The Curtiss C-46 Commando at Liverpool (images replaced)
Mar 30, 2013 23:29:35 GMT 1
ian531 likes this
Post by viscount on Mar 30, 2013 23:29:35 GMT 1
C-46 Commando LN-FOS operated by Fred Olsen of Norway in 1958, with several visits to choose from, usually transporting ship's crews. The Shell/BP tanker certainly supports an early visit. While there are issues with the colour, great to have a colour image of a Fred Olsen aircraft at Speke. The b&w photos imply the fin was sand colour, the colour image clearly shows it was white. Many thanks Bob for passing this image on for all to appreciate.
The Curtiss C-46 Commando
Visits to Liverpool Airport - A Type Review
Visits to Liverpool Airport - A Type Review
The tv series ‘Ice Pilots’ featuring the exploits of Buffalo Airline of Yellowknife, has brought the Curtiss Commando to the attention of a new generation of aviation enthusiasts. There are now fewer than 10 left airworthy around the world, and not a single example preserved anywhere in Europe. Some may be surprised to find that for a while Curtiss Commandos called at Speke fairly frequently in the late 50s and that the last visit was as recently as 1970, shortly before the type all but disappeared from European skies..
The Curtiss-Wright CW-20 introduced a novel ‘double bubble’ fuselage cross-section, with the floor fitted at the join. The design process started in 1937, not long after the DC-3 first entered service. However it was able to take advantage of improvements in engine power, so could carry much more cargo and the design featured pressurisation, so permitting a much higher cruising altitude. First flight of the CW-20T was on 26th March 1940 at which time it had a twin tail. However to improve directional stability it soon was fitted with a more standard single tail and became the CW-20A. As the C-46 Commando large numbers were built from 1941 for the USAAC, with around 3,180 built by late 1945.
The Commando was never acquired by the R.A.F., who decided to base its transport fleet around the C-47 Dakota. However the C-46 earned a reputation as a military transport following the Japanese defeat of British forces in Burma in May 1942. To keep the Japanese from invading India, it was essential to open an air route to supply Chinese forces. So the dangerous, 500 mile trans-Himalayan route, known as flying over the ‘Hump’ became a major airlift, initially mainly employing the C-46 aircraft. The US forces did not bring their C-46s to the UK until late 1944, after Operation Overlord (D-day landings) and Market Garden (Arnhem), but did assist in Operation Varsity (assault east of the Rhine) in limited numbers. but with high causalities
The C-46 Commando found favour in the shadowy world of ‘black ops’, flown in SE Asia, South America and the Caribbean by several ‘airlines’ allied to, or owned by the CIA eg Civil Air Transport and Air America. The C-46 also found favour with a number of cargo carriers operating in difficult environments and terrain eg Alaska and Bolivia. In Europe a number were operated in Scandinavia and in West Germany where Capitol leased aircraft to Lufthansa for Pan Am flights into Berlin. There were just two ever registered in Britain, G-AGDI was the original prototype flown by BOAC late 1941-1943, while G-ATXV was traded-in to Handley Page for new Dart Heralds in 1966 by SADIA of Brazil, then sold-on in Bolivia without leaving South America!
That’s the background. Usually these notes are gleaned from Wikipedia; while there is a entry en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-46_Commando - these notes have come from an article in the April 2013 edition of ‘Aviation News, incorporating Classic Aircraft’ magazine.
Type Review
The Curtiss Commando visits to Liverpool Airport 1958-1970.
The Curtiss Commando visits to Liverpool Airport 1958-1970.
1958
There were at least 15 visits by three different aircraft, LN-FOP, LN-FOR and LN-FOS of Fred Olsen Lines during 1958. First to visit was LN-FOP on 23rd April, with a second flight two days later while LN-FOS operated on 24th and 25th April, the four flights transporting crews from vessels ‘Southern Harvester’ and ‘Southern Venturer’ home to Jarlsberg. On 6th May LN-FOR and again on 16th May arrived from Jarlsberg, returning there on 18th. Back again on 8th June LN-FOR routed from Jarlsberg and on to Southend. Later June on 15th LN-FOP routed from Southend to Oslo and on 22nd LN-FOR f&t Oslo, both with ship’s crews. Further visits: on 29th June LN-FOP then LN-FOR 3rd July, 20th July, 12th August, 12th September when from Jarlsberg to Copenhagen and 15th September.
There may have been more visits than those listed for 1958 and 1959 as for those years I am relying on selected movements as chosen by the editor of MGAE’s “Northern Aeronews”, from 1960 onwards all visits are recorded as I have PHB’s complete movements notes for those years. It was not only Fred Olsen’s Commandos that operated charters into Speke, but also a Dakota LN-IAS and several different Viscounts.
1959
All 3 of Fred Olsen’s Commando visited Liverpool Speke during 1959, LN-FOP, LN-FOR and LN-FOS. There were at least 11 visits recorded during 1959. The first brought in LN-FOR on 23rd February f&t Oslo, night stopping at Liverpool, with another visit on 19th April. LN-FOS made probably it’s only visit of the year on 24th April. Commonest at Liverpool that year was LN-FOR, 28th April, 29th April, 6th May on a freight flight Gothenburg to Malmo, 9th July f&t Christiansand, 17th July, 2nd December f&t Oslo with a night-stop and 12th December. In between those visits LN-FOP appeared just the once, on 6th September f&t Stavanger with a night stop at Speke.
1960
Just 4 visits appear in the logs for 1960, involving two Fred Olsen aircraft. LN-FOP on 8th February from Rygge to Oslo, with LN-FOS on 11th March from Stavanger and out to Amsterdam. On 28th June LN-FOP returned, this time from Oslo and out to Edinburgh/Turnhouse, with finally LN-FOP again on 5th September from Rotterdam and out to Oslo.
1963
On 16th October 1963 Transair Sweden brought in one of their C-46 Commando fleet, SE-CFD arriving from Amsterdam, departing the next day for Paris/Le Bourget.
1966
On 9th July a further Swedish C-46 with an appearance by SE-CFE, now operated by Torair, arriving from Brussels, departing for Malmo. As mentioned in the introduction a number of Capitol C-46 aircraft operated for Lufthansa carrying cargo into Berlin. While these aircraft were frequently to be seen at London/Heathrow during the early 60s, they were rarely seen at other UK airports. Right at the end of the year, on 16th December Capitol's N9893Z operated a Ford's charter, from and to Frankfurt.
1967
A few months later, on 6th May Capitol’s N9892Z arrived from Hamburg again on a Ford’s freight charter, with Lufthansa flight number LH968F, later departing for Frankfurt.
1969
After a break of nearly a decade, a Fred Olsen C-46 visited Liverpool again in 1969 with LN-FOS
1970
The final visit by a C-46 Commando to Liverpool Airport was on 7th August 1970 with a final appearance by Fred Olsen, who operated LN-FOS in from Rotterdam and out to Stansted.
One of the reasons why I’ve compiled this type visits review is that two b&w photos of Fred Olsen Commando aircraft at Liverpool have come to my attention. Although of the same aircraft, LN-FOP, maybe even on the same visit they quite distinctively are outside No.2 hangar.
These two shots also appear to be on the same occasion, so presumably both are of Fred Olsen's LN-FOR.
A further undated shot of LN-FOR at Liverpool.
Thought that the current ‘fans’ of the Buffalo Airways C-46s on television might be interested in how the type looked visiting Liverpool.
Images replaced and added to May 2023, by which time the visits counter stands at 3,447 views.
