Although I know the name of the airfield and know it is near Ft.Myers and LeHigh Acres, I have been unable to determine Buckingham Field's exact location.
This is what I found by googling:
"The Buckingham Air Field was the The Army Air Force's Southeast Training Center, a.k.a. the Flexible Gunnery School at Fort Myers. It was located on Buckingham Road just outside what is now Lehigh Acres, heading north. The only use of the field today is for chasing mosquitoes and hoping to eradicate them during the rainy season. Part of the old landing strip is used for planes taking up chemical sprays to.help keep the mosquito population under control. The rest of the base has been sold as land to the Flint family.
Source: www.gulfcoastautocrossers.com/history.html

Paul added the following driving directions:
"If you are arriving from the Ft. Myers area head east on route 884 until entering LeHigh Acres. At the junction/light with Gunnery Road turn left/north for a couple of miles when the road merges with Buckingham Road. Continue north for a couple of hundred metric yards at which point you'll see a road right leading right into the field. Continue straight ahead to the gatehouse, should you deviate you'll end up in the air park residential area.
Alternatively, route north east on 876 along the northern border of RSW until you reach route 82/Immokalee Road, where you'll hang a right turn and almost immediate left turn onto Gunnery, about 3 miley things south of the aforementioned 884.
Michael Prophet provided this link to Google Maps.
Here is more on the history of Buckingham Field

Although it carries only '24' as identification I think this is N224GB c/n 12261; it was also seized by US Customs due to smuggling drugs and has been here since at least the mid-1990s.

The article in Propliner magazine, as described below, confirm this one to be N224GB.

This one has large MOSQUITO- titles under the wing but from this side there is no tailnumber visible to identify it.
Frits Klinkhamer came to the rescue and made me aware of an extensive article in Propliner magazine (no.86, Spring 2001) by Martin A.Cooper "Bug Killers"; the article, over 5 pages and with numerous photos, describes this C-47A as "..one other C-47 graced their apron in the shape of the former Hillsborough County fogger N10005 (c/n 25527). This aircraft had been obtained for spares recovery.." It continues with a description of the livery as shown on this photo.

Michael Prophet advised a link to an image on Airliners.net, which shows it from the other side, revealing (in part) tailnumber N10005.

I checked this mystery with Lars Opland too, he lives in Alaska and is an avid aviation historian. He sent this photo (courtesy Ted Spencer Collection) and wrote on his research-
"Flying Beats Work; the Story of Reeve Aleutian Airlines" by Stan Cohen, lists only N53294 (wore red livery, later sold to Avalon Air) in the fleetlist, but a photo caption states "Two Sikorsky S-43 amphibians were acquired in 1948..." and the one in the photo is described thus: "This S-43 had formerly seen service with Hawaiian Airlines."
Since N53294 was an ex-JRS-1, this seems to confirm 2 machines.
And my explanation of NC15062 not appearing in the book's fleetlist: by that time it was only used for spares supply.
An AAHS article stated there were 3 (!) of these planes in Alaska and that one ended up at the bottom of Tetlin Lake (an item of potential interest for wealthy collectors; cold fresh water keeps aluminum relatively well), but I have another photo (above) which shows an S.43 in delapidated condition next to Reeve's old 80A at Merrill Field, so I'm willing to bet our cabin cruiser is that one...; an ex-Hawaiian Airlines S.43. Only question then would be: which one?
Inter-Island/Hawaiian S.43's fleetlist: 4301/NC15061, 4302/NC15062, 4325/NC16934 and 4351/NC20697, according to the AAHS article.
Said article has a photocaption stating NC15062 went to Robert Reeve in Alaska and NC16934 went to Alaska Airlines: so this must be NC15062!
Thanks, I had never chased that one down before."

Andreas Morgner sent me the following in Jan.2007:
"Amphibian Air Transport's Sikorsky S-43, serial #4325. This aircraft was acquired by Amphibian in 1947 by from Inter-Island Airways (later Hawaiian Airlines) and flew with Amphibian until May of 1948. The aircraft changed hands several times and later crashed and sank in Lake Tetlin, Alaska in 1951.
The S-43 remained in the lake until it was salvaged in 1981 by Gary Larkins. The aircraft has been at the Pima Air and Space Museum since 1985 as a static display after undergoing an extensive restoration."
Source: www.catalinagoose.homestead.com/pacificmarine.html

Robert Sevier sent me these photos, memories of a stay in Alaska.
They show Jody Pond and himself with Douglas C-47A N67588 of Majestic Airlines.

Robert wrote:
"I worked for Jody Pond from 1992 to 1995 at Majestic Airlines in Salt Lake City, where he was chief pilot. When Majestic A/L went out of business, I went to Anchorage with Jody plus two DC-3s (N305SF and N67588), and he started Majestic Air Cargo. Later he used the name Galaxy Air Cargo."

I was pleasantly surprised to find information about the Tokorozawa Aviation Museum on the ever-growing Wikipedia online encyclopedia:
"The Tokorozawa Aviation Museum (Tokorozawa Koku Hassho Kinenkan) is dedicated to the history of aviation in Japan. The museum is located in the city of Tokorozawa, Saitama and contains aircraft and other displays (many of which are interactive) and an IMAX theatre. Located on the site of Japan's first airfield which started operations in 1911, the original single runway is still visible and has been incorporated into a larger multifunction park adjacent to the museum.
The museum is located at Kokukoen station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line. The commuting distance is approximately 30 to 45 minutes from central Tokyo."

This item provided for a nice exchange on Yahoo's Airtanker forum:
"The S-2A at Paso Robles is indeed Tanker T74 (N411DF).
As the fleet of S-2T's became operational many of them were given new N-numbers (T74 became N439DF as N411DF was dropped ).
During the changeover from the A-models to the Turbo models many of the old A-models had their Tanker number changed to keep an operating fleet for the summer months. In 2005 Ivisited McClelland and there were at least six old "A"-models on the ramp with tail rudders and wing flaps missing. The lack of a second number on N411DF means it was in the process of receiving a second airtanker number(#84 or #94) to keep it operational until replaced by an S2T model...
After the accident it was most likely written off and sent to the museum at Paso Robles.
Also during the change over many of the new S-2T's carry the same registration as the old S-2A models. These registrations are from "A"-models written off in accidents. Tanker N427DF was T92 lost 19June92 and is now S-2T T70.
Tanker N436DF was T100, was lost on 28Sep84, and is now S2T T76.
Tanker N442DF was T92, was lost 27Aug01 and is now S-2T T94.
Tanker N444DF was T79, was lost 07Oct87, and is now S-2T T75.
Tanker N448DF was T95, was lost 20Aug78, and is now S-2T T95.
Tanker N450DF was T90 and T87, was lost 27Aug01 (as T87), and is now S-2T T93."
-Kit Robinson

Steve Nation added:
"I think I photographed at least 3 different TS-2A in the 2004-05 seasons with tail code "74." In May 2005 at MCC I shot one active "74" and another parked over in the mini-AMARC corner, and the "N" numbers were different than the bird I shot in 2004.
I think the same thing happened with TS-2A tankers "84.".
I also understand that the practice of re-allocating "N" numbers from crashed tankers and air attack ponies involving fatalities has been stopped, but that may just be a rumor."

And Scott Minshall wrote:
"It is my understanding that when the aircraft in question had it's landing ordeal that it was scheduled to be retired at the end of the season anyway. This is why they elected to leave it in Paso and donate it to the museum / tankerbase.
Also all of the turbine S-2's are based on a "E" model airframe which is a little larger than the "A" models. I know I sure miss hearing those 1820's at take off power on a hot afternoon."

Airtanker identification

Photos: (c) Donal Leahy.

Ken wrote: "This DC3 came into Waterford for a few hours on Saturday Nov. 11th; Paddy was saying she will now be hangared in Scotland until next spring."

Patrick "Paddy" Green kindly provided the names of the crew-
John Dodd, pilot; Peter Kuypers, co-pilot and Mark Edwards, engineer (of Edwards Worldwide Aviation).

More about Paddy Green's C-47A can be read on N5831B's History and it was present on the DC-3 2006 Fly In at the Aviodrome in the Netherlands.

I came across N40415 in (slightly) better days, in 2001.
Have a look at my USA Deep South 2001 page.

Duane Delk found this photo on Airliners.net.
He wrote me:
"I flew on the Canadair CL-44 from Feb81 until Jun89.
I was part of the original start up group that started Air Express Int'l Airlines. When this airline became Aeron Int'l Airlines, I was appointed the Chief Flight Engineer.
I flew in the CL-44 about 4600 hours.
I am attaching a picture of CL-44 N122AE on final approach at KMIA on 26May82. We were ariving at Miami (KMIA) coming from Detroit (KDTW) with an enroute stop at Atlanta (KATL).
According to my Log Book, I was the Flight Engineer on on that flight."
"I always thought that the 'Forty-Four' was pretty reliable; we had a few problems, but the 8 years that I flew on the Bird I don't ever remember having an in-flight engine failure. The story in the book (The Cl-44 Swingtail Story, by Malcolm Porter -webmaster) that I talk about when we were on a three engine ferry from London (EGGS) to Miami (KMIA) and we had to shut one down (ending up on two engines!), was due to an oil leak."

Photo published with permission of the photographer, Fred .de Ruiter; click on the photo for a link and larger image on Airliners.net
Here is more on Duane Delk's career
Fred de Ruiter also travelled far and wide, here is something on a Greybull,WY visit in 1983

Herman Kolff sent me these fine photos of Junckers Ju-52/3MG2E of the Lufthansa Traditionsflug. It flies around as D-AQUI but is in fact registered as D-CDLH.
It has c/n 5489 and has an interesting history...
D-AQUI (named "Fritz Simon") operated before WW2 for Lufthansa (first flight had been on 06Apr36); it went to to DNL -Norwegian AL as LN-DAH (named "Falken"), but during WW2 it was returned to Germany as war booty, and reregistered as D-AQUI.
After WW2 it was returned to DNL and at some point was fitted with floats! It was also reregistered as LN-KAF. Later the floats were removed and at some point after 1957 it went to South America and received tailnumber HC-ABS.
Much later it was restored by an American, in 1970, who had 'found' the Ju-52 at Quito,Ecuador; it operated in the USA as N130LW & N52JU.
Lufthansa bought it, made many renovations and modifications (including replacing the BMW engines by Pratt & Whitney R1340s; its first flight after this restoration was -as "D-AQUI"- on 01Apr86.

And doesn't she look splendid?!

Herman had made a scenic flight on 04Aug06 in this Ju-52 and he returned the next day to the Aviodrome to shoot these photos while it arrived from a similar flightseeing flight.

Flightinfo- speed: 150km/u - engines 1800rpm - altitude: 500m

More of Herman's photo's on his own website (in Dutch).

C-FKFS CV5800, the stretched ConvairLiner...

John Olafson kindly sent me these in Oct.2006 and he wrote:
"This is a stretched 580 called the 5800 which I photographed at Kelowna Flightcraft last April 24. As you can see, with the two added sections to the fuselage it makes for a very loooooooooooooong Convair. At the time, they were trying to lease it to an operator. I think they must have been successful because I havent seen it there for quite some time."

I think those propblades are truly amazing too!

I looked up some history details.
This is a former Convair C-131F (CV440) with c/n 343. Life started as 55-4756 for the USAF, to which it was delivered on 17Oct56, but it soon became N105 for the CAA: on 29Oct56.
It was converted to a CV580 model in 1961 and was reregistered as N90 on 11Oct72.
Its career seemed to have come to an end in 1994, when it was seen parked at Oklahoma City in March, deemed 'without further use'...
Tailnumber N90 was cancelled on 23Aug94,but in Jan96 it was registered again, as N3UW, for the Dept of the Navy; this was changed to the University of Washington in May97.
All this from the good book ConvairLiners, by J.M.Gradidge (Air-Britain, 1998)
My own database records an intended sale to Mexico in 2001, but instead it went to Kelowna Flightcraft of Kelowna,BC in 2002 for conversion to a CV5800 (the 5th if I am no tmistaken); it was registered to KF on 21Dec05 and Transport Canada's website (when I checked 04Nov06) had it still listed as a Model 440.

This aircraft should not be mistaken with c/n 277 (CV5800 no.4 conversion) which was also at one time registered as C-FKFS, but went to New Zealand in 2004 and was reregistered as ZK-KFS.
Perhaps FKFS means "Fly for Kelowna Flightcraft Sales"...? I'm just guessing
I have a brief description on my website on the CV5800.

Mike Bursell wrote me in Oct.2006 and sent me these photos:

"These shots of Douglas C-53D (c/n 11750) were taken at her home base of Oslo/Torp where the old lady is being carefully looked after by Warbirds of Norway.
The visit at Torp,Norway was both by appointment and part of a Nordic tour. We took advantage of a cheap Ryanair flight to/from Torp for a weekend (just Sat/Sun) in Norway. I contacted Dakota Norway to set up a visit. And also with another person nearby with some helicopters, as well as with the warbirds people at Kjeller. On the Sunday we covered Kjeller, Gardermoen museum (see C-47A 93797, below, far right) and the military museum in the centre of Oslo."

[See also LN-WND at the DC-3 Fly In, Aviodrome 27 & 28 May 2006]

Micheal added:
"The Captain and owner of the DC-3 ES-AKE is on the photo with the a/c in the background. His name is Ake Jansson. He is the man with the cap second from the right."

See here for more photos of the ferry flight: home.bluemarble.net/~jcumus/Ralph.html

The aircraft in question is ES-AKE, Douglas C-47B (cn 16697/33445) which tried for a year to make a business out of Palma de Mallorca (San Bonnet) but found too many obstacles by the authorities.