Oceanographic Development Squadron

Delivered to the USAF in 1949 as 48-0612. Withdrawn from use in October 1967. To Christler Flying Services in July 1970 as N9465. To Beaver Air Spray in July 1979 as C-GXKR. Withdrawn from use and stored at St. Jean, Quebec, Canada. To Conifair Aviation around October 1981 as N749VR. Seen in April 2002 as N749NL at Avra Valley, Arizona. Restored by May 2002 and made its first flight since 1994. The ferry to The Netherlands started on September 15, 2002., routing Fort Worth, Alpena, Goose Bay, Keflavik, Duxford, Manston, Lelystad and Schiphol. Forever a shame she wasnt given a chance to fly.

Previously CS-TLC of Transportes Aereo Portugueses (TAP). Arrived at Luqa on 16 February 1968, at the time owned by North American Trading Company (Hank Wharton), and was impounded by the authorities for having the fake registration 5T-TAF. Remained at Luqa till the end of 1972 when it was sold by auction for conversion into a bar/restaurant. In this photo it is seen at a temporary location outside the village of Kirkop before being moved to a nearby field which was to become its final home until its destruction by fire on 30 January 1997.

Sold in the UK as G-ANUY in January 1955. Chuck Boie photo.

Built in 1945 and the one-time G-AHEK of BOAC. Here it is grounded after declaring an emergency en route Gander to Copenhagen. While on a US Army charter flight on 8 November 1961 it crashed on approach to Richard E. Byrd Airport, Richmond, Virginia, during an emergency diversion. 77 passengers and crew were killed with 2 survivors. This resulted in the operator loosing its FAA approval.

Built in 1952 for Trans World Airlines and here on lease to CHA who were flying USAF/MATS charters to Europe at the time. Sold to Líneas Aéreas Patagónica Argentina and during delivery on 6 March 1966 it was ditched in the ocean near Callao, Peru after loosing three engines.

Lifting off for another circuit during a crew training detail.

An unexpected surprise! On this day I was driving from LAS to LAX taking a slightly circuitous route in order to call in at Mojave and see all the stored aircraft there. The onward route to LAX took me past Lancaster CA. As I got nearer, to my great surprise, I saw the unmistakable and amazing sight of a Constellation, Furthermore it was flying circuits! It turned out to be N73544 doing some crew training prior to its eventual trip to Switzerland the following month. Little did I know at the time that just over 2 years later I would fly on it through the Alps from and to Geneva.

End of training and on short final for a full stop landing. What a great and totally unexpected day this was.

Lockheed Super Constellation in use as a bar in the town of Kirkop, Malta

slide from the NK collection. - One of the last passenger Super Constellations in Europe. Catair flew this aircraft until 1971 and put it into storage at Pontoise. After a short period of display as a gateguard it was dismantled in 1975.

Delivered new in 1955 and withdrawn from service in 1967. Took part in the Biafra Airlift in 1968, stored at Faro in 1969, used as a restaurant in mid 1980s, burned by vandals in 1999. (Not to be confused with the fake CS-TLA which is ex-Lufthansa.)

Built for KLM in 1946 as PH-TAV then sold to Capital Airlines in 1950. Ended up in Chile as CC-CAA and withdrawn from use in 1968, then scrapped in 1979.

Always a highlight on the Paris shuttle with their popping exhausts and squealing brakes. This was the first ever Air France Connie I logged and was seen at Heathrow on 24 February 1962. It was delivered in 1956 and in 1968 took part in the Biafra Airlift. Withdrawn from use in 1971 and scrapped at Lanzarote (GCRR) in the 1980s

later N611AS and finally HI-393CT