USAAF transport at Whenuapai

[Dave Homewood]

I scanned this from a photo in my friend Joe McVicar's collection. I think it is a military version of the Douglas DC-4 (?)

The serial number on the tail seems to read 137283 (or possibly 137289).

I thought USAAF aircraft serials all started with the date of manufacter, ie 43 for 1943. But this looks to be a 1, not a 4.

I reckon it's interesting as you can see the patch in the rood of the hangar, so that's the current No. 40 Squadron hangar. And note the old control tower, and the earthworks which looks like there may have been a large bomb shelter or slit trench there between the two concrete hangars. I think Joe flew home on this aircraft from Fiji when his father died.

[angelsonefive]

That is the Air Transport Command emblem painted on the side of the fuselage aft of the star and bar.

The first digit of the serial indicated the decade and it was usually omitted.

41-37283. ( c/n 3072 ) to civil registry as N90408 ( American Airlines ), F-BELH (Air France ), TS-BLH ( Tunis Air ), F-OCNU ( Air Fret ), destroyed on the ground at Uli, Biafra, july 1969.

41-37289. ( c/n 3080 ) to civ. reg. as NC63276, LV-ABL ( Flota Aerea Merchante Argentina, FAMA ), forced landed on beach Itapemirim, Brazil, and presumably w/o. 12 Aug. 1947.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes I meant to mention the emblem, as it's the same as on a Liberator I posted about a year ago from another collection. They flew between the USA and NZ, right?

I had a look through Joe's logbook and cannot see this aircraft so he must not have been a passenger, but just snapped or acquired the photo instead.

Looking once again, maybe the last digit is an 8. Oh dear...

[angelsonefive]

Thanks to Mr Joe Baugher's fine website :

41-37288. c/n 3079. To Netherlands AF as NL-308, then to civ. reg. as PH-TAI (KLM), F-BDRI (TAI), crashed after T/O near Tananarive, Madagascar, 18/7/51. All on board survived.

[Dave Homewood]

Irrespective of the aircraft I am interested in that mounds of earth. Does anyone know if it is definately a slit trench/shelter? Or was something else going on there? The concrete (?) edging puzzles me, diagonally across the lawn like that.

[chinapilot]

This one was probably flown by civilian pilots [mostly United on secondment] and the outfit was called 'Consair' as it was owned by Consolidated Aircraft Co.

Early on the crew wore military uniforms - POW situation - but as the war progressed dress became more casual. By wars end they had an incredible network across the Pacific using C-54s & C-87s.

This one would be very early on with the heavy coat of camouflage.

Good book about them...'Eagles of the Pacific: Consairways, memoirs of an air transport service during World War II'.

As I understand it the Bu number was for the year of order - not manufacture?

[kb]

Jun 8, 2011 15:09:26 GMT 12 chinapilot said:

This one was probably flown by civilian pilots [mostly United on secondment] and the outfit was called 'Consair' as it was owned by Consolidated Aircraft Co.

Early on the crew wore military uniforms - POW situation - but as the war progressed dress became more casual. By wars end they had an incredible network across the Pacific using C-54s & C-87s.

This one would be very early on with the heavy coat of camouflage.

Good book about them...'Eagles of the Pacific: Consairways, memoirs of an air transport service during World War II'.

As I understand it the Bu number was for the year of order - not manufacture?

Eagles of the Pacific is indeed an excellent read but don't worry about the photos which look as if they have been reproduced from low quality newsprint. I don't think the C-54 is a part of Consairways as they only flew Consolidated aircraft. It may in fact be a USAAF aircraft or did the Pan Am crowd fly down to New Zealand.

Yes, the Bu Numbers are assigned at order time.

[angelsonefive]

The first two digits of the serial indicated the year in which the finance to pay for the aircraft was allocated by the US Govt.

It was the Fiscal Year as well, and not the calendar year.

The US Fiscal Year runs from July 1 to June 30.

As an example, an aircraft ordered in August 1942 would have a 43- series number as August 1942 was in FY1943.

[kb]

Correct Aone5. I was a bit slack there.

[chinapilot]

Yeah...Sorry...Consairways operated the C-87 throughout the Pacific & the C-54 would most likely have been seconded United pilots for the Air Transport Command.

[hairy]

I don't have any information to add about this C-54, but I have found a couple more photos of it at Whenuapai in my collection.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Marcus.