California Eastern Aviation Inc.

  1946 to 1961

  United States of America

TYPE: Non-scheduled airline & government contractor

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: Oakland, CA

FORMER NAME: California Eastern Airways

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Dynalectron (name change)

The company started off in 1946 as California Eastern Airways, an air freight company founded by a small group of returning World War II pilots who wanted to break into the air cargo business. Headed by Jorge Carnicero, they became one of the first firms to ship cargo by air. Within a year, the California Eastern was serving both coasts. Soon renamed California Eastern Aviation, Inc., it diversified into multiple government aviation and managerial jobs, airlifted supplies for the Korean War, and was responsible for the White Sands Missile Range.

In 1951, Land-Air Inc., which implemented the first Contract Field Teams (teams of technicians that maintained military aircraft for the USAF), was bought by California Eastern Aviation. In 1952, the company merged with AIRCAR (Air Carrier Service Corporation), an aircraft and spare parts broker.

To reflect its growth and diversification, California Eastern was renamed Dynalectron in 1961. Many years later in 1987, it would become today's DynCorp, the US Armed Forces premier aviation contractor.

Unknown date to January 1958*

Several Commandos were apparently leased by California Eastern from the USAF in the mid-1950's. All of them were returned and sent to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron between November 1957 and January 1958.

• Curtiss C-46A-5-CU Commando: 41-12306
• Curtiss C-46A-15-CU Commando: 41-12386
• Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando: 42-96607
• Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando: 44-77523, 44-77529, 44-77544, 44-77572, 44-77605, 44-77633, 44-77640, 44-77766
• Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando: 44-77991
• Curtiss C-46D-20-CU Commando: 44-78517