This C-46F once flew with the Flying Tiger Line, when seen in 1992 it had been restored to their livery, but with TAVIC titles

This C-46F once flew with the Flying Tiger Line, when seen in 1992 it had been restored to their livery, but with TAVIC titles

On very short final over Eastwoodbury Lane for Runway 06. Built in January 1944 for US Navy as R5C-1 39526. Delivered to Transair Sweden on 30th April 1958. To Tor-Air in July 1965 and then Fairline Sweden in November 1966. Sold as 9Q-CRP to Anstalt Wigmo in Leopoldville in December 1967 and delivered to Congo 23rd January 1968.

Ex 44-78605. Sold to China National Aviation in 1946 and subsequently operated by several freight operators in the US before sale to Bolivia in 1976. Operated by Transportes Aereos Bolivar until 1983 when it was withdrawn and stored as seen here, before being bought and put back into service by Camba Transportes Aereos in 1996. Withdrawn again in 2000 before being bought by North East Bolivian Airways (NEBA). Sadly, the aircraft was destroyed in a crash at Santa Cruz Viru-Viru (VVI/SLVR) on 21 April 2012 while returning to make an emergency landing having just departed on a flight to Cobija

Photographer: Rainer Haufschild. Built for USAAF as 44-77846 delivered February 1945.

Photographer: Toshiyuki Toda - Built for USAAF as 44-77439 November 1944

Photo: Toshiyuki Toda

Photo: Unknown photographer

Damaged beyond repair landing at Prudhoe Bay/Deadhorse Airport, AK (SCC) in 1975 while flying for Fairbanks Air Service. Subsequently bought by Everts for spares use and remains still present in their yard at Fairbanks in 2021

Operated by Capitol Airways at the time.

Ex USAAF 44-77889 and JASDF 51-1122. Sold to Cliff Everts in 1978 and stored at Fairbanks for nearly twenty years before being restored to fly again in 1998. Aptly named 'Maid in Japan' the aircraft was badly damaged in an accident in 2002 but was repaired and is still flying in for Everts Air Cargo in February 2022.

Operated between Paraparaumu (then Wellington's main airport) on the North Island and Woodbourne on the South Island. The caption says it was during an industrial dispute affecting shipping. The arrival of new Bristol 170s saw the C-46s return to Taiwan. Photo from: Evening Post/Alexander Turnbull Library

Three C-46s in any one place is pretty special but when they are Chinese Air Force that makes it even more so. These were one of the first displays to be seen when entering the museum in 1991, sadly, none at the time had visible serials. One, since identified as 36044 has moved on to the China Civil Aviiation Museum while the other two, both of which remain unidentified remain at Datangshan.

Ex 44-78645 and N1913M with Riddle Airlines and Zantop before export to Colombia in March 1966, joining Aerocondor as HK-400. It stayed in Colombia operating with Taxi Aero Opita, Aerolineas Medellin, SADELCA and Intercontinental before joining Aerosol in 1987. Crashed at La Colonia during an emergency landing en-route Mitú to Villavicencio in August 1993.

Ex 44-78055, N9895Z. B-918 and XW-EAB. To XW-PBW in 1964. According to Joe Leeker, the aircraft was probably owned by the Laotian government from 1963 and painted like this, wearing Laotian insignia, but maintained and flown by Air America and associated operators until 1973, when it went to Royal Air Lao. Crashed in 1974 on a cargo dropping flight. Muong Kassy is also called Muang Kasi or Kasi. Photo by: Joel Halpern / University of Wisconsin-Madison

Ex 44-78245. Already used in Asia by Civil Air Transport in the early 1950s. To Braniff as N1383N in 1955, to Air America in 1963. To Oasis in 1975 as RP-C1461. Withdrawn in 1980 or 1982 and scrapped. Photo by: Frederic C Benson / University of Wisconsin-Madison

Withdrawn from use in 1953. Photo from: Whites Aviation Collection/Alexander Turnbull Library

Originally delivered to the USAAF as 41-12306.

Pictured before receiving titles, Northland Air Manitoba had bought this C-46 in January 1987.