Ex-CAF Commandos

[Pat Carry]

At one time the CAF had 2 C-46 Commandos as I recall. Where are they now? I think one (Tinker Belle?) is owned by someone else now?? The other?

[Taylor Stevenson]

China Doll is still with the SoCal Wing in Camarillo... http://www.cafsocal.com/

Tinker Belle was, of course, sold.

[Pat Carry]

Who owns Tinker Belle now?

[Obergrafeter]

It is in Virginia.

[Dan K]

It is in Virginia.

Website suggests North Carolina.

http://www.warriorsandwarbirds.com/

[Mike]

China Doll has been parked up for at least 5 years now, and will need major $$$ spending on it if it is ever to fly again.

[kalamazookid]

It is in Virginia.

Website suggests North Carolina.

http://www.warriorsandwarbirds.com/

Based at Monroe, NC. Nice group of people. Tinker Belle really gets around with airshow appearances, too. I've seen her at events in four different states now.

[Rajay]

It wasn't "here" as of Friday, but when I came into work this morning, C-46F "Tinker Belle" was sitting across the field on the Triad Aviation / H&H Propeller Shop ramp at KBUY.

I worked at Triad for 10 years from 1990 to 2000 and the warbird work the prop shop did was always a fringe benefit. Had a TBM in the main hangar for a week one time and another time a P-51 was there. Only chance I've ever had to sit in the cockpit of a Mustang. (It was hard to imagine what it was like being at 25,000 ft over Germany in such a little thing and having people shooting at you!) Much more "common" were the various DC-3/C-47 aircraft and Beech 18 / C-45 / JRB series. Did also have a former USN VC-131 and C-117 that had been obtained by a mosquito control outfit I think in SC.

In any case, that C-46 certainly dwarfs everything else that is around here these days! Current registration says it is now owned by "The City of Monroe" (NC) outside of Charlotte. Word is that it was at the airshow at Smith-Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem over the weekend. Must have had some kind of issue with a prop...