Danielle of @38NorthAviation, a worthy DC-3 restoration project at Ennis (MT), wrote me in Nov.2025 with
an update on 'Miss Madison', N486C. Fine progress has been made during 2025!

Danielle wrote me: "We got a TON of stuff done on the DC-3 this year!
The tail is up, as you've seen, the electrical power is installed and on, the spray foam is in, the HVAC is installed and today we are installing a bulkhead in the rear. And I have a set of stairs now!
It's so nice not to have to climb a ladder to enter the aircraft anymore....that one was getting old!"

'LC' wrote me in Dec.2025:
"I came across your page while doing an independent satellite imagery search for the 1958 DC-3 crash 15 miles
south of Herschel Island in the Yukon." More on this see my Abandoned Plane Wrecks of the North, PAGE #2.

Added on Neville Webb's Aviation History page photos & memories, reminiscing on his days at
the RAE Technical School, 1958-1959.

Click that link to see more photos and history details

Another contribution by Peter Hill on Abandoned Plane Wrecks of the North. Check link for more details.

These screendumps are from the YT video, worth watching and hearing about this fascinating tale!

Phil Brooks shared a few photos:
Phil wrote: "Twin Beech @Ocean City, Maryland. I realized that I never sent you these pictures, taken on 10Jul2025, from a moving vehicle... I was with my grandchildren and we could not stop!"
More images on my OFF-AIRPORT N.AMERICA page.

KEN DUDLEY wrote me his affiliation with C-47, after a query on my Q&A page.

Ken Dudley played a part in the initial correspondence, he wrote on a personal note: "I have always been curious about what happened to 24295 after I had returned home to Mansfield,OH after spending time at Etain Air Base, France during the Berlin Wall Crisis in 1961 and 1962. I had been in the Ohio Air National Guard 1956 - 1962 and left after over 6 years in the 164th Weather Flight. I'd gone to Etain with the 166th TFS from Columbus, OH in Nov.1961 because the 166th did not have a weather flight of their own. I had been @Mansfieldsupporting the 164th TFS and our base had about 500 officers and airmen that would be there once a month for a weekend. We had 24 F-84F's, 3 T-33's and 1 C-47 (24295). The pilots did fly a lot on their time when they could get away from their jobs when the base was not having the once a month training weekend. There were probably 50 or more members that were full time employees. I was from the same little town about 15mls S of the base and I had known Eugene (Gene) Yarger for years. He was a Captain or Major at the time and was the pilot for the C-47. Yarger had flown B-17's during WW2 and he had also told me about flying a B-17 in May 1945 to drop food and supplies to Schiphol! They had to fly at 500 ft. and he could see the German soldiers as he was going to the drop off point. The war was over, but he had to trust them that they would allow the B-17's to get to Holland for the drops of supplies. He had flown the C-47 and would ask me to accompany him on trips he made on the C-47. I would always gladly go along and we would go to places like Florida on our weekends, so I ended up spending a lot of time on a wooden stool sitting behind and between Gene and his co-pilot. ☺ ☺ ☺ I got attached to that airplane and I had enjoyed all of the time being on it. I had been at Etain Air Base for a few weeks and all at once a C-47 turned up on our flight line and I went down to check on it. It was 24295 and they had flown her across the Atlantic. While I was at Etain I hitched a ride for a day trip to Hahn Air Base, Germany. Another time I found that they were flying over to England so I went with them and spent 3 days in London and was able to take a train from London back to Etain. When I left Etain I didn't know if 24295 would return to Mansfield,OH. She never came back and I always wondered where she went from there." (Note from RL/Webmaster: 42-24295 went to China and crashed and burned in 1943. The USAAF serial is likely mistaken for 24296, which indeed spent time at Etain (1960s) and the UK but disappeared after laste noted in Florida in 1963). I have (noted down details) about my flights in 1961 and 1962 when I flew from Columbus,OH to Etain Air Base in France.  Our group boarded on to a MATS C-121 Constellation early Saturday morning on November 3, 1961 and we started out with a US Navy crew to Charleston,SC where we changed to an Air Force crew that stopped in Bermuda for refueling; our next refueling stop was the Azores Islands where we were able to get a snack before the last leg to Etain Air Base.  During the last leg from The Azores to Etain we were given a box that I think was a C-Ration, which indicated that it had been packed in 1943... I'd never had a box meal that was packed 18 years ago.  We arrived at Etain on Sunday afternoon November 4th. On Friday July 20, 1962 a MATS Boeing C-97 picked us up at Etain Air Base, to fly us back to Columbus, Ohio.  Our first stop was at the Azores Islands again for refueling and our next stop was Newfoundland, also for refueling again.  They discovered that if an engine would catch on fire that the system wouldn't be able to extinguish the fire.  We had to wait for about 12 hours while they were able to repair the problem.  I talked to some airmen that had gone home on a Boeing C-97 and they caught on fire more than once over the Atlantic... We were lucky that no engine on our C-97 caught fire with us not having the workable extinguishers that would have been a real problem. We arrived back in Columbus on Sunday morning, July 22nd. I have been back to Europe five other times and on one of those trips went to Morocco for five days.  That was an interesting visit and there was a big difference between Fez and Casablanca."

John Giambone shared this photo in September 2025. He wrote: ".. this [is a] somewhat recent addition to
the air park at the National Museum of the Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB outside of Dayton Ohio.
Here is the worlds only NC-131H, N793VS!"

Convair NC‑131H, N793VS (CV‑340, c/n 245). Exif date shows 29-10-2025 / 09:55:12.
'@National Museum of the USAF / at FFO - Preserved at FFO2'.

Walkaround of N793VS by John Giambone, of the same date

Probably not surprising Conair realized this conversion!

"Constructed as a C-131B and taken on strength with the US Air Force with serial 53-7793 in 1955, it was used as a radar testbed. In 1966, the aircraft was transferred to Calspan, Buffalo (NY) and redesignated NC-131B. From December 1968 to 1970 it was converted to an NC-131H, its engines changed from piston radials to Allison 501-D-13 turbo-props, made its first flight as a Total Flight-In Simulator (TIFS) in 1970. After various projects it was handed over to Calspan as N793VS on 23 December 2003. To the USAF Museum in Wright-Patterson on 07Nov2008." ¬ www.airhistory.net/registration/N793VS

"Taken up in March 1955 by the USAF as standard C-131B 53-7793, this Convair was later used at Griffiss AFB, NY as a radar test-bed and after being contracted out to Calspan of Buffalo, NY in Dec 1966, was redesignated as an NC-131B. It was re-engined with Allison turboprops at Burbank and made its first flight as NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulator in July 1970. During a long career, the unique TIFS simulated the flight characteristics of many aircraft in development, including the X-40, Tacit Blue, Space Shuttle, B-2, YF-23, C-17, SST, MD-12X and Indonesia's N-250. Ferried to NMUSAF in Nov 2008." ¬ www.airhistory.net/registration/N793VS

Remarkable, isn't it?!

"The Convair NC-131H Samaritan, also known as the Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS), is a modified Convair C-131 Samaritan that was used to study aircraft handling characteristics. Built as a C-131B, the aircraft underwent extensive conversion and modification by the United States Air Force, NASA, Calspan and others from the late 1960s until the 2000s. TIFS' maiden flight was in 1970. The aircraft, at the time, a C-131B transport, was modified with assistance from NASA, into the NC-131B Control Configured Vehicle, a variable stability aircraft. It would go on to experience further modification, being re-engined and re-designated as the NC-131H by the USAF Research Labs (AFRL). The 'N' in the designation indicates that the aircraft had been permanently (ergo, extensively) modified. TIFS is hailed by Calspan as a "cost effective and efficient test-bed aircraft" with a "spacious cabin and replaceable nose." its use was intended for programs with large equipment needs. The TIFS is equipped with a removable, modular simulation cockpit. The original piston engines were replaced by turboprop engines a 2nd cockpit was added, and vertical fins were installed on the wings to provide side forces, simulating crosswinds to provide test data. The aircraft is owned by the Flight Dynamics Laboratory (FDL), but is operated and maintained by The Calspan Corporation (originally Cornell Aeronautical Labs). According to Calspan, the computers onboard TIFS were designed for ease of programming allowing rapid turnaround and system changes. This is to increase the efficiency (and thus, profitability) of hosting and checkout of customer software. Since the simulation is not critical to safety of flight, changes can be made without extensive verification and validation, allowing onboard flight test engineers to reprogram the system in flight if necessary. ¬ Wikipedia, more...

Former correspondent Harry Holmes, whom I never met alas, here on a YouTube video

Harry Holmes was one of the earliest correspondents with whom I traded aviation slides with, when he was
an active sales rep. for Hawker Siddely, promoting the HS.748 worldwide. He published a book I bought.
We never met but I remember fondly our correspondence in the 1970s (I was still in school) and in 1980s.
My aviation interest changed from military to civil aviation and was tuned down to a trickle. I ended
trading slides, B&W negatives and photos because I did not take enough photos. Later the internet 'happened'.
But see my ARCHIVE CORRESPONDENTS. It's a work in progress, very early work not yet added...
I managed to reconnect with Mr Holmes in 2003, through the Air-Britain forum, and I have a letter dated
16Jan2003 by him. I remember him as very accommodating, very patient with this young aviation enthusiast!
It was great fun to see this YouTube video shared on Facebook, now I know more or less what he looked like!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrse6wgc_aQ

ONLINE SEP.2025: "SEVERAL AIRCRAFT FROM THE BONEYARD WENT UP FOR AUCTION".
www.1ststrike.com/auction/618/item/1945-douglas-c-54g-transport-n-number-51802-25014/

Planes of Brooks Fuel @Fairbanks (FAI) on auction 2025. By 29Sep25 auctions seem closed, sales? EMAIL
They may have been on auction since March 2020. The auction on this now 'Closed'.

Tailnumbers top right: N67018, N99212, N90201.
PLEASE EMAIL ME IF YOU KNOW OF FATES OF THE AIRFRAMES, SCRAPPED OR RELOCATED?
You might want to browse my FAIRBANKS 2012 REPORT

Auction @Wyomings Greybull (KGEY) airport planes in the boneyard [Greybull Standard, Monday, 29Sep2025]

SEE MY PAGES OF MY 2014 HERE: PAGE ONE | PAGE TWO

John Giambone wrote me Sep.2025: "I accidentally stumbled across this fine looking pair of DC-3s yesterday totally unexpectedly! For an airplane spotter, this is exactly why you should always carry a camera with you. You just never know what will come across your path.

My meeting got cancelled at the last minute while I was enroute half-way there. So, I decided to re-route myself
to another project in Michigan, north of Middlebury. This took me on a route I had never been on before.
That route took me past KHHG, and airport I had never been too before, and didn't know was there on my new route, and that is where I saw these two beauties parked on the ramp of the FBO. Diversion time! Made my day.
Thankfully my cell phone has a mediocre camera on it!

Wabbit Expwess N33VW + DC-3 N33644 @Huntington Mun'l Airport

Wabbit Expwess N33VW + DC-3 N33644 @Huntington Mun'l Airport
See also Propliners by Gerben Groothuis

DC-3C-S1C3G c/n 20401, N33VW
Allegedly bought by Tim Savage recently? (FAA still reg'd Vintage Flying Machines) EMAIL
Note that the Western DC-3 is also owned by Tim Savage.
In Jan.2026 I was told N33VW been sold from Hangar 360 Aircraft Services (also ex Cavanaugh Flight) to
KOURTIS VINTAGE AVIATION LLC, and ferried somewhere in Oct.2025 to a new homebase. (Confirm needed)

Huntington Municipal Airport (ICAO: KHHG, FAA LID: HHG) is a city-owned, public-use airport located 3 nautical miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Huntington, a city in Huntington County, Indiana, United States. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it was classified as a general aviation airport. [Wikipedia]

Exif data shows date/time: 22-9-2025 / 11:35:12; see also my Oshkosh 1998 Report for full history

Titles on the tailfin 'Hangar 360 Aircraft Services'.

I came across NC33644, see my report D-Day 80 @North Weald Airfield, Essex (UK) 31May2024
It's also on my D-Day 2019 Duxford report, when still owned by Museum of Mountain Flying (Montana).
I visited NC33644/Western AL '102' at the Museum of Mountain Flying in Montana, see MY 2014 REPORT

Someone examined the aircraft data plate and found it was built as a model DST-A-207D with later conversion to
DC-3A. This DC-3 actually flew with Western Air Lines from June 1942 to March 1958.

A huge new life-size sculpture of a Lancaster bomber has been unveiled on the Nottinghamshire/Lincolnshire border.
On Freedom's Wings has been built to commemorate a Lancaster which crashed locally in 1942.
The sculpture boast a 31-metre wingspan.

A post taken from Facebook, still+text from video by Mark Donovan

Mark wrote: "Another classic aircraft stopped into today at Laconia, NH airport. Here is a beautifully restored
1954 Grumman Albatross getting serviced by Sky Bright Aviation this morning (06Sep2025)."
From my (RL) files: HU-16B c/n 374, N2660L, on 11Jun02 @Marana-Pinal Airpark(AZ), stored., ex US 137901.
FAA's N-inquiry Jan.2003 'R04Mar96 United Capitol Corp of Illinois,Wilmington,DE.
R02Jul08 N2660L Nimbus Aviation LLC, Jacksonville,FL. R01Apr09 N51ZD (Nimbus Avtn LLC).
@Lakeland,FL on 12Apr13. Attended EAA Jul2013 OSH, owned by Joe Duke of Jacksonville,FL.
N-inquiry Sep.2025 still with Nimbus Aviation (R02Jul2008), from Ponte Vedra Beach,FL.

"Doin’ it old school…..get a good primer and roll it on!" 'Miss Madison'is a 1942 Douglas DC-3 former airliner project restoration and future bed and breakfast. Location: Ennis - Big Sky Airport.

Ennis is a town in Madison County in Montana (a.k.a. Big Sky country!)
See also my update 08Dec25, near the top.

Neville wrote (July 2025): "Hi Ruud! Have been intending for a while to send you the story of RCAF Liberator 586.
About 5 or 6 years ago I was most surprised to hear that wreckage remains of a B-24 were in St. John's,NFL."

More details on Neville Webb's gallery on my website.

JoeJoe sent me fine photo of DC-6B N444CE (c/n 45478/962) at Bethel,AK (16Jun2025).

JoeJoe wrote: "..photo of Everts Air Fuel taken on June 16. Becoming a rare sight here in Bethel."
Previous identities include: TU-TCF F-BOEX OO-HEX OO-PAY OO-FVG OO-VGF F-BIAM C-GHLZ.

In 2007 I visited Iceland and photographed several DC-3 variants, one of them being C-47A TF-ISB (c/n 9860) stored and in a sad state at Reykjavik airport. Now it is being relocated to the black sands of Sólheimasandur.

From: www.mbl.is/frettir/innlent/2025/06/12/thristur_fluttur_a_solheimasand/

I have been adding military publicity photos sent to me in 1970s onto my 'archive' on my website. Fond memories!

On the back: 'Photograph by Sgt. Brian Lawrence ARPS (RAF)' & 'R.A.F. Cottesmore'.
Tornados from RAF and Luftwaffe. For (much) more see: images from my archive, page #2.

Neville Webb sent me a 1960s update, planes seen at Nairobi's Wilson Airport.

Lockheed 18 Lodestar, ZS-ATM (c/n 18-2066) with titles 'Aircraft Operating Co. Ltd' on the nose.
Would welcome 2025 status update on this South African registered Lodestar EMAIL

DeHavilland DH.51 Moth, VP-KAA. Preserved at the The Shuttleworth Collection as G-EBIR.

More of this update and Neville's other photos: HIS AVIATION HISTORY GALLERY

Michael Prophet sent me an image of DC-3 HK-1505W. Bogota Nov.'77 by Stephen Piercey (Chris Mak collection)

For details plus livery+titles Colombian Petroleum Company see Scanned (colour) images from my archive (#2)

C-47A c/n 12317 features on several webpages, through the years, on my website (links below)

Douglas C-47A, N47TF (c/n 12317). Pacific Southwest/David Tallichet @Stockton,CA Sep.2000 - Photo C.Defever
Defever was someone I traded or bought slides from during a brief period.
C-47A c/n 12317 is also featured in several photos, as CF-BVF / C-FBVF, on Don McDonald's gallery on my website.

Like the above C-47A N47TF, feel free to explore more vintage propliners on the recently added:
>>SCANS-ARCHIVE-PROPLINERS<<☺

Vickers 831 Viscount, 4X-AVE (c/n 403) of Israeli AL (stored). Tucson IAP, June 1993.

Ilyushin IL-18V, RA-75811 (c/n 182004504) of Elf Air. Sharjah 26Apr2000.

Added B&W scans by Javier Saez Sanz & Lucio Alfieri to my former correspondents and global trading partners

Follow the above link for 'what, where & when'...

Updated Don McDonald's 'Propliner Days' with 2 photos of his Tampico deployment, flying a Conair DC-6 on contract

For more of his career follow the above link!

Updated my IN MEMORIAM page dedicated to Austin J. Brown, a pilot / author / photographer and a fine fellow; today (08Apr2025) added a series of 1970s B&W photos to that page.

Tim Chaloner wrote: "Italian Air Force SM.13 is a DC-9-30 rather than a 1-11 ! Based on the BEA steps to the
right it was taken at Heathrow. They used to visit LHR from time to time."

Ilyushin IL-62, CCCP-86702 (Aeroflot). No location, 1974.
Tim Chaloner: "Aeroflot IL-62 also taken at Heathrow. BEA Trident on the left and they also were usually
parked on the remote stands by Terminal 1."

deHavilland DH.110 Sea Vixen , XS590 /E-131 (Royal Navy). Yeovilton, Feb.'74.
For more see the link above!

Everts finally got rid of C-119 N9027K which was dismantled and transported to Pilots Lodge FLY8MA
at Big Lake (Alaska). AlCan2006-Anchorage updated (see for mor ephotos and link to video)

One from my archives, remembering the days (170s!) I traded B&W negatives with MSgt Benjamin Knowles.
IN MEMORIAM

Douglas C-47, 0-15700 of the Golden Knights Army Para Team (US Army). MASDC, April 1975.
See my page of former correspondents with whom I traded photos, negatives & slides.

From www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier- VC-47A Last Military Serial: 43-15700 + C/Nbr: 20166 + Last Civil Registration: N839M Latest Owner or Location: Dodson International Parts Inc, Rantoul, KS (by this post 4-2025) Constructed as a C-47A-90-DL by Douglas at Long Beach, California, USA. Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Army Air Force with s/n 43-15700. Converted to a VC-47A. September 1947: Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Air Force with s/n 43-15700. Circa 1965: Taken on Strength with the US Army with s/n 43-15700 and oper'd w/ these markings: 0-315700. By 31 January 1972: Transferred to U. S. Army Parachute Team, Fort Bragg, NC. 28 July 1975: To Lee County Mosquito Control District, Fort Myers, FL with new c/r N839M. Based at Lee County Mosquito Control District, Buckingham Field, Cape Coral, FL. 21 April 2011: To unknown owner. Registration pending to a new owner in Rantoul, KS. 23 May 2011: To Dodson International Parts Inc, Rantoul, KS keeping c/r N839M. 4 September 2020: Civil registration, N839M, cancelled. 4 April 2022: In USAF-finish with European Air Transport Service titles and tail number 315221 as gate guard in front of the Florida Air Museum, Lakeland, FL.

Dough Fisher shared this 2016 image on Facebook

For more details see my Flabob/Riverside visit in 2018

Lennart Venus published this on Facebook's 'Yukon History & Abandoned Places' (25Feb2025):

I have a 'history' with this C-47, a long time ago I led an online search to its identity
Mystery C-47 in the Yukon

Lennart wrote a detailed report on his visit to the crashed 45-1037 in the Yukon (Ruby Mountains):
https://xplorist.net/articles/plane-crash-site-yukon/

Jackson Baumstark wrote me in Feb.2025: "I was browsing your website and came across convair C-131B N7813B.
I wanted to write to give an update on that airplane. It was purchased by the Yankee air museum at
Willow Run airport in 2018. and made the short ferry flight to Willow Run in 2019.
Here's a picture of N7813B that I took in 2021."

N7813B (compare to 53-7813!) is also shared on a propliner page by Gerben Groothuis
and Photos by Friends & Guests Page #58

Tanker 97 was moved from in front of B&G’s hangar on 01Feb2025 to the Museum of Flight’s grounds where it
will be on display. The aircraft was donated to the museum by Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation (BAHF).

After many years in desert storage and outside on the ramp finally went over to the museum at Greybull.
"The Museum is open around the middle of May until October 1. We try to be open 9-5, Mon-Sat, but it
depends on the weather! The Museum is behind the rest area on Hwy 20."

The museum was finally able to move their newest addition to the museum- the Boeing KC-97, named Tanker 97 a.k.a. the 'Aluminum Overcast'. They had been waiting for over a year for the temperature to be cold enough to freeze the ground! That way they didn’t have to worry about its tires sinking into the soft dirt!

For more details see my 2014 report (2 webpages!) which includes photos and history of Tanker 97.

Hans van der Vlist sent me this Feb.2025 photo of HS.748 CR-833 at Wirawala, while in Sri Lanka

The little plate states:"CR-833 This Aircraft is Owned and Operated by Sri Lankan Air Force".
This is c/n 1746 (by 'Survivors 2002', Gatwick Aviation Socity). Two more are preserved (by Feb.2001) at
Colombo-Ratmalana AB: CR-830 (c/n 1691) and CR-831 (c/n 1587) by Feb.2001 reports. Updates welcomed!
Did CR-830 move to the Philippines? CR-833 was in Ratmalana 2001 but has since moved to Wirawala.
EMAIL

Add'l info on locations by Hans:
'De SCM3102 (c/n 1746) is in Wirawila (or Weerawila; along the A2). HS.748 SCM3101 (c/n 1691) is in Koggala, near Catalina Grill Restaurant (across the road of threshold rw27). CR831 (c/n 1587) is in the museum of Ratmalana.

SriLanka Air Force Museum

Photo shared on FB as-
"Philippine Mars C-FLYK tied up at a buoy at Lake Pleasant,AZ after her flight from Alameda,CA."

See also www.flickr.com/photos/
+

For a long time the Fairchild C-119 had my (RL) special interest, for there was little in print.
Now (2025) Simon D. Beck has published a book after many years of research!
"Hope you might post a few pictures of my new book on the C-119, which covers the full histories of all 1.185 Boxcars built. Something many people have been looking for. It is available in print or as an e-book at Amazon and most other online book websites or from the publisher at McFarland. Google searches easily bring up any shopping site."

While I have not seen a copy in print it seems the real deal, finally!
Disclaimer: I do not benefit in any way from the sales of this book.
See my C-119 Dossier pages here on my website on the C-82 and C-119
PAGE ONE | PAGE TWO | PAGE THREE | PAGE FOUR

I visited this museum in 2006 an 2007, SEE HERE

Some propliners 'die', others reappear for a more promising future..

In january 2025 a series of photos in various Facebook groups hailed this event: rollout of N7316C.

First there were two C-54's stored at North Weald after a project to make them fly failed. Then thr was only one. That one two failed to fly and now (Jan.2025) scrapping is in progress. Let's hope something will be saved for further use or preservation.

Very bad post @FB by someone who apparently did not get out of his car and photographed 'contre-jour'...
During my trips in England I visited North Weald for the proud propliner: ENGLAND 2017 + ENGLAND 2017

See it here in better days www.airhistory.net/- /56498

EMAIL

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