Commando 42-96669
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96669
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30331
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU867
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
July 1944 to August 1955
42-96669 - USAAF (USA)
31 July 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
23 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.
August 1955 to July 1956
N9902F - SANDAY & CO. (USA)
1 August 1955
Purchased.
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]
July 1956 to November 1963
N9902F - RIDDLE AIRLINES (USA)
31 July 1956
Purchased by Aircraft Investment Corporation and leased to Riddle Airlines.
19 July 1959
Purchased.
November 1963 to July 1964
N9902F - AIRLIFT INTERNATIONAL (USA)
29 November 1963
Transferred as Riddle Airlines became Airlift International.
July 1964 to September 1966
N9902F - ZANTOP AIR TRANSPORT (USA)
16 July 1964
Leased from Airlift International.
4 August 1966
Purchased. [30 June 1966 according to AB]
September 1966 to March 1968
N9902F - UNIVERSAL AIRLINES (USA)
September 1966
Transferred as Zantop Air Transport became Universal Airlines.
December 1968 to February 1970
N9902F - WILAIR INC. (USA)
9 December 1968
Purchased. [January 1969 according to AB]
November 1971 to October 1976
N9902F - SHAMROCK AIRLINES (USA)
19 November 1971
Purchased.
Right: N9902F in January 1976 wearing Shamrock colors.
Photo credit: Air Team Images / www.airteamimages.com
Below: Shamrock’s N9902F at San Juan Luis Munoz Marin, Puerto Rico on 14 April 1976, months before the airline’s demise.
Photo credit: Tony Pearce / Air Britain
August 1980 to unknown date
N9902F - CARIBBEAN TRADERS INC. (USA)
28 August 1980
Purchased. [23 October 1980 according to WBR & AV.CA]
Last edited: 18/02/2020