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The Curtiss Commando Page

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.

  November 1945 to December 1945

  43-47190 - HOWARD J. KORTH (USA)


November 1945

Purchased from RFC.

  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Withdrawn from use and stored on the ramp at Oakland, CA.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