K25 slide scan. Last visit of a commercially operated DC-6. Flight AAG650 runs up her R-2800's at the taxiway holding point before positioning back to Coventry. Shutter speed down to 1/60 to show props turning...

Looking in a sorry state, It was alter transformed into a stylish restaurant but with the closure of Airbase it is likely to be scrapped

Later G-SIXC with Air Atlantique

Fourteen years later it would become G-SIXC with Atlantic Cargo/Atlantic Airlines/ Air Atlantique. Stored Coventry UK from 2007. Converted into a nice little cafe/restaurant but sadly it only lasted about 5 years or so. My family and I had a very enjoyable English Breakfast in it.

The main cabin of G-SIXC during loading of freight containers through cargo door (left). Rollers in floor assist movement. Small space at left allows crew access to cockpit. Taken during CVT-MAN-DUB-CVT cargo charter flight for Aer Lingus.

Air Atlantique acquired this DC-6 in 1987 and it served them well until 2005, when it was stored at Coventry. In 2011 it was converted into a restaurant at Air Atlantique's Airbase Museum, which formally opened as the "DC-6 Diner" on 22 April 2011. The diner closed on 23 Dec 2015, following Air Atlantique's owner Mike Collett's retirement. On 1 March 2016 the diner re-opened as the "DC-6 Diner & Cafe", now owned by the Eden Hotel Collection Group. It closed down again on 28 Sep 2017, this time probably for good. However, G-SIXC still remained at Coventry by Apr 2018.

A look at the port side of this Air Atlantique DC-6 still painted up in basic Air France c/s after featuring in a French movie.

It had been painted up and used in a French film (Une Femme Francaise) with full Air France livery including titles and reg (F-BBDG) to represent a former Air France DC-4. When this photograph was taken it was back in service with owner Air Atlantique.

Note the feathered propellers

A freight "Igloo" is pushed off the scissor-lift truck before being propelled forward along G-SIXC's roller-fitted cargo floor to make space for further containers. 13 Tons of cargo was loaded at Manchester before our departure for Dublin on an Air Atlantique charter on behalf of Aer Lingus. I flew in the cockpit as supernumerary crew.

Captain Whiteman prepares to open the throttles to accelerate Air Atlantique's heavily loaded DC-6B up Manchester's Runway 06 "hill" bound for Dublin with Ireland's Sunday newspapers which had been printed in the city. We also had other Aer Lingus cargo aboard. On our positioning flight back to Coventry, we had to shut down a rough-running engine during our initial approach in a snowstorm - real flying!

Seen at Airbase at Coventry, this is a classic way to deal with a redundant classic aircraft. It has been turned into a stylish and popular restaurant whilst retaining a good deal of its original interior.

Whilst it is unfortunate that this aircraft will never fly again, it has been preserved as the restaurant at Airbase, a working museum at Coventry. The conversion is stylish and superbly executed and the whole Airbase experience is worth a visit.