Photos © I.MacFarlane
When I started reading books and magazine about aeroplanes, I also began to note the names of photographers. Ian MacFarlane was one of those aviation photographers who had his photos published in the 1970s and 30 years later our paths crossed again, on the internet.
While my website is mainly about my own photos and my historic interest, I am honored Ian was willing to share some of his excellent photography.
Photos © I.MacFarlane
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A short intro by Ian: "I obviously got my interest in aviation from my father, who was in the Royal Air Force and flew with Bomber Command during the war and remained with the service until about 1955; he then joined BEA, based at London Airport. It was in the summer 1955 that I took my first aircraft photographs, at Newcastle Airport (these being Black and White). My first Colour Slides being taken in about 1958 and I never looked back. I was trained as a Commercial / Marine / Aerial Photographer from 1958 - 1964, then joined civil aviation until March 2001 when I retired." |
| Ian MacFarlane sent me these Belgian Ar Force C-119 photos and he remembers them well. His memory was triggered due to an exchange on Classic-Propliner Yahoo forum on C-119 names; he wrote- " I remember the Belgian Air Force used to call their C-119's Packets or Charlie One Nineteen. We used to see them regularly at Newcastle and previously RAF Ouston on their trooping flights for "Operation Over Tyne" (which it is still called today) at the Otterburn Ranges in Northumberland, England. In the latter days of its service we used to provide a handling service (Ground Power usually) at Newcastle to the BAF and they referred to them as Packets or Charlie One Nineteen and certainly used the latter on the R/T to I/D their type when on initial call. Also telex messages never mentioned anything other than Packet or C-119 - Boxcar was never ever used, it was the same in Diplomatic Clearances to ATC. If we had crews from both the C-119 and DC-6A in the office at the same time and you asked who is flying what - it was alway the Packet or Charlie One Nineteen. Correct me if I am wrong, but some of the C-119's appeared to be fitted with a two stroke type engine and only used only for Engine starting, anyone remember this?" |
"CP-31 - was at RAF Ouston (still used by the Army!) which is located about 5 miles north west of Newcastle Airport, it was hard to get good sharp photographs of taxying aircraft due to my camera having a manual focus and the fastest shutter speed being 1/300 - the C-119's used to taxi past at quite a speed as it was quite some distance to the main runway."
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"CP-46 - this photograph was taken from the Aero Club garden as you can see by the small fence, note the other C-119 to the left of CP-46 was parked along side a DC-6A.
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C-119G OT-CAQ / CP-17 (10679), NCL 03Apr73. Ian wrote: "I actually managed to photograph about 30 different Belgian C-119's at Newcastle/RAF Ouston. Ouston used to be good for taxi photographs as you could stand at a small fence/gate and help your self; the Domestic site was at the other side if the airfield and no one ever came around and to use the main runway this taxiway had to be used. On rare occassions aircraft used one of the shorter runways which meant no photographs. I have seen DC-4/6's land on the shorter runways only." |
Forty-six C-119s were delivered to the Belgian Air Force from 1952 onwards, initially C-119F's (1951 serials), and later C-119G's. |
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This is Douglas C-54B-1-DC D-ABEB (c/n 10530) of Continentale at Newcastle,UK 29Jul1960. (--click on the image for a larger version--) 
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(--click on the image for a larger version--)
Ian wrote me in Feb.2006, while discussing N708Z's delayed transfer to Alaska: "Guess what, just finished sorting out my October 1980 visit to Florida and what did I see in storage at Opa Locka: N708Z. At the time it was in the hands of Southern Aero Traders and in storage. You see the photo is not the best and the weather was overcast at the time, I was just wondering if it was in en ex military colour scheme ?"
N708Z is a Douglas C-54G with c/n 36067 (line nbr 461) and was for sale for much of the 1990s; it was registered on 21Apr04 for Brooks Fuel Inc. of Fairbanks,Alaska but remained in Florida (Opa Locka) for overhaul and modifications. It was still at Opa Locka during June 2005 but by Feb.2006 had moved to Douglas (!) Municipal,GA and was awaiting an engine change.
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A nice line up at Detroit-Willow Run (01Oct1980), Zantop aircraft in addtion to Trans Continental.
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Ian took this photo that same date, 01Oct80; in the foreground sits N45001.N45001 is a Douglas DC-6A, which has the following history described in TAHS' Piston Engine Airliner Production List (2002 ed.): Delivered on D26Jun53 to American Airlines and named "Air Freighter Chicago" and registered N90778. It went to RANSA (Venezuela) YV-C-ERG on 06May60. This DC-6A returned to the USA as N45001 for Intl Aerodyne, which bought it in Nov.1965. It went to another owner, Shamrock Airlines (which named it Southern Belle) in Sep69. Plymouth Leasing Company became the new owner in Mar74 and Trans Continental Airlines leased it from Feb78 (to 1982?). Air Traffic Service Corp took use as of Aug82 and Intl Air Line Support bought it in Oct82. It moved to South America for the 2nd time in its career, but for all the wrong reason: the Colombian Government seized it in 1982; it was transferred to the Fuerza Aerea Colombiana in 1983 and was last reported as stored without further use at Madrid Air Base in 1990. |
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Israelian Stratocruiser 4X-FPY on approach to Newcastle, 03Jun73.  Ian wrote: "..must be the last time I saw one flying. It was on a round robin training flight and from Newcastle it went to Amsterdam." This Boeing 377-10-29 Stratocruiser (c/n 15964) carried the following tailnumbers: N90948 - 4X-AOI - 4X-FOI - 4X-FPY - 097. It was broken up at some point. Source: http://home.hccnet.nl/p.w.riool/boeing_seattle_02.html As N90948 it flew with American Overseas Airlines, which was taken over by Pan American in 1950. This webpage has a fleetlist of AOA. |
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Ian has an interest in Propliners, War Birds and Vintage (American) Aircraft and UK Airlines; he has a vast collection of Black & White/Colour Negatives and Colour Slides. Ian has built an impressive portfolio on |
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Reactions and information will be welcomed:
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