The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 43-47369

Aircraft Identification

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-60-CK Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47369

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 439

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK417

FATE: Unknown

Operational Record

  June 1945 to October 1945

  43-47369 - USAAF (USA)


11 June 1945

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Saint Louis, MO.

Assigned to the 1st Operational Training Unit (1 OTU) based at Rosecrans Field, MO.

Remained within the Continental USA.

  October 1945 to circa 1949

  43-47369 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)


26 October 1945

Transferred to RFC and stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.

  Circa 1949 to April 1950

  N1809M - ALASKA AIRLINES (USA)


Circa 1949

Purchased from RFC.

4 April 1950

Registered.

Probably not taken up.

  April 1950

  N1809M - DONALD "DON" L. CARDIFF (USA)


April 1950

Purchased from RFC.

8 June 1950

Registration cancelled, exported to Brazil.

  April 1950 to December 1950

  PP-XCB - COMPANHIA ITAU DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


5 April 1950

Purchased and assigned a temporary import registration. [also cited as PP-XCA, but that was most likely Commando 43-47359 instead]

Ferried to Brazil.

  December 1950 to October 1955

  PP-ITE - COMPANHIA ITAU DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


23 December 1950

Assigned a permanent registration.

  October 1955 to August 1956

  PP-ITE - TAN (TRANSPORTES AEREOS NACIONAL) (BRAZIL)


October 1955

Transferred as Itau was taken over by TAN.

  August 1956 to July 1959

  PP-ITE - REAL TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


August 1956

Transferred as TAN was taken over by REAL.

Probably continued operating in TAN colors.

  July 1959

  PP-ITE - PRIVATE (BRAZIL)


2 July 1959

Purchased by Remo DE PAOLI.

  July 1959 to January 1960

  PP-ITE - TAS (TRANSPORTES AEREOS SALVADOR) (BRAZIL)


30 July 1959

Purchased.

  January 1960 to August 1961

  PP-ITE - REAL TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


8 January 1960

Purchased back.

Probably still operated in TAN colors.

  August 1961 to September 1968

  PP-ITE - VARIG (BRAZIL)


August 1961

Transferred as REAL was taken over by Varig.

 

Below, left: PP-ITE in VARIG colors at Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont, Brazil in 1965.
Photo credit: the Samba Collection / AirTeamImages.com

Below, right: the same probably around the same period.
Photo credit: postcard, unknown

  September 1968 to 1981

  PP-ITE - ASL ARRUDA INDUSTRIA E COMERCIO (BRAZIL)


5 September 1968

Purchased.

20 November 1971

Transferred to subsidiary Amazonense Importacao e Exportacao Ltda.

Withdrawn from use and stored at Santa Isabel do Morro, Brazil. [in the state of Tocantins, not Goias as cited]

 

Right: PP-ITE at Rio de Janeiro Galeao, Brazil on 8 June 1969. "C-46F"... for Freighter presumably?
Photo credit: Vito Cedrini / Airliners.net

  1981

  PP-ITE - AVIMOTOR LDTA (BRAZIL)


1981

Purchased, still stored at Santa Isabel do Morro, Brazil.

 

Left: PP-ITA as it stood after several years of abandon in Santa Isabel do Morro, Brazil.
Photo credit: Diones Correa / Flickr

  1981 to March 1989

  PP-ITE - PRIVATE (BRAZIL)


1981

Purchased by Almir OLIVEIRA, still stored at Santa Isabel do Morro, Brazil.

Summarily repaired and ferried to Rio de Janeiro Jacarepagua, Brazil.

Overhauled.

 

Right: PP-ITE being worked on at Rio de Janeiro Jacarepagua, Brazil on 26 September 1982.
Photo credit: Vito Cedrini / Airliners.net

Below, left: PP-ITE operational again, still at Jacarepagua in November 1984.
Photo credit: Pedro Aragao

Below, right: the same, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: unknown.

  March 1989 to unknown date

  PP-ITE - ROYAL TAXI AEREO (BRAZIL)


March 1989

Purchased. [the aircraft was presumably already operated by Royal Taxi since the mid-1980's, possibly under lease]

Unknown date

Damaged in Belem, Brazil in a landing accident. [undocumented]

Stored in Belem, Brazil.

Fate unknown.

Last edited: 27/08/2023