Aircraft History
Built by Curtiss-Wright as a model CW-20B-4. Constructors Number 22595. Delivered to the U.S. Army. Then transfered to the U.S. Air Force (USAF).

Postwar
On January 10, 1950, dropped from USAF inventory. On September 27, 1950 sold to Flying Tiger Line for use as an airliner. On May 15, 1951 registered in the United States as N67996.

In 1959, sold to Zantop Air Transport. On April 27, 1960 changed to registration N614Z. In 1967, Zantop Air Transport was renamed Universal Airlines.

In March 1968 sold to Martin Air Leasing. Afterwards, sold to a number of other companies including International Aerodyne, Inc, Trans Arctic Air in Alaska and Ilford-Riverton Airways in Canada and registered in Canada as CF-ZQX. Afterwards, sold to Fairbanks Air Service, later renamed Great Northern Airlines and registered again in the United States on June 7, 1974 as N800FA. On May 17, 1975 this C-46 suffered an accident landing on a frozen lake in Alaska. Afterwards, repaired. In May 1978 sold to Coffee Point Fish Co., then to Atone Air Inc. in Texas.

In 1988, seized by U.S. Marshals for allegedly smuggling guns and afterwards given to the Smithsonian Institution as part of the permenant collection of the National Air & Space Museum (NASM).

Afterwards, placed on permanent loan to the National Warplane Museum in Elmira NY. Later, transfered to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum and displayed outdoors.

References
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum - Aircraft - C-46 Commando (photo)

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Last Updated
November 9, 2019