The 1989 Paris Air Show was nice, but the Russian transports which could be seen before and after the show were much nicer! Sadly, this Antonov 22 crashed on take-off from Tver on 11 November 1992.

In the early 1980s Aeroflot operated an An-12 freight service into Amsterdam, and CCCP-11107 is seen here after an early-morning touchdown on runway 06. Only three months later, on 24 April 1982, during the take-off from Novy Urengoi in western Siberia, this aircraft ran off the runway and was destroyed by fire.

El Teide, Tenerife's 3.7 km high volcano, towers above the landscape and catches a bit of sunshine, as these Russian holidaymakers taxi into position for take-off. This aircraft was transferred to the Russian government (Rossiya) a few years after this photo was taken. It was broken up at Vnukovo in 2012, when it was 25 years old.

A very welcome visitor at Schiphol. As luck would have it, five days later sistership YK-ATD also visited...

Bare metal C-117D (ex US Navy BuNo 39070) photographed shortly before going to the Colombian Air Force as FAC1632. While there, it remained current on the US Aircraft Register as N34AH, and in fact returned to the US as such in 2005. It was then parked at Benson, AZ and was still there by 2024. Unfortunately, it appears the aircraft did not make a single flight during the nearly two decades of storage there.

In 1992 most C-82's and C-119's at Anchorage were sold to Hawkins and Powers and moved to their base at Greybull in Wyoming. A few C-119s stayed behind, but most of them later also departed to other airfields, such as Fairbanks or Palmer. This former Northern Pacific Transport N9027K (ex 53-8073) was the only one to remain behind at Anchorage, and it was still there by mid 2017.

At the time of this photo Everts operated the largest fleet of Douglas DC-6s in the world, and ten years later they were the world's last commercial operator of the type. This former Sis-Q aircraft N555SQ (Tanker 45) was was originally delivered to United Airlines in June 1957 as N37585. Everts acquired it in 1994 and operated it for 18 years until withdrawn from use in 2012. It is now stored at Fairbanks, AK and used for spares to keep the rest of their fleet in the air.

At the time this rare Packet (delivered to the USAF in 1948 as 45-57814) was used by Northern Pacific Transport to haul cargo (mainly fish) all through Alaska. It flew with TWA from 1956 to 1972, and the remnants of their livery are still visible on the fin and fuselage. Also visible are faded "Briles" titles, from its time with Briles Wing & Helicopter during the mid 1970s. In 1992 it was sold and flown to Greybull, WY, where it survived as the world's only flying Packet. In 2006 the Hagerstown Aviation Museum bought it, and the delivery flight to the museum on 15 October 2006 was the last ever flight of a Fairchild C-82 Packet worldwide.

A dull grey winter day, typical for Amsterdam, brought this very nice visitor, not typical for Amsterdam at all. Became CU-C1258 shortly after this photo was taken, then CU-C1419, then sold to Aerocom as ER-IBE in May 2002. It reportedly went to Angola as D2-FCO in 2006, where it was broken up at Luanda in Aug 2015.

During the mid 1980s Marco Airways (formerly Marco Island Airways) was taken over by PBA. Their Martin 404s ended up at PBA's base at Naples, but sadly they never entered service with their new owner. This particular example was scrapped here in 1993-1994.

LZ-BEI rotating on take-off from 24, nicely lit by a low, early-morning sun. This former LOT aircraft (ex SP-LSC) joined the Balkan fleet two years earlier, and was withdrawn from use in 1997. It was broken up in 1999-2000.

N40407 , withdrawn from use, but looking a lot better than PBA Cessna 402 N68PB next to it. A few months later this aircraft was ferried to Gulfport-Biloxi, MS and later to Bay St. Louis-Stennis, MS for continued storage. Unfortunately it was dismantled there in 2002, and its cockpit section went to Chino, CA for display in the Yanks Air Museum.

Quite a few of these military freighters were seen at western European airports during the Iran-Iraq war, particularly in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Although always flown under Iraqi Airways flight numbers and with civil registrations, they were operated for the military.

Gloomy Chugach Mountains looking down on the Northern Pacific Transport "apron" at Anchorage. It shows a typical Alaskan aviation scene as it existed up until the early 1990s, with a lot more tail fins than aircraft. On the right there are three C-82 Packets (left to right: N9701F, N8009E, N5102B) and on the left three C-119 Flying Boxcars (N9027K, N8505A, N8504Z). Stuck in the middle of all this military surplus is Reeve Aleutian YS-11 N171RV.

DDA's second DC-3 making a low pass over runway 32 (now closed), at the end of its delivery flight from Malta, in the company of ill-fated sistership PH-DDA. It already carries the name "Doornroosje" just below the cockpit window (with "Sleeping Beauty" on the right side). This DC-3 would not fly again for 12 years due to a very thorough restoration. When it did, on 7 May 1999, the Pyramid Airlines colours in this photo (ex SU-BFY) had been replaced by a nice retro Martin's Air Charter livery. The aircraft was withdrawn from use in October 2012, and initially stored at Amsterdam-Schiphol. In September 2016 it was dismantled and transported by barge to the Aviodrome Museum at Lelystad.

Miami's distinctive Freedom Tower (built in 1925) forms a nice backdrop for this Turbo Mallard, taxiing across Miami's harbour. The landing gear has already been lowered and engine power is about to be increased to taxi up the slope onto Watson Island's small ramp.

This former 144th TAS Provider was preserved just outside Kulis ANGB, surrounded by trees and with the beautiful Chugach Mountains in the background. The aircraft was dismantled and removed in early 2011, and trucked to nearby Elmendorf AFB, where it was re-assembled for continued display. It was still there by early 2021. In the 1970s this Provider flew for the Alaska Department of the Interior, under civilian registration N4393E.

"Large Marge", ex USAF 54-709 and bought from Ray Petkow's Classics in Aviation in December 2003, is a famous aircraft. It featured as the "Jailbird" in the 1997 movie Con Air, in which it did all the flying scenes. It even had two stand-ins, for the destructive scenes. They were N94DT c/n 20155 and ex USAF 56-4361 c/n 20245. All three looked identical, and all wore registration N709RR. Very confusing, but the one in this photo is the only real N709RR. Unfortunately this rare aircraft crashed in Denali National Park on 2 August 2010. Three people lost their lives in the crash.

Soc. Columbia was headquartered in Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. This explains the airline's name, and the tail logo, which is a stylized representation of the Santa Maria, the ship on which Columbus set out to discover America. Columbia operated this Herald (ex G-BFRJ) from 1984 until its bankruptcy in August 1986. A year later it was sold to Channel Express as G-CEXP, and in March 1996 it was wfu and put up for display on the visitor's terrace at London-Gatwick. It was removed from there in 2003, and by 2014 is sat derelict in a remote corner near the fire training area.

Nostalgia on final for runway 01R… During the mid 1980s Hawaiian Air briefly operated a service into Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport. It was always flown by this aircraft, which was their only DC-8-63. It was leased only two months before this shot was made (ex Iberia/Aviaco EC-BQS), and operated for ten years, until sold to Airborne Express as N822AX in 1994 and converted to a freighter. By 2003 it had been withdrawn from use.