Commando 44-77575
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando
USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77575
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32971
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1507
FATE: Preserved
Operational Record
December 1944 to September 1947
44-77575 - USAAF (USA)
December 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
Early 1945
Assigned to the 9th Air Force, 52nd Troop Carrier Wing, 313th Troop Carrier Group, 48th Troop Carrier Squadron based at Grevillers-Achiet (B-54), France.
Marked "Z7-W".
24 March 1945
Received major damage over Germany during Operation Varsity.
The Commando was assigned to Operation Varsity as Chalk 51, on a mission to take paratroopers of the 17th Airborne Division, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment and drop them over Wesel, Germany. During takeoff from Grevillers-Achiet, France, the left engine faltered but the aircraft continued its sortie. During the drop, the aircraft was hit by several 20mm and 40mm flak rounds and machine gun bullets, damaging the flight controls. The crew managed to take the aircraft back to Grevillers, but they ground looped on landing.
Temporarily repaired and ferried back to the USA.
Left: 44-77575 at an airfield somewhere in France, 1945.
Photo credit: USAAF / Marcin Rogowski
November 1955 to 1976
51-1124 - JASDF (JAPAN AIR SELF-DEFENSE FORCE) (JAPAN)
15 November 1955
Leased from the US Department of Defense as part of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP).
Below, left: 51-1124 on the left, with a host of other airplanes at Matsushima AB, Japan on 27 July 1964, possibly during a base open day?
Photo credit: Y. Toda / FlyTeam.jp
Below, right: 51-1124 taxiing for takeoff at Iruma AB, Japan on 3 November 1966.
Photo credit: apphg / FlyTeam.jp
Bottom, left: a nice color shot at Osaka, Japan on 22 September 1970.
Photo credit: Bo-Goran / Rainer Haufschild Collection, Aird Archives
Bottom, right: Despite the wrong livery - 51-1124 never wore a checkered tail - this drawing certainly offers other attractive features...
Photo credit: Koichi Yokoyama / Yokoyama Hoan Agency
1976 to October 1977
44-77575 - USAF (USA)
1976
Returned from lease and stored in Japan.
13 October 1977
Offered for sale at Miho AB, Japan. Total airframe time: 9,765 hours.
October 1977 to May 1982
N54510 - PRIVATE (USA)
October 1977
Purchased by Wayne Craft of Jackson, MS.
August 1978
Registered.
June 1980
Seen at Oakland, CA.
Right: N54510 with JASDF titles painted over at Madera, CA, unknown date.
Photo credit: Terry Fletcher / AV.CA
May 1982 to present
N54510 - PRIVATE (USA)
4 May 1982
Registered to Fred Patterson III of San Leandro, CA.
Circa 1982
Loaned to the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, CA.
October 1987
Displayed outdoors at the Castle Air Museum, christened "Dinjan".
18 April 2013
Registration cancelled, expired.
2014
Rechristened "Honey Gal", still displayed outdoors at the Castle Air Museum.
Below, left: "Dinjan" at he Castle Air Museam on 9 December 2013.
Photo credit: Eric Friedebach / Flickr
Below, right: a view of "Honey Gal's" cockpit, still in good shape!
Photo credit: Erik Frikke / AirHistory.net
Last edited: 13/03/2024