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The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 41-12353

Aircraft Identification

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-10-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-12353

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26480

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU120

FATE: Written off

Operational Record

  May 1943 to January 1946

  41-12353 - USAAF (USA)


1 May 1943

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.

  January 1946 to 1950

  41-12353 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)


15 January 1946

Transferred to RFC, stored at Ontario AAF, CA.

  1950

  N68737 - PRIVATE (USA)


1950

Purchased from RFC by Jack B. Hardwick.

  1950 to August 1953

  N68737 - RIDDLE AIRLINES (USA)


1950

Purchased.

1953

Withdrawn from use.

  August 1953 to September 1954

  N68737 - WILSON AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


August 1953

Purchased.

  September 1954 to April 1955

  N68737 - JORDAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES (JORDAN)


September 1954

Leased from the Wilson Aircraft Corporation. Ferried to Amman, Jordan via Prestwick, UK.

  April 1955 to November 1955

  N68737 - WILSON AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


4 April 1955

Returned from lease to Jordan International. Ferried back from Amman, Jordan via Prestwick, UK.

  November 1955 to December 1955

  N68737 - WILLIAM G. SPILLMAN (USA)


November 1955

Purchased by William G. Spillman, owner of the Wilson Aircraft Corporation.

  December 1955 to unknown date

  XH-TNE (II) - TAN (TRANSPORTES AEREOS NACIONALES) (HONDURAS)


7 December 1955

Purchased.

  Unknown date to November 1957

  26480 - FUERZA AEREA ECUATORIANA (ECUADOR)


Unknown date

Purchased.

  November 1957 to December 1958

  HC-ABQ - ECUATORIANA DE AVIACION (ECUADOR)


November 1957

Purchased.

 

HC-ABQ boarding Ecuatoriana passengers.
Photo credit: Guido Chavez / www.nlarenas.com

 

  December 1958 to 1968

  HK-790 - LLOYD AEREO COLOMBIANO (COLOMBIA)


November 1955

Purchased.

1960

Probably stored as the company went out of business.

ca 1964

Leased shortly to Taxader.

  1968 to 1970

  HK-790 - AEROLINEAS TAO (COLOMBIA)


1968

Purchased.

 

Left: HK-790 in TAO colors refueling on a turnaround at Bogota El Dorado Airport, Colombia.
Photo credit: Jaime Escobar Corradine / www.aviacol.net

  1970 to March 1970

  HK-790 - AEROPESCA (COLOMBIA)


1970

Purchased.

March 1970

Damaged beyond repair at San Carlos de Guabor, near Villavicencio, Colombia. [sometimes reported in 1972]

Last edited: 28/03/2021