Preparing for American's first cargo flight, which they claimed to be the first scheduled cargo flight in the world. Note the Flagship Airfreighter titles. The flight, which took 19 hours, carried more than 2,700 kg of cargo from LaGuardia Field to Burbank, California. This very early DC-3 was delivered as a Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) in June 1936, before being impressed by the USAAF as 42-56103 in May 1942 and converted to C-49E. The aircraft was returned to American in June 1944 and served with them until sold in August 1947. It eventually crashed on 28 December 1948 en-route from San Juan (PR) to Miami. Photo from: American Airlines

now resides at the C.R. Smith Museum at Dallas / Fort Worth International - photographer unknown

Assigned to 4412 Combat Crew Training Squadron.

A65-123 was attached to No. 86 Transport Wing when the wing was transferred to Canberra in a VIP role. 1954 was the year Queen Elizabeth II visited Australia. Due to lack of suitable RAAF aircraft, a Qantas Constellation and a TAA Convair 240 were chartered. But for smaller airports A65-123 was used. It had the Queen's crest in place of the 86 Wing crest. A23-123 continued in a VIP role (with 34 Squadron) until 1968 when it was transferred to the Navy as N2-123. Kangaroo roundels replaced the RAF roundels in 1956. Photo from: National Library of Australia

Ex USAAF 43-49570

on display at Chiang Mai for the Tango Squadron Foundation. Ex USAF 42-108840, Royal Australian Air Force A65-36 and Qantas VH-EBF. Also been with Thai Airways for a while as HS-TDI

This Li-2 carries 209 in the wheel bay and is believed to be ex-Romanian AF. It has been preserved in a garden in Faget for many years and has become something of a local tourist attraction.

One of the few surviving genuine DC-3s delivered to American Airlines as NC25658 "Flagship Cleveland" in March 1940, prior to the US entry into WWII. PBA retired its DC-3s after a take-over in 1988 and after a period of storage the aircraft was re-registered N922CA with Champlain Air. In April 2009 it was acquired by the Swiss Constellation Flyers Association, ferried to Switzerland, re-registered HB-IRJ and flew in the colours of its sponsor Breitling. It was sold to the Turkish Air & Space Museum in March 2019 and in May 2021 was transferred to the US register as N3291.

A65-85 was at the time allocated for the use of the Governor-General of Australia. Continued in a VIP role until 1965. Sold in 1967 as N16130 before being on-sold in Indonesia as PK-JDG. Photo from: National Library of Australia

one of the "RI-001" aircraft in Indonesia, this one with probably fake PK-GDZ registration.

Parked outside the Buffalo Airways hangar at Yellowknife Airport. Written off the following year, on 19 August 2013, making an emergency landing off Yellowknife's main runway, after a go around following an engine fire on takeoff, overweight and with a prop which would not feather properly.

The registration was cancelled on 22nd July 1988 after the aircraft had been exported to Peru as OB-T-1325, sadly shortly after arrival it's right-hand undercarriage collapsed whilst landing at the Juanjuí airstrip and was abandoned; it was last reported derelict there in 2017.

sitting on the ramp in wonderful winter-light

Built as 43-49719, to RAF as KK202 in January 1945 and flown in South East Asia. Bought by Manx Airlines in March 1963 and Air Kruise in November 1956. Air Kruise became part of Silver City in 1957 which in turn, became part of BUA in January 1962. Sold to Sabena as OO-SBK in March 1962 and leased to Spantax as EC-ASP in May 1962. Bought by them in December 1964 and sold to Aeroflete in March 1968. Withdrawn and stored at Madrid Barajas for almost 30 years before moving to the Fundació Parc Aeronàutic de Catalunya at Barcelona, Sabadel in 2011. Still awaiting restoration at time of upload.

Now preserved as N25673 in period Continental Airlines livery in The Lone Star Flight Museum at Ellington Airport, Houston, TX.