This is a very rare shot, and a slide I thought I had lost. A short-lived airline, the aircraft is clearly ex-Eastern as much of its original livery remains. My flight back to the UK had been delayed and I was able to negotiate ramp access while waiting.

N18GG built by Rob Logan, registered Oct-2002 as a Logan Lancair Legacy

N9856U registered Dec-1976

The Sunshine Clipper was a small two-seat amphibious homebuilt aircraft designed and constructed by Henry C. Palmer of St. Petersburg, Florida. The aircraft was rather unusual in using a 14 ft (4.27 m) Orlando Clipper aluminum boat of 1948 vintage as basis for the fuselage, which was then combined with the wings of a Piper J-3 Cub, and parts and components of Piper J-3 Cub, PA-22 Tri-Pacer and PA-25 Pawnee aircraft, and was powered by a 65 hp Continental A65 engine. It was under restoration.

Ex 53-3258. Believed crashed in the Bahamas 1980 or 1981.

What a livery!

Seen in the microlight area at Sun 'n Fun was this ultralight motor glider. It is battery powered, capable of self launch and neither needs to be registered nor a pilot's licence !

NC18407 registered 1937, to N18407 registered 1948 but remained painted as NC18407. It is representing an American Airlines route survey plane

Still showing the very faded colours of its former owner Piedmont Airlines, and even its name "Mount Mitchell Pacemaker" can still be seen below the cockpit windows, also very faded. Piedmont used this old TWA aircraft (ex N40439) between 1965 and 1968. It passed through the hands of some brokers before ending up as a spares ship with PBA at Naples, FL in 1977. It was completely scrapped during the early 1990s.

AMSA's "City of Miami" grumbles past on one of its many cargo flights into Miami. This was the second of two Connies on approach to runway 09L within 5 minutes, a wonderful experience! In 1992 this aircraft was damaged when a DC-4 ran into it at Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and it was stored there. Eleven years later, in 2003, the Ramey AFB Historical Association started work to restore her for display at the Ramey AFB in MATS colours. Unfortunately the work was later halted, but this Connie was still there by early 2018.