RON DUPAS COLLECTION
No. 278. Curtiss CW-20B-4 C-46F Commando (CF-CZI c/n 22542) Canadian Pacific Airlines
Photographed at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, by Ron Dupas

Curtiss CW-20B-4 C-46F Commando

08/31/2006. Remarks by Jack McKillop: "This aircraft was delivered to the USAAF as a C-46F-1-CU s/n 44-78719 on August 3, 1945. It was leased to Miami Airlines of Miami, Florida, USA, in August 1948 registered N1672M. This airline was a passenger charter company.

On February 10, 1955, it was sold to Canadian Pacific Airlines (CPAL) of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, registered CF-CZI and used to transport freight to Distant Early Warning (DEW) line radar sites in the Northwest and Yukon Territories. In 1957, it was converted to a CW-20T Super 46C Commando until sold to Pacific Western Airlines of Vancouver in July 1959. Pacific Western had purchased CPAL's routes from Edmonton, Alberta, to northern Alberta to the Northwest Territories, Canada and used this aircraft to fly people and cargo between these points.

On June 20, 1963, this CW-20T was sold to a US firm and was owned or leased by five different companies until it was seized by the US Customs Service on July 21, 1979 and placed in storage at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It was again sold to several airlines beginning in 1980 and reregistered N91BL in August 1981. Sometime in the mid-1980s, it was withdrawn from use, placed in storage and subsequently scrapped."

Read the type remarks on page 9966.


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