As promised, here is the last weeks filed movements I compiled. This time of year, several interesting EAF flights occur in Alaska. Hope you enjoy the list. I included a key for those who are not familiar with some of the airports listed. Next posted list will be November 1st.

Everts Air Fuel DC-6 N451CE PAEN-PASV-PAEN 10/17/02
Atlantic Air Cargo DC-3 N705GB KMIA-MYGF-KMIA 10/23/02
Missionary Flights International DC-3 KPBI-MYEF-MTPP-KPBI 10/24/02
Public Service Aircraft DHC-5 N37AU PANC-PAUN-PANC 10/25/02
Northern Air Cargo flt90 DC-6 PANC-2C7-PANC 10/25/02 (EAF)
Northern Air Cargo flt91 DC-6 PANC-2C7-PANC 10/25/02 (EAF)
Northern Air Cargo DC-6 N7919C PAFA-AFM-PAFA 10/25/02 (EAF)
Miami Air Leases CV-340 KOPF-KPDK-KOPF 10/25/02

PAEN - Kenai, Alaska
PASV - Sparrevohn LRRS, Alaska
MYGF - Freeport, Bahamas
MYEF - Exuma, Bahamas
MTPP - Port au Prince, Haiti
PAUN - Unalakleet, Alaska
2C7 - Shaktoolik, Alaska
AFM - Ambler, Alaska
KPDK - DeKalb-Peachtree, Georgia

Marc,

Thanks for the airport codes. Now I know who is goring from where to where. Possibly in the future you could give us a brief thumbnail sketch of each of these carriers. I really had no idea so many Douglas transports such as the DC-3 were still operating commercially.

Again thanks and keep the stuff coming.
Doug Vernon

Sure Doug, no problem.

Everts Air Fuel specializes in fuel delivery services throughout Alaska. They are currently the oldest running fuel service carrier in the state. They fly a fleet of DC-6 and C-46 aircraft. They have aircraft based at Fairbanks and Kenai. The carrier is owned by Clifford Everts, who is a long time Alaskan resident and pilot. His son, Robert, ran Air Cargo Express, but recently the two joined forces and now fall under the Everts name completely.

Atlantic Air Cargo is a charter cargo operator based in Miami and conducts DC-3 flights throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Missionary Flights International is a non-profit organization located at West Palm Beach International Airport. Their flights consist of missionary work delivering goods to areas of the Caribbean. They operate both R1830 powered DC-3s and one P&W PT6 powered DC-3.

Public Service Aircraft is a government contract carrier only. The owners previously owned and operated Greatland Air Cargo which flew DHC-4 Caribous throughout Alaska on contracts for mining and oil companies. They now operate a lone DHC-5 Buffalo for the US Government.

Nothern Air Cargo is the pinnacle carrier of the Alaskan "round motor" club. Their background is too great to write here, but I will mention they do operate the largest DC-6 fleet in the world, and hold the most freight and mail contracts in Alaska. They do have a sister carrier, Northern Air Fuel, which uses one lone DC-6 (N7780B) on fuel delivery flights out of Fairbanks.

Miami Air Leases is a small, one aircraft operation out of Opa Locka and does contract work for various freight forwarders.

What happened to the DC 7 that was hauling fuel in AK just a couple of years ago? Is it still in AK? Active?

The DC-7 you speak of was a DC-7C (N90251) operated by Brooks Fuel. It sits dormant on the Brooks Fuel ramp in Fairbanks. It has been in storage since 1996. The DC-7 was a very costly part of the Brooks operation with an unfortunate series of engine changes that eventually ended its tenure. The wide footprint of the DC-7C was also a problem since it was limited to wider, more established airfields such as Red Dog Mine and Barter Island LRRS. A shame really. When it was in operation, it was the king of kings among the Alaskan "round motor" club.

Marc.

My deepest thanks for the list. Now I can put everything together when reading your reports. I really appreciate your work in this area. Alaska and the caribbean appear to be where the heavy round engine action is. To be living in the vicinity of one of those departure points would be a dream!

That old ugly Buffalo was a rugged workhorse of an aircraft. They did a lot of duty in Southeast Asia
with the Armed forces and other outfits. I have a film somewhre concerning the ability of that plane.

Marc, do you have a flight tracker to keep tabs of all the movement?

Thanks again.

Doug

Hey Doug. I do have several means of keeping track of these flights. Whenever I spot one, I just log it in a spread sheet. I figured people on here would enjoy the lists. I might start listing Lynden Air Cargo flights also since they do some very interesting work aside from their scheduled operations.

When I lived in Los Angeles as a little kid I use to take the bus out to what was then called Los Angeles International Airport located in the Inglewood section. I would visit every airline waiting room, looking out the windows with amazement watching the traffic down on the ramps and taxiway. Then I would go down to the passenger loading areas fenced off by chain link and get a closer look and watch the big round engines start up with the accompanying cough, sputter, roar and smoke...plus a little bit of exhaust flame from time to time. Airliners everywhere, taxiing off to the active runways, taxiing in to assigned parking slots, aircraft taking off....landing...unloading passengers from all kinds of distant and exotic places. All of these great aircraft with all different airline liveries; American, United, TWA, Pan American World Airways, Western, and a lot of smaller carriers; Pacific Southwest, California Central. All of these carriers flying aircraft we seldom see anymore; All the Douglas products from the DC-3 to the DC-7E, the Lockheed 749, 1049 and the mighty 1649...The Star Liner....all of the Convair Liners. It was a ballet of dreams...now memories.

Thanks for bringing those memories back.
Doug

Thanks Marc. These postings of yours are sure informative and interesting. I was used to learning about propliner activities many months later in PROPLINER MAGAZINE. It's great to be more current.

No problem Mark. I work for Trans World Airlines, LLC in Saint Louis, and I have several sources for this info, so when I can I focus on grabbing this information for my fellow piston friends. I might put up a website for you all with listings. I will let you know.

You work for TWA...Trans World Airlines???

I'm either stuck tight in a time warp or I have been smoking something....and I don't smoke!
Or do you just not recognize AA?

Puzzled,
Doug

Hahaha. Well Doug, most people do not realize, but Trans World Airlines, LLC is still under a certificate until 2006. We are only a subsidiary of American Airlines. All of our planes are still managed by staff here in Saint Louis, and we still have our own safety and corporate departments. The mechanics and dispatchers have all been swtiched over, but TWA still exists as a step child of American. And yes...many of us would much rather say we work for TWA, LLC than American Airlines.

TWA is and was my favorite airline of all time. That's because I associate Constellations with TWA.....and TWA was very, very kind to me when I took my first and only flight on a TWA 069 Connie way back in the very late '40's. My very last flight was aboard a TWA MD-80 something two years ago. I gave myself a birthday present of a flight
to Kansas City....and that flight had to be aboard a
TWA plane because I knew that AA was about to
bring an end to "The Lindbergh Line". I went to Kansas City to visit the Airline History Museum...and their Lockheed 1049 Super Constellation which is all decked out in TWA livery.

I am surprised and very happy to hear that TWA is still around....and least for another few years.

Best,
Doug

Mark H,

Any recent propliner movements?

I grew up in vancouver canada, and reading this post brought back memories of my summers on a private island 15 miles ne of van. My grandfather flew in WW1 and aquired a fleet finch biplane on floats powered by a 5 cyl kinner radial. He would go to the frazer river and fire up his fleet for the 15 minute flight to pasley island with a duffle bag full of ice cream. The year was 1954 and every kid on the island would run to the dock to meet Uncle Duncan for free ice cream. We had no electricity or phones. The refridgerators had 50 lb blocks of ice, kerosene lamps, primitive conditions..., a boat would come up once a week to bring groceries and passengers. Grandpa's last flight was in 1965, he was late for my cousin's birthday party. He arrived in a boat without Ice cream. I asked mom why his ears were full of sand? He had hit a sand bar on take off and flipped the plane. It landed up in the victoria museum and the government took his licence away! My other grandfather flew ford trimotors from van to victoria and seattle. He said he was always put out of a job because poorly trained pilots eventually wrecked the fleet. He landed up as head of bc airports, a real hard nosed inspector revoking pilots licences. He was forced to retire from his gov't job...16k per year in 1966. Dad flew for Canadian pacific airlines flying DC3's 6's ending up on 747's I can still remember going on test flights in the mid 50's with dad flying up the kelowna river after an engine change, at the controls while dad said he had to go back and take a leak. Then in 1962 we flew to hong kong on the DC8. The navigator had a sextan sticking on the top of the cabin to assist with the black and white radar! Later he would surprise us by a 500 ft buzz job in the dc6. On his retirement flight to japan and hong kong he did a 1000 ft job in the 747 with 300 passengers on board! Once a DC8 performed a similar maneuver and Dad took the brunt of the blame. It was another pilot from a neighboring island trying to get dad in trouble. Wonder why it cost's so much to fly? Dad has already collected 2 million from his pension! Well, the road apples don't fall far from the horse, I have tried to keep up tradition once a year by giving pasley island a 6 am wake up call in my beech 18 for the annual sports festival. Those little 985"s sound pretty good a few feet above the trees. One of my favorite TV programs was SKY KING. No I don't fly a bamboo bomber or a 310. And my daughters name isn't penny! But out in apple valley calif just a half mile from where dale evans and roy rogers are laid to rest is my ranch. I was washed out as an airline pilot due to my color blindness, but I can honestly say that my dreams came true...Dave Wilson Owner, Fly-By-Nite Airlines