FSX-SE Amazing story of a 77 year Curtiss C-46...still active...

[P_7878 6,550]

[I've flown the JF/AH DC-3/C-47 on occasions, but do not recall flying the JF/AH C-46, though I have owned it for a while. Here is a most remarkable story of one (and same) C46 Commando, I came across today, in two distinct airline colors...]
As aviation enthusiasts, we're lucky to find WWII-era (iconic) airplanes preserved in a museum, and the Curtiss C-46 is a most interesting (but less talked-about) WWII-era a/c that was designed and built under the shadow of the legendary Douglas DC-3/C-47 and flew 5 years after the DC-3. Though, the C46 Commando served, in the military, in the same role as the C-47 Skytrain; for civilian pax transport, in spite of being twin-engined, it was actually aimed to compete with the "4-engined" likes of Douglas DC-4 and Boeing 307 Stratoliner. The C-46 was the biggest twin-engine airplane in the world when it first flew - not only much bigger than the DC-3, but, surprisingly also longer, taller and with wider wingspan than the (contemporary) "4-engined" heavies such as the B-17 Flying Fortress or the B-24 Liberator...!

Nonetheless, compared to over 10,000 C-47 Skytrain variants (alone) of DC-3 built, only ~3000 total C-46s were manufactured. The C46's most distinguishing feature is the unique shape of its fuselage...originally designed and patented by Curtiss to enable it to better withstand the pressure differential at high altitudes. It featured a roomy (and cavernous) "double bubble" fuselage, with a cross-section in the form of two segments mated together, top and bottom (see images below) ...therefore nicknamed "The (Flying) Whale" due to such a whale-like appearance. The C-46 was manufactured in mind-boggling variations (just as the DC-3 was), and to be precise, the model shown, below, here, is a "C-46D", the Final large production-run variant. The C46-D had arrived on the scene during the Final year of WWII, and therefore, just as the DC-3/C47, found subsequent applications, post-War, as a passenger (and cargo) transporter with world-wide operators.

Anyway, (year 1945 to year 2022) gives us 77 years...And here is the amazing story (and images) of a Curtiss C-46 Commando, that was delivered factory fresh, to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), back in Feb. of 1945, ~6 months before the end of WWII. First, it served with (USAAF/USAF) for 16 years, then it would be acquired and operated, for 12 years, by Capitol Air (a charter airline operating of out of its hub KJFK in New York City). During this Capitol ownership, under fortuitous circumstances, this C46 would be leased out in Europe, to Lufthansa, for 5 years, between (1964-1969), serving Lufthansa's Cargo operations to various German cities, in the LH colors (though still with Capitol's Reg. N9891Z, the ID you see in my Lufthansa pictures below), and actually "Operated by Capitol Air". Then, after going through, nearly 10 more successive airlines/owners, finally, in 1994, the a/c would end up with Buffalo Airways, based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, this airline, being of the reality television series "Ice Pilots" fame. In the Buffalo Airways livery, it carries the Reg. C-FAVO (the ID you see in my Buffalo Airways pictures below) ...and is amazingly still active and current, as of this year (2022), with Buffalo Airways, after 77 years of lifetime and continued service...! So, the two sets of C46 pictures, below, indeed, belong to the very same airframe, but merely dressed in different uniforms...! One giveaway, in the Buffalo livery, is the (left-over) Lufthansa "Blue Crane" logo that can be spotted on both sides of the forward fuselage, just under the cockpit windows. Of course, you can also spot this same "Blue Crane" logo in my pictures of the Lufthansa livery too, in identical spots of the fuselage. So, interestingly, it appears the airlines that this C46 went to, after Lufthansa, respectfully retained the iconic Lufthansa "Crane" on the fuselage, as a proud mnemonic of its past heritage and European operations....

Please find below, 20 pictures, as a symbolic tribute and testament to the strength and durability of this remarkable plane that was born, 77 years ago, under the subsiding clouds of WWII, but, unbelievably, is still active today, in 2022: first, 10 pictures (shots #1 - #10) of it in the Lufthansa colors lifting off from a German airport, and next another 10 pictures (shots #11 - #20) of the same a/c in the Buffalo Airways colors, landing somewhere in the wintry and desolate Northwest Territories...

Hope you enjoy this collection of pictures of this classic (and amazing) example of a workhorse...that was originally built by Curtiss-Wright, in their Buffalo (New York) plant, in 1945, and has finally returned to an airline (coincidentally) also called "Buffalo"...🙂... [Side Note: The (same) Curtiss company also produced a phenomenal ~14,000 units of the (iconic) P-40 fighter (all) also built at the same Buffalo (NY) plant (btw, please do see the beautiful pictures of a special P-40 "Gloria Lyons" in the latest post by Jankees...🙂...) ...] ...!

[John F 2,402]

Great story. Without it, I might never have noticed the indelible crane! And I hate to say it, but that plane's as old as I am! 🙂

Edited December 18, 2022 by John F

[P_7878 6,550]

27 minutes ago, John F said:

Great story. Without it, I might never have noticed the indelible crane! And I hate to say it, but that plane's as old as I am! 🙂

Appreciated the comment, John...!!

First of all, I was also amazed by the continued presence of that (iconic) Lufthansa Crane on these two liveries, but noticed it right away, due to Lufthansa, being my most travelled (international airline of choice) ...🙂.... Also, interestingly, previous to Buffalo Airways, the a/c owner was "Air Manitoba" with the same Reg. ID (C-FAVO), and if we search for "air Manitoba C-FAVO C-46 images", this air Manitoba C-46, indeed comes up with the same crane but in "Red" color... (instead of "Blue") .... quite curious... (internet is a fascinating source of such tidbits) ...

And, regarding its (remarkable) 77 years of airplane age, I was also wondering, how many years would that be in human years...🙂...Being bit of an animal lover myself, I've read e.g., that 1 dog year (approximately) equals 7 human years, but here we're talking of an (inanimate) airplane...but...I (seriously) digress...🙂...

Thanks anyway...Cheers...!!

[Alaska738 8,383]

Great shots! 😉 

[pmplayer 9,381]

Another fine set, thanks for showing !

cheers 😉

[bernd1151 5,820]

Very interesting story, P_7878. I wonder why Buffalo Joe decided to keep the LH crane on this plane and repainted it even in its original blue color...

[Jack_Sawyer 4,600]

Another interesting article, I especially like the double-bubble fuselage and the cockpit ain't too shabby either.  

[P_7878 6,550]

Folks:

Appreciated your added comments to this interesting and unexpected discovery...! Actually, when I was looking for a few extra repaints, in the library, for this JF/AH c46, I noticed that these two liveries are already included in their default set.

As someone had said before, aviation history and stories are like rabbit holes ....🙂...with twist and turns, and one never knows where it would lead to...

[P_7878 6,550]

10 hours ago, Jack_Sawyer said:

....and the cockpit ain't too shabby either.

Jack: 

JF/AH has provided two versions of the C46 cockpit...the one I'd shown above is the Modern version with (Garmin) GNS 430. Yes, I agree, not bad at all...for the purpose of Modern navigation...and, in fact, I do see a few of the (RW) Buffalo Airways C46 cockpits upgraded to similar style avionics...

The other cockpit version, included, is the (period) military...so, sans the GPS (closer to what those legendary C46 pilots were flying over the Himalayan "Hump") ...I posted one shot of this flightdeck, below, in addition to 2 classic military C46 paints (China Doll and Tinker Belle), both of which are now preserved, respectively, by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) of SoCal, and by the City of Monroe, NC. The Tinker Belle is said to be the only military painted C-46 currently flying in the US...

[Todd2 2,059]

Thanks I really love that plane from watching Ice Pilots. 

[Phantom88 3,282]

Ice Pilots!!! I was a Big Fan😁

[P_7878 6,550]

On 12/20/2022 at 5:14 AM, Phantom88 said:

Ice Pilots!!! I was a Big Fan😁

Thanks, Patrick, yes, that Ice Pilot Series was fascinating indeed...🙂...!!

 

On 12/19/2022 at 8:17 PM, Todd2 said:

Thanks, I really love that plane from watching Ice Pilots. 

Welcome, Todd. This plane has now grown on me quite a bit too...🙂...

BTW, I do recall one of your recent posts about a Harrier over Cherry Point MCAS, NC, and you been stationed there at Cherry Point. And interestingly, I found, today, in the (JF's) default livery-pack, the below US Navy (Blue) paint, with the following description, "Served with VMR-252 of the US Marine Corps based at MCAS Cherry Point in the late 1940s."...

A C46 flashback from the 40s...🙂...