Commando 44-77575

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

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77575

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32971

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1507

FATE: Preserved

  December 1944 to September 1947

  44-77575 - USAAF (USA)

December 1944

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

Early 1945

Assigned to the 9^th Air Force, 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing, 313^th Troop Carrier Group, 48^th Troop Carrier Squadron based at Grevillers-Achiet (B-54), France.

Marked "Z7-W".

24 March 1945

Received major damage over Germany during Operation Varsity.

The Commando was assigned to Operation Varsity as Chalk 51, on a mission to take paratroopers of the 17^th Airborne Division, 513^th Parachute Infantry Regiment and drop them over Wesel, Germany. During takeoff from Grevillers-Achiet, France, the left engine faltered but the aircraft continued its sortie. During the drop, the aircraft was hit by several 20mm and 40mm flak rounds and machine gun bullets, damaging the flight controls. The crew managed to take the aircraft back to Grevillers, but they ground looped on landing.

Temporarily repaired and ferried back to the USA.

Left: 44-77575 at an airfield somewhere in France, 1945.
Photo credit: USAAF / Marcin Rogowski

  September 1947 to November 1955

  44-77575 - USAF (USA)

18 September 1947

Transferred.

  November 1955 to 1976

  51-1124 - JASDF (JAPAN AIR SELF-DEFENSE FORCE) (JAPAN)

15 November 1955

Leased from the US Department of Defense as part of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP).

Below, left: 51-1124 on the left, with a host of other airplanes at Matsushima AB, Japan on 27 July 1964, possibly during a base open day?
Photo credit: Y. Toda / FlyTeam.jp

Below, right: 51-1124 taxiing for takeoff at Iruma AB, Japan on 3 November 1966.
Photo credit: apphg / FlyTeam.jp

Bottom, left: a nice color shot at Osaka, Japan on 22 September 1970.
Photo credit: Bo-Goran / Rainer Haufschild Collection, Aird Archives

Bottom, right: Despite the wrong livery - 51-1124 never wore a checkered tail - this drawing certainly offers other attractive features...
Photo credit: Koichi Yokoyama / Yokoyama Hoan Agency

  1976 to October 1977

  44-77575 - USAF (USA)

1976

Returned from lease and stored in Japan.

13 October 1977

Offered for sale at Miho AB, Japan. Total airframe time: 9,765 hours.

  October 1977 to May 1982

  N54510 - PRIVATE (USA)

October 1977

Purchased by Wayne Craft of Jackson, MS.

August 1978

Registered.

June 1980

Seen at Oakland, CA.

Right: N54510 with JASDF titles painted over at Madera, CA, unknown date.
Photo credit: Terry Fletcher / AV.CA

  May 1982 to present

  N54510 - PRIVATE (USA)

4 May 1982

Registered to Fred Patterson III of San Leandro, CA.

Circa 1982

Loaned to the Castle Air Museum in Atwater, CA.

October 1987

Displayed outdoors at the Castle Air Museum, christened "Dinjan".

18 April 2013

Registration cancelled, expired.

2014

Rechristened "Honey Gal", still displayed outdoors at the Castle Air Museum.

Below, left: "Dinjan" at he Castle Air Museam on 9 December 2013.
Photo credit: Eric Friedebach / Flickr

Below, right: a view of "Honey Gal's" cockpit, still in good shape!
Photo credit: Erik Frikke / AirHistory.net