US CURTISS C-46 COMMANDO - 1970s

A selection of my photographs of C-46s seen in USA in the late 1970s

The sheer bulk of the Curtiss C-46 Commando can be seen as Air Haiti's HH-AHC arrives at the US Customs non-scheduled freighter
terminal at Miami Airport in October 1979.  Powered by two 2,000hp P&W R-2800 radials

N8874 with named Verieres on the nose, moves off after Customs inspection, taxying to the Air Haiti freight ramp.
The copilot's hand rests out of the open side window in customary C-46 fashion.  Generations of aircraft photographers had enlarged gaps in the fence at the Customs building to allow photographs, but this C-46 came a little too close for my standard lens

Another Air Haiti arrival at the Miami Airport Customs ramp in October 1979 was Commando HH-AHC

Air Haiti's HH-AHA on their Miami ramp in October 1979, waiting for the next load

Clearing Customs at Miami in October 1977 was anonymous C-46A N10624

Rich International, run by Mrs. Jean Rich, was based at Miami Airport with C-46s and DC-6 freighters operating to Caribbean islands.
N74713 at Miami in October 1977 shows a previous registration N51348 etched into the metal on the rear fuselage

Looking quite smart at Miami in October 1979 was N67971 owned by Caribbean Air Services

Lineas Aereas Nacionales - LANSA of Honduras operated this C-46 HR-LAJ seen at Fort Lauderdale, Florida in October 1977.
As the fading paint reveals, it was formerly with VARIG in Brazil.
Despite being built for USAAF as a C-46D, at some stage it has been fitted with the stepped windscreen of the rare C-46E

N611Z was one of a number of anonymous C-46s flying freight out of Fort Lauderdale in October 1977

This shiny silver finish of this cargo Commando N239JL at Fort Lauderdale in October 1977 was in contrast to most of the tramp C-46s

N5076N had arrived during the night at Fort Lauderdale a month before my visit in October 1977 and parked on a Grumman dealer's
ramp by the unknown crew who quickly decamped. Ron Gardiner, the affable airport Operations Manager was left to sort out the mess.
Ron recalled another C-46, painted with a false N number, which departed one night despite surveillance by DEA, FBI and Customs
C-46 N355M on the left at Miami in October 1977 was leased to Bahamasair at the time.
One of the two Miami-based US Department of Commerce WP-3D Orions departs on a NOAA weather research sortie

The same N355M two years later at Miami in October 1979, now all metal finish, loading freight

Another all metallic C-46 at Miami in October 1977 was N1807M

Previously with Zantop International, this C-46 N53594 was one of two purchased in 1979 by the Confederate Air Force to be
used for paratroop-dropping displays at airshows. At CAF HQ Harlingen, Texas in October 1979, still in Zantop paintwork.
CAF C-46 chief pilot was Colonel Vernon Thorpe, who flew many C-46 missions over The Hump during WWII

Retired at Opa Locka, Florida in October 1977 was CC-CDC of the Chilean freight carrier LASA. She was scrapped here

The end of the road - three retired civil C-46 hulks in a storage yard at Miami Airport in October 1979.
Also in this F.A.Conner yard, inside the airport freight warehouse complex, were a DC-6, DC-7 and two Beech 18s

There were plenty of Commandos to be seen in Alaska.  Reeve Aleutian Airways' C-46F N1822M at Anchorage in September 1979

Despite its rough looks and overpainted Interior Airways paintwork,  C-46F N1663M at Anchorage in September 1979 was operational, carting loads of fish for Ball Seafoods based at Anchorage

Great Northern Airlines' C-46F N800FA waiting to load freight at Fairbanks Airport in September 1979

Great Northern Airlines had taken over Fairbanks Air Service, whose retired C-46F N801FA was stripped of engines
and parts at their maintenance base at Fairbanks-Metro Field on the edge of town

N7848B at Fairbanks in September 1979 was operated by Everts Air Cargo for Nenana Fuel Co, carrying bulk oil to remote localities.
This C-46A had received performance-enhancing modifications in 1957 to become a Riddle C-46R


Everts Air Cargo at Fairbanks Airport had a graveyard of abandoned C-46s.  N7923C had been used by Lufthansa in Europe in the 1960s

The graveyard at Fairbanks included Japanese military C-46s sold as surplus in 1977 and ferried up the Aleutian island chain to Alaska.
Most were later put into civil service in Alaska, N54514 flying for Everts Air Cargo with nose art Maid in Japan


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