Commando 43-47190
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-55-CK Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47190
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 261
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK238
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
February 1945 to November 1945
43-47190 - USAAF (USA)
14 February 1945
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Louisville, KY.
Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command based at Baer Field, IN.
Mid-1945
Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command based at 810th AAF Base Unit, Laurinburg-Maxton AAB, NC.
Remained within the continental USA.
November 1945
43-47190 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
6 November 1945
Transferred to RFC and stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.
December 1945 to 1947
YS-01C - TACA (TRANSPORTES AEREOS CENTROAMERICANOS) (EL SALVADOR)
15 December 1945
Purchased.
4 September 1946
Registered.
1947 to 1948
N75393 - FRANCIS "GUS" A. CONNER (USA)
1947
Purchased. [seemingly operated by Intercontinental Airways or Trans Continental Airways, an airline which was not clearly identified]
Late 1947
Withdrawn from use and stored on the ramp at Oakland, CA.
1948
N75393 - ADOLPH "AL" W. SCHWIMMER (USA)
1948
Purchased and ferried to Burbank, CA for refurbishment, with the aim of sending it to Israel in support of the Haganah.
1948
RX-130 - LAPSA (LINEAS AEREAS DE PANAMA SA) (PANAMA)
1948
Purchased by Panamian front company to be sent to Israel.
Painted in LAPSA's livery in Burbank, CA.
Early April 1948
Departed Burbank, CA on the ferry flight to Israel, flown by Capt. Sam Lewis.
Followed the route Los Angeles, CA - Tijuana, Mexico - Mazatlan, Mexico.
23 April 1948
Landed in Mexico City, Mexico to refuel as no 100-octane was available in Mazatlan, Mexico.
Followed the route Tapachula, Mexico - Managua, Guatemala - Panama Tocumen, Panama.
8 May 1948
Departed from Panama Tocumen, Panama, flown by Capt. Hal Aurbach & First Officer Bob Lowry.
Landed in Paramaribo, Surinam in the late evening.
10 May 1948
Landed in Natal, Brazil.
13 May 1948
Departed Natal, Brazil for the transatlantic crossing, but turned back due to a propeller problem.
Repaired with the help of Brazilian Air Force mechanics.
17 May 1948
Departed Natal, Brazil and landed in Dakar, Senegal after 11 flight hours.
18 May 1948
Departed Dakar, Senegal and landed at Casablanca Anfa, French Morocco after 9 flight hours.
20 May 1948
Departed Casablanca Anfa, French Morocco and landed in Catania, Italy.
21 May 1948
Departed Catania, Italy and landed in Zatec, Czechoslovakia via Brno, Czechoslovakia.
23 May 1948
Navigator Al Dubrovnik joined the crew.
Departed Zatec, Czechoslovakia with the following payload (Balak flight n°10, performed with sistership RX-136 (I)):
- 3 Avia S-199 fighter props weighing 840 Kg
- 5 bomb boxes
- 18 ammo boxes with 13 mm rounds
- 8 ammo boxes with 20 mm rounds
Landed at Ekron AB, Israel in thick fog while RX-136 (I) crashed.
May 1948 to December 1948
RX-130 - IAF (ISRAELI AIR FORCE) (ISRAEL)
24 May 1948
Effectively joined the ATG (Air Transport Group) of the Israeli Air Force, still bearing a Panamian registration.
Departed Ekron AB, Israel for Zatec, Czechoslovakia.
Crew:
Arnold Eilwhite, Captain
Siril Steinberg, First Officer
Al Dubrovnik, Navigator
Made an emergency landing on a military field on Rhodos Island, Greece after the right engine failed. [also quoted as Arxus Island, Greece, and unidentified location]
Airplane seized and crew arrested by Greek authorities.
14 July 1948
Departed Rhodos Island, Greece after successful negotiations with Greek authorities.
18 July 1948
Arrived in Zatec, Czechoslovakia.
Right engine repaired.
19 July 1948
Departed Zatec, Czechoslovakia with the following payload (Balak flight n°69):
- One new S-199 aircraft without prop
- Several boxes of 2-kg bombs.
Landed at Ekron AB, Israel at midnight.
20 July 1948
Departed Ekron AB, Israel at 0807 LT. Three minutes after airborne, turned back to Ekron AB due to engine problems.
Engine repaired, departed Ekron AB again at 2357 LT to Adaccio. [unidentified location, possibly Ajaccio, France]
3 August 1948
Landed at Ekron AB, Israel at 2340 LT with a payload of 34 boxes of 70-kg aerial bombs for S-199 fighters (Balak flight n°83).
4 August 1948
Departed Ekron AB, Israel at 0447 LT.
August 1948
Landed at Ekron AB, Israel with a payload of 19 boxes of 70-kg aerial bombs for S-199 fighters (Balak flight n°88).
Participated in Operation Avak delivering ammunition to the Israeli Defense Forces at the Avraham landing strip in the Negev Desert.
30 September 1948
Took part in Operation Velveta, providing SAR escort to a Spitfire squadron just purchased by IAF.
Departed Czechoslovakia to Nicsik, Yugoslavia onward to Israel along with sistership RX-137, acting as navigation leader for 11 Spitfires and carrying lifeboat for crew rescue. Flight time 6.5 hours.
14-15 and 21-22 October 1948
Took part in Operation Egrof, bombing Egyptian positions in the Negev Desert, dropping bomb-ladden pallets through the cargo doors.
Total bombing missions flight time 5.6 hours, and 3,350 kg of bombs dropped.
16 November 1948
Operated the first paratroop drop mission in IAF history from Ramat David AB, Israel, flown by Bertill Crockstead. The first paratrooper opened his parachute too early, got entangled in the tailwheel, and eventually got killed.
December 1948 to January 1950
1701 - IAF (ISRAELI AIR FORCE) (ISRAEL)
17 December 1948
Reassigned to IAF 106 Transport Squadron, and callsign changed to 1701.
Took part in IDF Operations Horev and Ovda.
Right: 1701 in its late IAF livery.
Artwork credit: Amos Dor
January 1950 to March 1950
4X-ACF - EL AL (ISRAEL)
24 January 1950
Transferred to El Al, registered and christened "Eilata" (Hebrew for "to Eilat").
Operated short-range flights to Nicosia, Cyprus, Athens, Greece, Istanbul, Turkey and Eilat, Israel.
Left: 4X-ACF with El Al, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: El Al Archive / Israel Airline Museum
March 1950 to September 1950
CU-T450 - INTERCONTINENTAL AEREA DE CUBA (CUBA)
March 1950
Transferred to a front company used by El Al to perform refugee flights to various countries, using a phony livery and registration.
Performed several refugee flights as part of Operation Magic Carpet, evacuating Yemeni Jews to Israel.
Repeatedly operated several daily 7-hour flights, routing Lod, Israel - Asmara, Ethiopia - Aden, Yemen - Lod, Israel.
September 1950 to July 1955
4X-ALB - EL AL (ISRAEL)
September 1950
Returned to El Al.
17 December 1950
4X-ACF registration cancelled, and either withdrawn from use or possibly transferred back to IAF.
ca 1951
Reregistered 4X-ALB and returned to service with El Al.
Performed cargo flights to Europe.
18 July 1955
4X-ALB registration cancelled, exported to the USA.
July 1955 to September 1955
N75393 - AAXICO (USA)
21 July 1955
Ferried from Israel to the USA via Prestwick, UK.
27 July 1955
Purchased.
24 August 1955
Registered.
September 1955 to December 1955
N75393 - HOWARD J. & GERALDINE F. KORTH (USA)
1 September 1955
Purchased by Howard J. KORTH, CEO of AAXICO, and his wife.
Possibly operated by Riddle Airlines for a short period. [TBC]
December 1955 to March 1956
N75393 - TACA INTERNATIONAL (EL SALVADOR)
December 1945
Leased from Howard J. KORTH and his wife.
March 1956 to unknown date
YS-35 - TACA INTERNATIONAL (EL SALVADOR)
19 March 1956
Purchased.
6 September 1956
US registration cancelled.
Unknown date
Reregistered.
Unknown date to 1978
HI-196 - AEROMAR (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
By September 1970
Purchased.
Unknown date
Withdrawn from use and stored at Las Americas International, Dominican Republic and used for spares.
Right: HI-196 seen at Las Americas on 16 April 1976, in the grass and missing an engine.
Photo credit: Tony Pearce / Air Britain
1978 to April 1987
HI-196 - AEROLINEAS ARGO (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
1978
Purchased to be used for spares, but returned to service instead.
1983
Withdrawn from use and stored at Las Americas International, Dominican Republic.
Left: back in flying shape with Argo, HI-196 seen at Kendall-Tamiami Airport, FL in the winter of 1986.
Photo credit: Reinhard Zinabold / AV.CA
April 1987 to 1999
HI-495CT - AMSA (AEROLINEAS MUNDO SA) (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
April 1987
Purchased and returned to service. [registration also quoted as HI-495CA or HI-495SP]
Christene "City of Santiago R.D.".
April 1994
Withdrawn from use and stored at Las Americas International, Dominican Republic.
Right: AMSA's HI-495CT still looking fit on 15 November 1992, probably at Las Americas.
Photo credit: Peter M. Garwood / AV.CA
1999 to present
HI-495 - IAF (ISRAELI AIR FORCE) (ISRAEL)
1999
Purchased by the IAF with the aim of returning it to flying condition and ferrying it to Israel.
By May 2001
Still stored at Las Americas International, Dominican Republic.
Not advertised as part of the IAF Museum in Hatzerim, Israel as of August 2021.
Fate unknown.
Last edited: 04/01/2024