Beginning life as a USAAF C-54 in 1944 then serving Pan Am and Alitalia among others after DC-4 modification, the airframe arrived in the UK as G-AOFW with Air Charter in 1955. Emerging as a Carvair in 2.64, she served Iberia and Aviaco briefly before her BUAF career

Built for USAAF as C-54B Skymaster 42-72353. Converted to Carvair in 1963 for Aer Lingus as EI-AMR. Owned by Eastern Provincial Airways from May 1968 and later stored at Southend for several years before scrapping.

VH-INJ was converted from one of Ansett-ANA's own aircraft.

Originally a Japan Airlines DC-4 JA6012 the aircraft sits on the hardstand at Eagle Farm many years later.

Despite reports of this aircraft being withdrawn from use after a nosewheel collapse, it is currently active and based at Tara Field, Hampton, Georgia. Replaced crashed sister ship N83FA

Taxying to Runway 06 on return to Dublin with Cargo. Served ALT from 29 April 1963 until sale to Eastern Provincial as CF-EPV on 24.05.68 after a period of storage.

The third and final Carvair converted for Ansett-ANA from DC-4s provided by the customer.

VH-INJ was converted from an Ansett-ANA DC-4 in 1965. It was retired in 1972 and sold in 1973. VH-INJ passed to the US register as N33AC but was to spend the remaining two years of its active life in South-East Asia. It was abandoned at Phnom Penh in 1975.

Up close and personal!

This airplane crashed on takeoff on April 4, 1997 from Griffin, GA, the home base of Academy Airlines with the loss of both crew members

Ex USAAF C-54A Skymaster 42-107461. Converted to Carvair in late 1962 serving Aer Lingus from February 1963. The fleet was retired in mid 1967 and EI-AMP (nearest) is in storage at Dublin with EI-AMR and EI-ANJ.

Visiting Ringway on a freight charter flight

Ex US Navy R5D-1 Skymaster BuAer 50843 delivered in August 1944. Converted to ATL-98 in 1962. Served Pauling as a freighter from June 1974 until February 1976.

This was the last of 21 Skymasters to be converted to Carvair standard. It served Ansett Cargo from July 1968 until January 1974. It survives in storage at Joburg as 9J-PAA (2014).

Two British Air Ferries Carvairs operating a freight charter through Ringway. G-APNH "Menai Bridge" is left and G-AOFW (10351/12) is at the right edge of this scene on the cargo apron.

One of then only two flyable Carvairs in the world is seen here in a glorious take-off, a very rare and wonderful sight (and sound)! This beautiful oldie had already seen a lot of the world: it flew as LN-IAE, JA6012, HL4003, VH-INK, N54598, ZK-NWA, N5459X and C-GAAH, before ending up with Brooks Fuel in late 2002. Roger Brooks did a great restoration job on it, but then unfortunately crashed it near McGrath, AK on 30 May 2007.

Working at Southend Airport in the 'Seventies produced some great opportunities. Just before N80FA departed on its ferry flight to Texas, I was able to fix up an air-to-air session from Cessna 172 G-ATLN. We flew as fast as possible, the Carvair as slow as it could with everything down. I can still hear those P&Ws roaring over the sound of my open window and the general racket in the Cessna. I even sold my car to one of the Falcon directors who duly loaded and flew home to the States with it - truly Car-via-air as Freddie Laker originally intended. This aircraft crashed in Alaska in 1997 as N103; another of the few remaining Carvairs suffered a similar fate up there in May 2007, so now only two survive

Converted from an Ansett-ANA DC-4 in 1965