The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 42-96615

Aircraft Identification

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96615

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30277

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU813

FATE: Unknown

Operational Record

  July 1944 to 1954

  42-96615 - USAAF (USA)


18 July 1944

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

9 August 1944

Assigned to ATC North African Division.

Unknown date

Assigned to Cairo Payne Field, Egypt.

23 July 1946

Condemned for salvage, probably by the Army-Navy Liquidation Commission, but apparently not broken up.

  1954 to August 1955

  N9906F - SANDAY & CO. (USA)


1954

Purchased.

13 July 1955

Overhauled and converted to C-46F by Officine Aeronavali in Venice, Italy.

["C-46F" is believed to mean "C-46 Freighter" and not the USAAF C-46F designation]

[some sources mention direct ownership of this aircraft by Officine Aeronavali]

  August 1955 to August 1960

  N9906F - METEOR AIR TRANSPORT (USA)


4 August 1955

Delivered from Venice, Italy to Teterboro, NJ via Prestwick, UK. [several sources suggest this Commando may have been purchased by Riddle and then leased to Meteor]

1 September 1955

Purchased.

1957

Taken as warranty by Metropolitan Air Terminal of Bergen County, Teterboro, NJ against a cash loan to Meteor.

1958

Repossessed by Metropolitan Air Terminal.

 

Right: N9906F in Meteor Air Transport colors at an unknown airfield in June 1950. [dates discrepancy]
Photo credit: Paul Zogg / www.zoggavia.com

  August 1960 to June 1963

  N9906F - RIDDLE AIRLINES (USA)


1 August 1960

Purchased.

  June 1963 to May 1966

  N9906F - ZANTOP AIR TRANSPORT (USA)


13 June 1963

Purchased.

  May 1966 to October 1969

  N9906F - SERVICIOS AMERICANOS SA (USA)


5 May 1966

Purchased by Robert Becker of Miami, FL, owner of Servicios Americanos SA and converted to sprayer.

Used for crop dusting operations in various Latin American countries.

1967

Seized by the District Court of Florida in Miami, FL. [by US Customs in 1968 according to AB]

  October 1969 to November 1969

  N9906F - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


21 October 1969

Purchased.

  November 1969 to October 1971

  N9906F - GLOBAL AIRCRAFT LEASING (USA)


11 November 1969

Purchased.

  October 1971 to July 1972

  N9906F - GIBRALTAR SOUTHWEST CORPORATION (USA)


October 1971

Purchased.

  July 1972

  N9906F - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


24 July 1972

Purchased.

  July 1972 to July 1977

  N9906F - CLARKS AERIAL SERVICE INC. (USA)


28 July 1972

Purchased. Mostly used for seed spreading.

  July 1977 to October 1977

  N9906F - PRIVATE (USA)


22 July 1977

Purchased by Ewelt K. Nold Jr..

  October 1977 to May 1978

  N9906F - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


16 October 1977

Purchased.

  May 1978 to unknown date

  N9906F - AEROSPACE INTERNATIONAL (USA)


24 May 1978

Purchased and stored.

Last edited: 04/02/2020