History[]
Built as a C-54E-15-DO by Douglas at Santa Monica, CA., this aircraft was taken on charge with the United States Army Air Force as 44-9144 on 30 May 1945. Immediately transferred to the United States Navy as BuNo 90414 as a R5D-4R, and operated with markings QF-414, before being converted into a C-54R,[1] serving in the Berlin Airlift from 26 June 1948 to 12 May 1949.[2]
In 1975 the aircraft became N48163 with the AAAP Company Inc, who re-registered the aircraft as N904DS two years later, before it was registered to Millardair as C-GQIB in February 1978, and operated while marked as The Sky Trader, and photographed as such by Caz Caswell on 21 February 1980. It was next photographed by Caswell on 17 April 1985, while painted with TWA titles for a movie. By July 1985, when photographed by Reinhard Zinabold at Toronto Lester B. Pearson Airport, the aircraft's Millardair scheme had been restored.
On 10 July 1990, and following issue of a certificate of airworthiness, the aircraft became N500EJ with Omni Aviation and Associates, with a new certificate issued on 26 September. On 31 August 1992, the aircraft was again photographed by Caz Caswell, with registration N500EJ just applied and wearing Air Transport tiles on the forward section.
On 15 December 1994 ownership passed to the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, Farmingdale, NJ. On 14 June 1996 Caz Caswell photographed the aircraft, which had acquired a red cheat line and Spirit of Freedom markings at the Hamilton Airshow, where it was also photographed the following day by Mike Henniger. By 4 May 2008, when it was photographed by Robert Bourlier at MacDill Airfest, MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL., the bare metal sections of the airframe appear to have been painted white, becoming pale grey by 28 March 2012, when the aircraft was photographed by Terry Fletcher at the 2012 Sun N Fun event.[1]
Notes[]
- ↑ Celebrating the "50th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift."