02/28/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Ecuatoriana de Aviación was founded in 1956 as a private company. However, the economic crisis of the early 1970s prompted the restructuring of the company in 1974. Now state-owned, the company was renamed Empresa Estatal Ecuatoriana de Aviación, and was operated by the FAE (Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana, Ecuadorian AF). Subsequently a number of Boeing 707s and 720 were acquired, two of these were painted in a garish paint scheme designed by the renowned Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamin (meaning in Quechua: Ave blanca volando, flying white bird).

First flown June 13, 1961, HC-AZP was originally built for American Airlines, registered N7550A it was delivered to American on July 2. In March 1963 it was leased to Pan American World Airways, reregistered as N781PA. In April 1964 Pan American bought the aircraft and it was named Clipper Flying Arrow. Ten years later, April 1974 it was sold to Doral Trading, the next January it was acquired by Ecuatoriana, registered HC-AZP, and named Galapagos. When operated on military missions it carried the FAE serial 8036. It was withdrawn from use in February 1985, and scrapped at Marana, Arizona, USA, in May 1988."