Commando 44-77709

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77709

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 33105

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1641

FATE: Unknown

  January 1945 to September 1947

  44-77709 - USAAF (USA)

January 1945

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

  September 1947 to November 1965

  44-77709 - USAF (USA)

18 September 1947

Transferred.

Unknown date

Assigned to the 2578^th Air Force Reserve Training Center based at Ellington AFB, TX.

10 May 1958

Assigned to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

  November 1965 to January 1967

  N54773 - MARATHON AVIATION CORPORATION (USA)

4 January 1965

First application for registration. [while the aircraft was still at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ and not yet purchased!]

22 November 1965

Purchased.

Second application for registration.

2 April 1966

Departed Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ for Miami, FL. [AIIMF?]

Overhauled by Intermountain Aviation at Marana, AZ.

22 October 1966

Application for certificate of airworthiness. Total time airframe 4,660 hours.

26 October 1966

Experimental certificate of airworthiness issued, expiring 26 January 1967.

  January 1967 to August 1967

  N54773 - TRADEWINDS CARGO INC. (USA)

16 January 1967

Purchased.

20 January 1967

Registered.

27 January 1967

Application for certificate of airworthiness. Total time airframe 4,876 hours.

Experimental certificate of airworthiness issued, expiring 27 July 1967.

9 March 1967

Registration cancelled, exported to Thailand.

  August 1967 to February 1970

  VT-DVR - MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (INDIA)

17 August 1967

Registered.

Operated by the Aviation Research Center (ARC) of India with the technical support of the CIA as part of operation Oak Tree.

Based at Charbatia AB, Odisha, India, flying clandestine missions over Chinese-occupied Tibet.

  February 1970 to April 1973

  44-77709 - USAF (USA)

28 February 1970

Returned to the USAF.

Assigned to the 56^th Special Operations Wing based at Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand.

1 April 1973

Struck off charge.

Fate unknown, probably never left India.