Greenwood is not the original aircraft ID and it is a combination of two different airframes (front and rear sections)

CH-46/CH-113 - RCAF 11308

CH-46/CH-113 - RCAF 11308

Shearwater Aviation Museum

C-45/Be18/CT-128 - CF-SEB RCN 312

C-45/Be18/CT-128 - CF-SEB RCN 312

Note: CF-SEB, which had both an RCAF and RCN history, was transported by truck from Quebec to CFB Shearwater in Dartmouth, NS in about 2017.

Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum

PBY-5A/Canso - CF-HFL

PBY-5A/Canso - CF-HFL

Note: The PBY-5/A is a U.S. example that crashes on a remote lake in Labrador and slung out in the 1980s by CAF Chinook and placed on a barge for transport to the Atlantic Aviation Museum at Halifax Airport.

Budapest's Aeropark Museum - June 27, 2023

I visited Budapest's Aeropark Museum on June 17, 2023. The museum is located at Budapest's Liszt Ferenc International Airport with its focus is on the history of Hungarian civil aviation, featuring airliners used by the now-defunct national airline Malev. Its outdoor collection includes fifteen Soviet era transport aircraft and helicopters with a lone Cessna Citation bizjet. Many of the larger aircraft are open for tours by docents and, luckily for me, they spoke English! The collection also includes an A320 simulator, which was closed the day of my visit. I chose to visit on a Saturday, which was a mistake as there was a large event with many more visitors than on a normal day. All and all, it worked out and the visit was well worth the 35 Euro taxi ride from downtown Budapest.

HA-MOA - Ilyushin IL-18V

HA-MOG - Ilyushin IL-18V

HA-LCG - Tupolev Tu-154B-2

HA-LBE - Tupolev Tu-134

HA-LRA - Yakovlev Yak-40

HA-YLR - Yakovlev Yak-40

HA-LIQ - Lisunov Li-2

HA-MAL - Ilyushin IL-14T

HA-YHF - PZL-Mielec AN-2PF

HA-MHI - Antonov An-2M

N1GG - Cessna 500 Citation

41 - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

HA-LAF � LET L-410UVP-E8A

HA-BCB � PZL-Swidnik Mi-2

HA-MMG � Kamov KA-26

10029 - Mil Mi-2

The museum's collection also includes an interesting array of equipment and support vehicles including firetrucks, tugs and a number of police and other vehicles.
South African Viking - June 26, 2023

Viking ZS-DKH was recently repainted in original Protea Airways colors by South African Airways Museum volunteers at Rand Airport. Peter Brill reports that, while the paint is pristine, the interior is stripped clean and the engine cowlings are not original. Kudos to the folks at the museum and thanks to Peter for forwarding the photos.
Lancaster Fox Field Relics - May 21, 2023

Mark Vaughn recently visited Fox Field in Lancaster, California and photographed Armstrong Whitworth Argosy N1430Z, C-119C N13745, C-97G 53-0272 and T-38A N962NA. They are remnants of the now defunct Milestones of Flight Air Museum and it was recently reported that the C-97G has been sold. To say the least, ownership of the aircraft has been confusing and hopefully none will be scrapped.
Tillamook Air Museum Mini-Guppy - May 20, 2023

Sean Keating visited the Tillamook Air Museum on a rainy day in February 2003 and photographed former Erickson Air Crane Mini-Guppy N422AU. The aircraft was delivered to Pan American World Airways as N1037V in September 1949 and retired by the airline in 1960. Here's a short history of the airplane from the museum's website. "The museum�s Mini-Guppy was originally delivered to Pan American Airways in 1949 as a Boeing 377 Stratocruiser (prior to its conversion), which it flew until 1960 when it was returned to Boeing and sold to Santa Barbara based Aero-Spacelines in 1963. Converted to a Mini-Guppy, it first flew in 1967. After years of commercial use and ferrying such interesting items as NASA's Pioneer 10 Spacecraft (used to explore Jupiter and the Asteroid Belt) and Goodyear's Europa Airship, it was purchased by Erickson Air Crane in 1988 and used for the transport of large Air Crane helicopters until 1994 when it was acquired by the museum and retired." Due to significant wing spar corrosion, it's extremely unlikely that this classic will ever fly again.
Oregon Sea Heron - May 20, 2023

Sean Keating came across De Havilland DH-114 Sea Heron C-1 XR442 on the side of US 97 at mile marker 247 in Chiloquin, Oregon. It�s located on a plot of grass adjacent to Melita�s Restaurant, Motel and RV Park and across the highway from Chiloquin State Airport. Not too sure what it�s doing there and Sean noted that the right wing is mounted upside down. I guess assembly instructions weren't included in the purchase agreement. For more information about XR442, check out the Aviationweb deja vu and Aerial Visuals websites.
Kelowna Convairs - May 19, 2023

John Olafson visited the KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence in Kelowna, BC and photographed two of its prominent residents. "On Thursday May 11th I was at Kelowna and took the opportunity to photograph (once again) these two beauties on an un-cluttered ramp under beautiful blue skies. They look like they could both take to the air again, but we all know that is not going to happen. Its so nice knowing they are preserved for us to enjoy."
Flabob Airport DC-3 - April 29, 2023

Michael Carter photographed DC-3 N131FS at Flabob Airport in her current and former colors. "Four Star Air Cargo TC-47B-35-DK (DC-3C-S1C3G) (32920) N131FS seen at Flabob Airport (RIR/KRIR) Riverside/Rubidoux, California on May 20, 2017 resting in the early morning sun. Then captured at same airport wearing the U.S. Air Force livery with her original U.S. Army Air Force registration 44-76588 on March 3, 2020."
Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation C-97G Videos - April 28, 2023

A couple of interesting videos of BAHF's C-97G N117GA "Angel of Deliverance" taken at Hagerstown, Maryland in November 2018 and June 2019. The second video was taken as the aircraft departed for the annual WWII Weekend Airshow at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was during that flight that the aircraft experienced an in-flight engine failure resulting in its grounding. In December 2021 BAHF acquired former Hawkins & Power's C-97G N1365N and is currently raising funding to remove and transport two engines from Greybull, Wyoming to Reading for installation on N117GA.

Boeing Promotional B377 Stratocruiser Video - April 27, 2023

This Boeing produced 1946 era color film promotes the B377 Stratocruiser as "Tomorrow's Airplane Today." It didn't turn out that way, as Boeing only produced 56 Stratocruisers in comparison to the massive number of airliners produced by Douglas and Lockheed in the post-WW2 era from 1945 to 1958. Boeing delivered almost 900 of the military C-97 versions of the airplane so don't feel too sorry for Boeing. It's interesting to note that since no Stratocruisers had been produced when the film was produced in 1946, a prototype XC-97 (43-27470) was used for the ground and air footage and a mockup was used for the interior footage.

Red Deer Municipal Airport Fly-by - April 23, 2023

Alex Praglowski recently had the opportunity to do some low level fly-bys at Red Deer Regional Airport. He spot some amazing photos of the Air Spray and Buffalo ramps. "Red Deer Regional Airport is home to quite the treasure trove of classic airplanes! As a maintenance base for Buffalo Airways and Air Spray, it has probably the single largest concentration of civilian Lockheed L-188 Electras of any airport in the world. It's arguably best seen from the air, with many thanks again to Red Deer Tower for letting us do a couple of orbits the other day. From top to bottom of the third photo, the six Electras are C-GNPB, C-FIJV, C-GYVI, C-FLXT, C-GZYH, C-GOIZ." For more of Alex's aviation photos, check out his Alex Praglowski Aviation Facebook page.
ARM Storage Yard - Tucson, AZ - April 20, 2023

I visited the Aircraft Restoration and Marketing (ARM) storage yard in Tucson, Arizona on August 14, 2018 and received permission to photograph the stored aircraft. The yard contained an amazing collection of retired military aircraft and the folks at ARM were kind enough to allow me to freely wander the yard taking my photos. Even though it was hot as all getup, I loved every minute of it.
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.
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.
Finnish Aviation Museum (2016) - February 14, 2023

/ Bj�rn Kannegie�er 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.
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. The four former Biegert DC-4s were located at the west end of the field and by 2001 were owned by Brooks Air Fuel. I was only able to photograph N44910 when a very large guard dog came charging out from under N44906 resulting in me making a post haste retreat to my rental car. Luckily the dog was on a chain and never was able to get a piece of me but unluckily I slipped on the gravel and broke my camera lens. I had previously photographed the DC-4s on November 11, 2000 and have included photos of N44904, N44906 and N44908 taken on that date.
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." "Silver City was slow until the last few weeks there, so every two weeks we got a proficiency water drop flight. Here�s two photos of T152 dropping water. The third photo is T152 heading back with the #3 feathered. Shutting down an engine was routine on the DC-4. This time it was popping from the intake scoop, which resulted in a carb change." "T151 all cleaned up with polished cowlings. Later we got busy at Silver City and the second photo is from a lightning strike fire in the Gila National Forest, north of Silver City. We had just dropped a load along the right flank, tying on to where the first tanker dropped, going left to right in this photo. The last photo�heading back to Silver City for another load." "I got to fly both DC-4�s on that contract. They were good airplanes. Both are still active with N460WA T151 on an oil dispersant contract in Merced, California and N9015Q T152 now registered N500EJ with the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation." "Here are a few more photos from summer of 1987. My second half of the summer on T151 was at Klamath Falls, Oregon, but we spent little time there as we were down in California most of the time. These shots were at the temporary tanker base at Stockton, California. The first photo is Hawkins & Powers KC-97 N1365N T84 down from Alaska to help out. The fire was called the Paper Fire, which was burning east of Stockton in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It was over 200,000 acres, and burnt until the winter rain and snow put it out. The next photo is T&G�s PB4Y-2 N3739C T30. It was actually Sergio Tomasoni�s airplane. We crossed trails with T30 often. Sergio would fly his Cherokee 6 with spare parts or to do some work on the 4Y. Sergio was good people. The last photo is the line-up in order of who�s out next. There�s Sis-Q�s DC-6B N555SQ T45; next is TBM�s only DC-4 N8502R T65; and lastly T&G's PB4Y-2 N3739C T30. The tankers were sitting around because the fire was smoked in. Last I heard someone had purchased T65 it and it was sitting at Wendover, Utah. That�s where the Silverplate B-29�s trained in secret for the A bomb missions. Looks like a California S-2 in the back, when S-2�s with radial engines were cool. Later in the afternoon the winds would blow the smoke aside, and the air show would start. Other tankers working at Stockton were Hemet�s C model C-119�s with the big R4360 P&W engines, Black Hills Neptune�s and TBM�s lone C-123. It was quite a show!"

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.
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.
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.
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 T�cnico 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.
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.
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." The aircraft was operated by the Monroe County Mosquito Control District as a sprayer in the 1980s/90's and was painted by Garsa Air at Flabob Airport in 2021.

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!
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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." "He said if we, Steve Pettersen and I weren't doing anything, we could come up and help wash the plane along with his Mallard. I thought it would be a great opportunity for my son, Roger Lee to help as well. So we all went to Ft Lauderdale and spent the day washing both planes and I got to do some touch up paint work on the tail. The planes looked great. At the end, Charlie casually mentioned he was flying up in the morning and returning later the same day. He had extra room for us if we were interested. Oh yeah!" "So off we went in style to attend the Sun n Fun in 1995. My son and I flew up in the Mallard, and returned in the DC-3. As a dad, to have my son enjoy this experience was worth every second of the day for me. We got to see a great show, airplanes, and people on a beautiful day. To watch my 14 year old son in the left seat on the return trip was to put the "cherry" on top of an unforgettable day." "All of this happened because we volunteered to help wash a couple of airplanes."

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."
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. The C-119G is owned by the Alaska Aviation Museum and has been stored in its current location for a number of years. It was once owned by Brooks Air Fuel and stored adjacent to the Everts freight terminal for many years before being moved to the south ramp. Rumor has it that the airport wants it moved but, with the museum�s lack of space at its Lake Hood location, it�s definitely not going to be relocated there. The C-123K is owned by Everts Air Fuel and appears to be mostly intact, with it only missing its rudder. FAA records show Everts acquired the airplane in June 2019 and I�m at a loss to why they would want it. Perhaps for its two R2800 engines?

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

Tobias Ralle visited Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport (MBX) in Slovenia on June 6, 2022 and photographed Ukrainian AN-26 UR-UZK. He reports that maintenance did an engine run earlier in the day but doesn�t have any more information on its current status. These cold war era Soviet transports are becoming very rare and it�s good to see that this example is still active.

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.

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA
JOMO KENYATTA INTL AIRPORT - NAIROBI, KENYA
WILSON AIRPORT - NAIROBI, KENYA
Vatry France AN-12 Photos - June 5, 2022

Tobias Ralle recently visited Chalons Vatry Airport (XCR) in France and photographed AN-12s UR-CBF and UR-CEZ. He forwarded the following report and photos. "It has been a while since we were in touch, but these days Propliner are not a regular sight anymore. Hence I was very delighted to photograph two Ukrainian AN-12s at XCR on June 1 and June 2, 2022. AeroVis UR-CBF aborted its take off several months ago and has been stored untouched ever since on the remote ramp. CAVOK UR-CEZ arrived June 1 on a French Government contract delivering food to Mali with a fuel stop in Algeria. It has remained at XCR for routine maintenance with the next Mali run scheduled for Tuesday June 7th."
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. "I enjoyed reading about your visit with ARDCO. Talking about the "Super DC-4" and the exhaust cracking problem, here is the new system that was tried. Behind the four stacks there were three more. Each stack collected two cylinders. The sound was real chatty, and on landing when the power is pulled back and the props were driving the engine, it after fired dramatically, popping away like a machine gun but each pop a different intensity. "

"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." "Also at Asheville was a lively fleet of C-47�s plying the auto parts business. They flew everyday hauling "must have now" parts to the auto manufacturers."

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. " "Next is Gary Garrett and Kenny White in Super DC-4 T119 N406WA flying out of the White River Tanker Base." "And now, T48 N37565 flown by Garry Nagle, Chief Pilot for Sis-Q Flying Service in a DC-6B also based at Coolidge, AZ." "I did get some of these photos published in Propliner Magazine long time ago. But they are mine, so feel free to use them."

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.
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." "In 2012 while at the March Air Museum I photographed a nice looking C119 and had no idea I knew this aircraft. They had repainted it to represent a USAF aircraft but it never served with them. I did some looking around on line and discovered it is RCAF 22122. What a surprise.�

"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.
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.
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.

Handley Page Hermes G-ALDA Ringway, England July 1964

Avro York G-AGNV Staverton, England July 4, 1965

Bristol Britania G-ANBD Heathrow, England July 23, 1966

CV440 OO-SCQ Brussels, Belgium May 20, 1967

Vickers Viscount F-BOEC Nice, France May 26, 1967

Handley Page Herald I-TIVE Nice, France May 26, 1967

IL-18 LZ-BEK Orly, France June 2, 1967

F-27 I-ATIR Milan, Italy June 5, 1968

C-46 N9892Z Frankfurt, Germany June 11, 1968

Electra PH-LLC Frankfurt, Germany June 12, 1968

M404 N471M St. Louis, Missouri July 1975

CV580 N25278 Pembroke, Ontario, Canada Summer 1978

CV600 N94223 Mobile, Alabama August 1983

Vickers Vanguard PK-MVH Kemayoran, Java 1984

HS-748 N118CA Seattle, Washington 1984

DC-3 N16070 Santa Monica, California May 19, 1990

YS-11 N922AX South Bend, Indiana March 11, 1997

CV240 N882P Cavern City, Texas July 20, 1996

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.

DC-7CF SE-CCI Prestwick, Scotland December 20, 1965

DC-7C D-ABAK Zurich, Switzerland May 31, 1966

DC-7CF OY-KND Nice, France June 5, 1966

DC-7B SE-ERC Frankfurt, Germany May 21, 1967

DC-7B N836D Willow Run, Michigan August 17, 2010

DC-7B OY-ANA Nice, France May 29, 1967

DC-7C D-ABAR Nice, France May 29, 1967

DC-7B SE-ERB Nice, France May 29, 1967

DC-7C CF-PWM Prestwick, Scotland August 5, 1967

DC-7C D-ABAK Frankfurt, Germany June 2, 1968

DC-7C D-ABAD Frankfurt, Germany June 2, 1968

DC-7C D-ABYF Frankfurt, Germany June 2, 1968

DC-7C N90773 Prestwick, Scotland 1967

DC-6 Photo Collection - June 21, 2021

More Eric Roscoe photos...this time DC-6s.

DC-6B HB-IBZ Ringway, England August 1963

DC-6B OO-CTK Brussels, Belgium May 27, 1966

DC-6B OH-KDA Gatwick, England July 23, 1966

DC-6B TF-LLD Prestwick, Scotland July 3, 1965

DC-6A OO-ABE Brussels, Belgium May 20, 1967

DC-6B OD-AEU Frankfurt, Germany May 21, 1967

DC-6B F-BGSL Nice, France May 29, 1967

DC-6B YU-AFB Orly, France June 2, 1967

DC-6B HB-IBZ Gatwick, England June 18, 1967

DC-6A PH-MAM Prestwick, Scotland November 24, 1967

DC-6B HB-IBU Basle, Switzerland May 23, 1967

DC-6B I-DIMD Nice, France May 26, 1967

DC-6B I-DIME Milan, Italy June 5, 1968

DC-6BF I-DIMB Milan, Itay June 5, 1968

DC-6B N37573 Freeport, Bahamas December 1976

DC-6B N6586C Willow Run, Michigan March 29, 1998

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.

DC-4 N41341/3X-YUN Wymeswold, England May 1964

North Star CF-TFM Woolsington, England August 1964

Argonauts G-ALHY & G-ALHS Ringway, England September 1964

HC-54D 42-72647 Prestwick, Scotland June 13, 1965

R5D-1 BuNo 91996 Yeovilton, England July 3, 1965

DC-4 EI-AOR Rhoose, Wales August 15, 1965

DC-4 G-ARXJ Lasham, England October 16, 1965

DC-4 G-APEZ Baginton, England May 15, 1966

ATL-98 Carvair F-BMHV Nice, France June 5, 1966

DC-4 G-ASEN Manston, England June 12, 1966

DC-4 C-GFMQ Brantford, Ontario, Canada May 5, 1995

DC-4 G-ASZT Luton, England January 1, 1967

DC-4 F-BBDH Nice, France May 28, 1967

Air France Cargo Area Orly, France June 1, 1967

Argonaut G-ALHS Castle Donington, England March 5, 1967

Argonaut G-ALHY Castle Donington, England March 5, 1967

DC-4 EI-APK Wymswold, England March 5, 1967

DC-4 G-ARYY Southend, England March 18, 1967

DC-4 F-BBDK Orly, France June 1, 1967

DC-4 N90440 Frankfurt, Germany June 2, 1968

DC-4 EC-BMI Milan, Italy June 5, 1968

DC-4 D-ADAR Milan, Italy June 5, 1968

DC-4 D-ADAD Frankfurt, Germany June 11, 1968

DC-4 C-GQIA & C-117D C-GDOG Toronto, Ontario, Canada April 15, 1995

DC-4 C-GQIC Brantford, Ontario, Canada May 5, 1995

C-54E N500EJ Trenton, Ontario, Canada June 13, 1999

ATL-98 Carvair G-ASHZ Ostend, Belgium May 27, 1965

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.
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.

Breguet Deux Ponts F-BASV Nice, France - May 29, 1967

Lineup of retired Air France Super Connies at Orly Airport, France - June 18, 1965

Lineup of USAF KC-97s and C-124s at Frankfurt, Germany - May 21, 1967

C-124 52-0982 Frankfurt, Germany June 13, 1968

C-124 52-0960 Frankfurt, Germany June 11, 1968

C-124 51-5213 Frankfurt, Germany June 12, 1968

C-97G 52-2639 Frankfurt, Germany May 21, 1967

KC-97L 52-0232 Frankfurt, Germany May 21, 1967

C-97G 53-0329 Frankfurt, Germany May 21, 1967

Breguet Deux Ponts F-BASV Ringway, England September 1964

Breguet Deux Ponts F-BASO Heathrow, England May 15, 1966

Breguet Deux Ponts F-BASU Nice, France May 29, 1967

B377 4X-FPY Orly, France June 19, 1965

Viking G-AHPL Manston, England June 12, 1966

Ambassador G-ALZZ Luton, England March 12, 1966

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.

Lineup of retired Zantop DC-6, CV640 and Electra aircraft - April 5, 1998

Lineup of retired Zantop DC-6, CV640 and Electra aircraft - May 17, 1998

Lineup of Electras with N282F in forefront - May 17, 1998

Lineup of Electras with N282F in forefront - May 4, 1997

Lineup of Electras N346HA, N5512, N290F, N340HA and unidentified Electra - May 4, 1997

Lynden Air Cargo Electra N289F - September 14, 1997

Channel Express Electra N343HA - May 4, 1997

Channel Express Electra N343HA - September 14, 1997

Winter in Fairbanks - April 18, 2021

Bo-G�ran 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-G�ran 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-G�ran for sharing his photos. Basler Aviation 1989 - March 18, 2021

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. Ken returned to Oshkosh for the airshow in July 1989 and took these photos, which included N46938 in the hangar undergoing routine maintenance.
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.
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.
Bridger Aerospace CL-415 Video - February 25, 2021

This professionally produced 7� 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.....
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. Associated Air Products was an aircraft dealer that acquired many retired Allegheny M202's and stored them at Cape May until they were scrapped sometime in the mid to late-1970�s. I visited the airport in the mid-1970s when all the Martins had been painted white and again the following year when they had all been scrapped. The only survivor was M202 N93204, which is currently on display less wings at the New Jersey's Aviation Hall of Fame Museum.
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
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.
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!
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 Hern�ndez 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
2018 Arizona - Part 2 - April 16, 2020

Additional photos taken by Ken Swartz in May 2018 at scrapyards adjacent to Davis Monthan AFB.
2018 Arizona - Part 1 - April 15, 2020

Photos taken by Ken Swartz at various Arizona locations in 2018.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Former Finnish Air Force F-27-100 on Display - June 13, 2019

Antti Hyv�rinen 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.
Bangkok, Thailand 2018 - April 13, 2019

As a first officer for Finnair, Antti Hyv�rinen 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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." "I was a super-hot summer�s day and we walked about the dusty ramps and hangars photographing the lingering DC-6s. We also visited the DC-3s sprayers, which were inside the hangar next to 'Night Fright'." "We walked around the hangar and it being Sunday there was nobody to talk to. Our 'Night Fright' guide told me that both C-47s would need some technical maintenance to get their new certificate for flight. Since then I have not heard or seen any pictures that both or one aircraft has flown...so possibly they are only for pilot training?"
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 Hyv�rinen 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.
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. MIAMI INTL AIRPORT FORT LAUDERDALE INTL AIRPORT OPA-LOCKA AIRPORT

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----Created 10 February 2019-----Updated 5 April 2024