"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
10/06/2020 at 09:33 • Filed to: good morning oppo, wingspan
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"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
10/06/2020 at 09:33 • Filed to: good morning oppo, wingspan | 3
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For Tuesday morning, let’s set he WABAC Machine for 1967.
Martinair Air Charters was founded in 1958 by two guys and one airplane. It’s still flying today as an all-cargo line owned by Air France-KLM.
As for the plane, photographer Ken Fielding writes:
This aircraft was built as a Convair 340 and delivered new to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines as PH-TGD in Sep-53. It was re-registered PH-CGD in Apr-54 and converted to Convair 440 standard (without the radar) in late 1963 and sold to Martins Air Charter as PH-CGD in Jan-64. It was wet-leased to Linjeflyg in Dec-64 and returned to MAC in Apr-65. In Apr-66 it was again converted, this time to Convair 640 standard with Rolls Royce Dart turboprops. It was sold in the USA as N111TA in Jul-71 to Omni International Corporation and started a second career as a ‘Corporate’ aircraft. It changed owners many times over the next 11 years (including 3 years with Jerry Lee Lewis - it was repossessed, presumably he couldn’t keep up the payments...) until it was bought by Wright Air Lines in Feb-82. It was re-registered by them in Jun-83 becoming N861FW. In Aug-88 it was bought by Canada West Air as C-GCWY and leased to North Canada Air in Aug-90. It was sold back in the USA in Sep-93, to Century Airlines as N640CM. The aircraft was sold to Aeronaves TSM (Mexico) as XA-URL in Oct-12 and converted to a freighter with a main-deck cargo door. There is online photo evidence that it was still in service in May-17 but I’m unable to find anything recent on FR24 (Sep-17).
jminer
> ttyymmnn
10/06/2020 at 10:55 |
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Good Morning
Wow that is a convoluted life for an airplane, so many changes in ownership and configuration.
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ttyymmnn
> jminer
10/06/2020 at 11:04 |
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If you’re into that sort of things, aircraft histories can be fascinating. Since the last official record of this a/c was in South America, I’m guessing it ended its days (or is still flying) as a drug plane.
BaconSandwich is tasty.
> ttyymmnn
10/06/2020 at 15:40 |
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I wonder how much on the aircraft is still original?
“It’s my grandfather’s ax. I’ve replaced the head twice and the handle three times, but it’s still his ax!”
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ttyymmnn
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
10/06/2020 at 17:22 |
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Definitely!