Brand-new Convair at the factory, awaiting delivery in October 1948.

Johnson Flying Service is best known for its Ford Tri-Motors and the US Forest Service "Smoke Jumpers", but they also operated this C-46 and a DC-3 out of Missoula, Montana. For those who look at backgrounds - that is an Oakland Navy Reserve Lockheed PV-2.

Handed over to the RAF in May 1941, but remained based at Albuquerque, NM for training of RAF pilots by TWA instructors. Damaged in a landing accident in Jun 1941. Rebuilt as an RLB-30 with a solid keel (no bomb bay doors) and loaned to Consolidated for pax & cargo flights between their production plants in the USA. Operated with USAAF roundels as seen here, but reason unknown as still British-owned. Ownership transferred to Consolidated and registered to them as NL24927 on 1 Apr 1947. Sold to the Continental Can Company as an executive aircraft on 10 Nov 1948 as N1503. Became XC-CAY with PEMEX on 4 Nov 1959, then to N12905 with the Confederate Air Force in Jun 1968. Reregistered N24927 in Oct 1990 and was still flying as such by 2019.

Executive aircraft for the Continental Can Company, with their CCC logo on the nose. It served them from 1948 until 1959, when it was sold to PEMEX as XC-CAY, again as an executive aircraft. Acquired by the Confederate Air Force in 1967 and became N12905 the following year, flying as "Diamond Lil". Reregistered to N24927 in 1990, this Liberator was still flying with them by 2019.

Gladys Davis flying her M-18C over downtown Concord, California, with appropriate "City of Concord - California" titles. She was on her way to the start of the Powder Puff Derby, an annual women's cross-country race from California to South Carolina. She came in fifth.

A North American F-86A-5-NA Sabre carrying the bull's-eye insignia of the 3525th Aircraft Gunnery Squadron at Las Vegas AAF (now Nellis AFB). This Sabre was written off at Las Vegas AAF on 7 August 1951.

Grumman C-1A Trader freshly washed down at NAS Alameda.

This Monocoupe, built in 1937 and seen here photographed in 1948, was still current by 2013, owned by Raymond Gallarate.

Captain Elgen Long (first name often misspelled as Elgin or Eglin) flew around the world "vertically" over the North and South Poles in this Piper Navajo. The flight took place between 5 Nov 1971 and 3 Dec 1971 and covered 38,896 miles. The aircraft carries "First Solo Flight Around The World Over Both Poles" and "Crossroads Record" titles.

Former VH-UUI became N240G in May 1966, but in this photo it does not appear to be carrying its new registration yet. This General Aircraft Company Genairco Cabin biplane was first registered in Australia as VH-UOH on 2 June 1930, and reregistered as VH-UUI on 24 Sep 1936. In the late 1980s it was acquired by Kermit Weeks. Note the landing gear struts, inboard top wing struts, window and tail shapes.

Carries its actual registration N168G on the fin, and its previous registration VH-AFN on the fuselage and on the wings. Ex RAAF A7-44, licence-built by the Larkin Supply Co. (LASCO) in Melbourne, Australia. VH-AFN was cancelled on export to the USA on 21 May 1968, not long before this photo was taken.

The sole Martin JRM-2 Mars on exhibit at the San Francisco Airport Air Fair.

Chinese Central Air Transport XT-608 landing at San Diego. This is a 1-1/4 inch image in the middle of a large negative (no telephoto).

Air Rescue Service Catalina from Hamilton Field flying over Marin County, north of San Francisco. Photographed from an AF Reserve AT-6C. Ex BuNo 67888, later to CF-NCJ.

Sprayer aircraft operated by the SkySpray division of United Heckathorn. This is one of the C-82s that operated agricultural spraying missions in Florida. This Packet crashed at Boca Raton, FL on 8 August 1956, only three months after this photo was taken. The other C-82 on the right is N4829V.

One of my earlier photos, taken in 1937 and showing an early F3F from the initial production batch for the US Navy. In those Black and White photography days we always preferred a Number 10 striped plane because the black always looked best on the finished photo. Red (Number 1) would come out dark but never as dramatic.

The wartime camouflage on the hangars was still evident in 1948.

Mounted on the pylon inside the main gate at Alameda Point (former NAS Alameda), beautifully repaired after the mishap on 14 June 2011 when the crane tipped over (see here).

A rare one I think, at least it is the only one that I was ever able to photograph. It is a rebuild of B-57B 52-1573. Soon after this photo was taken, the RB-57F was redesignated to WB-57F.