Commando 44-77564
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando
USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77564
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32960
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1496
FATE: Broken up
Operational Record
December 1944 to March 1946
44-77564- USAAF (USA)
13 December 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command based at Baer Field, IN.
Remained within the continental USA.
March 1946 to April 1948
44-77564 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
8 March 1946
Transferred to RFC and stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.
September 1948 to December 1949
XT-160 - CNAC (CHINA NATIONAL AVIATION CORPORATION) (CHINA)
30 September 1948
Purchased.
13 November 1949
Registration certificate suspended by the Nationalist government.
December 1949
XT-160 - CLAIRE L. CHENNAULT & WHITING WILLAUER (USA)
12 December 1949
Purchased by Claire Chennault & Whiting Willauer, managers of CAT – while the aircraft was at an unknown location. This was part of an attempt supported by the US State Department to regain ownership of several CNAC & CATC aircraft.
December 1949 to July 1953
N8381C - CAT (CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT) (TAIWAN)
19 December 1949
Transferred to CAT and registered.
26 February 1953
Registration cancelled, transferred to CAT SA, Panama.
July 1953 to October 1955
N4658V - CAT (CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT) (TAIWAN)
21 July 1953
Returned to Civil Air Transport.
23 July 1953
Registered.
October 1955 to September 1966
N612Z - ZANTOP FLYING SERVICE (USA)
19 October 1955
Purchased.
12 May 1960
Reregistered.
Right: N612Z in Zantop colors at Ontario, CA on 8 March 1963.
Photo credit: Hufford / American Aviation Historical Society
September 1966 to December 1969
N612Z - UNIVERSAL AIRLINES (USA)
21 September 1966
Transferred as Zantop became Universal.
Left: N612Z now in Universal Airlines colors, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: Historische Airlines & Airliners
December 1969 to July 1971
N609SE - SPAN EAST AIRLINES (USA)
30 December 1969
Purchased.
27 July 1970
Reregistered.
July 1971 to January 1975
N609SE - ORTNER AIR SERVICE (USA)
31 July 1971
Purchased by Quanama West Indies Company of Wakeman, OH, to be operated by Ortner Air Service.
13 September 1972
Certificate of airworthiness expiry.
Mid-1970's
Seized by the Internal Revenue Service at Wakeman, OH.
January 1975 to June 1975
N609SE - PRIVATE (USA)
9 January 1975
Purchased by Martin E. Ellsworth of Vermilion, OH.
August 1979 to September 1997
N609SE - PRIVATE (USA)
23 August 1979
Purchased by William F. Peel of Chevy Chase, DC.
20 September 1982
Certificate of registration issued.
1980's
Abandonned at Santo Domingo Las Americas, Dominican Republic.
Unknown date
Broken up.
11 September 1997
Registration cancelled, destroyed.
Right: N609SE at San Juan Luis Munoz Marin, PR on 29 March 1980, still wearing defunct CASAIR titles.
Photo credit: Danny Grew / AirHistory.net
Below, left: the same still in San Juan in April 1980. Despite her looks, she was still operating!
Photo credit: Jan Koppen / OldJets.net
Below, right: N609SE derelict at Santo Domingo Las Americas, January 1987.
Photo credit: Urs Baettig / Flickr
Last edited: 08/03/2024