Commando 41-12346
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-10-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-12346
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26473
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU113
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
May 1943
41-12346 - USAAF (USA)
1 May 1943
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
May 1943 to July 1948
39498 - US MARINE CORPS (USA)
22 May 1943
Transferred as R5C-1.
By August 1944
Assigned to MAW-4, VMJ-252.
September 1944
Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-35.
March 1945
Assigned to NAS San Diego, CA.
June 1945
Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-35.
September 1945
Assigned to MAG-35 Service Squadron (Servron-35).
February 1946
Assigned to NAS San Diego, CA.
1 April 1946
Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-35.
Assigned to Marine Fleet Air, West Coast.
29 April 1946
Assigned to MAG-3. [unknown unit, probably a typo in AB]
June 1946
Assigned to MAG-21, VMR-252, based at MCAS Cherry Point, NC.
Sometime in late 1946 or early 1947
Assigned to NAS Norfolk, VA.
31 May 1947
Stricken off charge as surplus.
Right: scan of an old picture showing 39498 parked in front of a row of Corsairs.
Photo credit : Alan Stinar
February 1957 to June 1957
N4084A - MARCO INDUSTRIES INC. (USA)
February 1957
Purchased from the US Coast Guard.
June 1957 to May 1958
N4084A - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)
June 1957
Purchased, rebuilt and converted to Super 46C.
May 1958 to January 1961
SE-CFE - TRANSAIR SWEDEN (SWEDEN)
May 1958
Delivered to Sweden from Miami, FL. Total airframe time 2,621 hours.
6 June 1958
Entered service.
Left: a blurred shot of Transair’s SE-CFE.
Photo credit: unknown / transairsweden.com
January 1961 to February 1963
SE-CFE - ONUC (UNITED NATIONS OPERATION IN THE CONGO)
January 1961
Wet-leased by Transair Sweden to the United Nations mission in Congo.
4 January 1961
Delivered from Malmo, Sweden to Leopoldville, Congo.
12 October 1961
Left Leopoldville, Congo to be overhauled at Officine Aeronavali in Venice, Italy.
27 May 1962
Returned to Malmo, Sweden.
30 May 1962
Left Malmo, Sweden for Leopoldville, Congo.
Right: Transair Sweden crew working on SE-CFE in UN colors on the tarmac of Ndjili Airport, Leopoldville, Congo.
Below: SE-CFE on the ramp in UN colors.
Photo credit: Capt. Hans Hanes / transairsweden.com
February 1963 to December 1963
SE-CFE - TRANSAIR SWEDEN (SWEDEN)
27 February 1963
Left Leopoldville, Congo for Malmo, Sweden – end of lease contract with the United Nations.
December 1963 to June 1964
SE-CFE - CONGO GOVERNMENT (CONGO LEOPOLDVILLE)
December 1963
Leased by Transair Sweden to the Congo Government.
15 December 1963
Delivered from Malmo, Sweden to Leopoldville, Congo.
June 1964 to November 1965
SE-CFE - TRANSAIR SWEDEN (SWEDEN)
6 June 1964
Returned to Malmo, Sweden from Leopoldville, Congo – end of lease contract with the Congo Government.
November 1965 to November 1966
SE-CFE - TOR-AIR (SWEDEN)
1 November 1965
Purchased, but not repainted.
Right: SE-CFE boarding passengers at London Gatwick, UK in 1966.
Photo credit: Brendan McCartney / Air Britain.
Below: SE-CFE being loaded at the old cargo ramp of Amsterdam Schiphol, the Netherlands.
Photo credit : unknown / oud16hoven.nl
November 1966 to February 1967
SE-CFE - FAIRLINE (SWEDEN)
November 1966
Purchased but never put in service.
February 1967 to June 1967
SE-CFE - EUROSA (SWEDEN)
15 February 1967
Purchased.
Probably never operated.
June 1967 to July 1967
9Q-CZG - PRIVATE (CONGO KINSHASA)
5 June 1967
Purchased by Raymond Tluszoz of Kinshasa, Congo. [or Tluszcz]
14 July 1967
Left Malmo, Sweden on its delivery flight to Kinshasa, Congo.
July 1967 to 1968
9Q-CZG - COGEAIR (COMPAGNIE GENERALE AERIENNE AFRICAINE) (CONGO KINSHASA)
July 1967
Purchased. [mispelled by some sources as “Loge-Air” and identified as a separate operator but unlikely]
1969 to 1971
9T-PLG - SODEMAC (CONGO KINSHASA)
1969
Transferred as Wigmo changed its name to SODEMAC.
August 1971
Withdrawn from use and stored at Kinshasa Ndjili, Congo.
1971 to early 1980's
9T-PLG - SODEMAZ (ZAIRE)
1971
Transferred as SODEMAC changed its name to SODEMAZ.
Early 1980's
Last seen abandonned at Kinshasa Ndjili, Zaire.
Broken up.
Last edited: 17/04/2021