The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 42-96792

Aircraft Identification

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96792

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30454

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU990

FATE: Stored

Operational Record

  September 1944 to August 1949

  42-96792 - USAAF (USA)


13 September 1944

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

3 October 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.

  August 1949 to August 1951

  SU-AFU - SAIDE (SERVICES AERIENS INTERNATIONAUX D'EGYPTE) (EGYPT)


13 August 1949

Purchased.

  August 1951 to October 1951

  N3940C - PRIVATE (USA)


31 August 1951

Purchased by Ben Terry.

[AB quotes this Commando as operated by Transaire de Cuba around this time, but no info]

  October 1951 to November 1951

  N3940C - AIRCAR (AIR CARRIER SERVICE CORPORATION) (USA)


31 October 1951

Purchased.

  November 1951 to July 1952

  PP-YQI - REAL TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


15 November 1951

Purchased.

  July 1952 to September 1969

  PP-VCG - VARIG (BRAZIL)


1 July 1952

Transferred as REAL merged into VARIG.

8 September 1952

Reregistered.

Unknown date

Fitted with Turbomeca Palas turbojets.

July 1961

Converted to Super 46C.

10 September 1969

Registration cancelled for export.

 

Right: A fantastic air-to-air shot of PP-VCG, in its Palas configuration.
Photo credit: unknown / Historia da Vida de un Aeronauta http://cmtebordini.blogspot.com/2012/05/
Below: PP-VCG at an unknow date, with the underwing turbojets clearly visible.
Photo credit: unknown postcard / www.edcoatescollection.com

  September 1969 to April 1970

  N8874 - FLIGHT LEASE INC. (USA)


September 1969

Purchased.

  April 1970 to July 1970

  N8874 - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


April 1970

Purchased.

  July 1970 to May 1971

  YV-C-SBP - ACASA (AEROVIAS CA SERVICIOS APURE) (VENEZUELA)


28 July 1970

Purchased.

6 October 1970

Registration cancelled as not taken up.

  May 1971 to April 1973

  N8874 - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


10 May 1971

Repossessed from ACASA.

  April 1973 to 1974

  N8874 - FLORIDA AIRCRAFT LEASING CORPORATION (USA)


April 1973

Purchased and stored at Fort Lauderdale, FL.

[AB quotes this Commando operated by Dow Jones & Co. in that period]

  1974 to October 1974

  N8874 - KENDALL AIRCRAFT LEASING CORPORATION (USA)


1974

Purchased.

  October 1974 to February 1978

  N8874 - AIR HAITI (HAITI)


October 1974

Leased from Kendall Aircraft Leasing Corporation, and christened “Vertieves” [or “Vertieres”].

 

Right: Barely fitting in the frame, N8874 still bearing its US registration is seen in Miami, FL in the mid-1970’s.
Photo credit: Geoff Goodall / www.goodall.com.au
Below: Freshly leased N8874 is being towed up Miami’s ramp on 19 June 1974.
Photo credit: The Binman / Airliners.net

  February 1978 to present

  HH-AHD - AIR HAITI (HAITI)


3 February 1978

Purchased and registered.

Unknown date

Withdrawn from use and stored in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

 

Above: the same in San Juan, PR now registered in Haiti, starting the port engine in a cloud of smoke in December 1981.
Photo credit: Danny Grew / www.edcoatescollection.com
Left: the beginning of the end: HH-AHD already missing an engine in 1989 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Photo credit: Larry Johnson / AV.CA

 

Last edited: 13/09/2020