This is the place where the majority of the warbird (aircraft that have survived military service) discussions will take place. Specialized forums may be added in the new future
Thu Jul 03, 2025 4:16 pm
Mark Sampson wrote:There's quite a story behind the Curtiss Museum's C-46. At least in the 1980s it was being used as a South American drug runner. Captured and confiscated by the DEA, it was passed to the Smithsonian, who loaned it to the Geneseo museum (under whatever name the museum had at the time). So I saw it sitting there for several years... eventually the C-46 was trucked the 40 or 50 miles to Hammondsport, where it sits today. That's just a rough outline based on my distant memory; I'm sure the full story is out on the inter webs somewhere, or someone here will have the correct details.
I visited the GCM last year, and it does seem to me that the Commando belongs inside. But at least it hasn't been scrapped.
Yes, when I was at the museum I was reading about her.
Definitely some interesting history..
Phil
Sat Jul 05, 2025 5:56 am
Paul Stroud wrote:Saw this C-46 in one of the scrapyards next to Davis Monthan in October '90, but unfortunately there's no serial visible. i wonder if it made it to preservation?
USAF C-46 Commando by
Paul Stroud, on Flickr
I used to see this plane in one of the scrapyards behind DM in the 90's as well (off Kolb Rd.?). Somewhere I have a few pictures of it and a couple of A-26 fuselages sitting on the ground nearby. I was under the impression that this plane ended up at Chino.
Sun Jul 06, 2025 4:06 am
That will have been 44-77559, which was in Bobs Air Park on South Wilmot Road.
It is now in a storage compound at Yanks Air Museum Chino.
Sun Jul 06, 2025 9:55 am
Andy Marden wrote:That will have been 44-77559, which was in Bobs Air Park on South Wilmot Road.
It is now in a storage compound at Yanks Air Museum Chino.
Thank you for the info, Andy and APG, I've updated my Flickr accordingly
Sun Jul 06, 2025 12:24 pm
Not exactly an Air Force C-46, but it was working the 1981Alaska Fish Haul. This picture was taken at King Salmon Airport in July 1981. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the details, but I think that it came from the Japanese Air Force.
Fish Haul 23 by
tanker622001, on Flickr
Sun Jul 06, 2025 7:18 pm
Paul Stroud wrote:Andy Marden wrote:That will have been 44-77559, which was in Bobs Air Park on South Wilmot Road.
It is now in a storage compound at Yanks Air Museum Chino.
Thank you for the info, Andy and APG, I've updated my Flickr accordingly

That's not correct , you need to update it again. It's at Planes of Fame. This is on Wiki. I'll grab a pic next time I'm out there . Most Saturdays. Here is the one at Yanks , and it's posted on their website.
https://yanksair.org/exhibition/curtiss ... -commando/
Sun Jul 06, 2025 10:21 pm
For what it’s worth, I found some information on the C-46 that was at King Salmon in 1981.
IMG_3503 by
tanker622001, on Flickr
Sun Jul 06, 2025 11:59 pm
This thread has gone a tad off-beam: does anyone have photos of those final USAF C-46s at Eglin or Howard AFBs?
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