Alaska Propliners by Paul Weston

Propliners and Alaska Flying by Paul Weston

Paul Weston sent me these images, of his flying days in the early 1980s, in Alaska:

C-119 Alaska

Here's Kaiser-Frazer C-119L N8504W (c/n 259) at Dahl Creek,Alaska:
C-119 N8504W damaged beyond repair, Alaska
From Aviation Safety Network (ASN): The right hand main landing gear shear pin failed, causing the gear to collapse. Aircraft damaged beyond repair. Date of accident 07Sep1981. Never salvaged, I believe?
Operator was 'J.D.Gifford & Associates', see Paul's information below on this outfit. Additional info welcomed.
EMAIL

From www.baaa-acro.com: 'There were 2 pilots on board when the right main gear collapsed on landing, after
a lock pin failed. There were no casualties. Aged 30, the pilot totalized 6,000 flying hours with 500 on type.
The accident occurred at 1100LT. The flight was from Anchorage to Dahl Creek.'

I also found, through 'Google Books' something on the demise of Gifford Aviation in a book by William Patrick Dean, the ATL-98 Carvair, a Comprehensive History of the Aircraft and all 21 Airframes-
Gifford Aviation, Alaska
And here is another viewpoint of the crashsite:
C-119 N8504W damaged beyond repair, Alaska (by Paul Weston)
C-119 N8504W (obviously!) damaged beyond repair, Alaska. (Photo by Paul Weston)
"Here's a photo of the Dall Creek C-119 and the pilot taken shortly after the mishap. I can't recall his name, alas".
Paul Weston on RuudLeeuw.com

Paul Lemieux wrote me in Sep.2023: "I may have flown with Paul Weston in 1981.
I was working for the outfit that was using all the construction materials Gifford was hauling.
The C-119 that crashed at Dahl Creek I had flown in days before the crash!
Used to love sitting in the navigator seat. Great views. Thanks for the trip back in history!
Much appreciated. Regards, Paul".

Paul wrote:
"The multi-year government contract for flying construction materials to remote Alaskan locations evolved to 8
C-119s and ended with 7. The atmosphere at the Anchorage ramp always emitted a since of adventure!
Here's a shot of an empty take off from Ambler's 2500ft strip. Ten ton loads were flown in..!"
C-119 taking off from Ambler's 2.500 ft gravel strip

C-119 on ferry to Alaska, @Covelo. By Paul Weston
Ferry flight from Arizona to Alaska. Stopover at Round Valley Airport, Covelo CA.
One can still make out the USAF 'buzz bumber': 078 or 076 (below photos shows it to be 076!)

C-119
C-119 ('076') Takeoff at Round Valley, on its way north. Paul Weston collection.

C-119 take off at Ambler,AK. By Paul Weston
Take off from Ambler,AK.

C-119 in the snow, at unknown location somewhere in Alaska, By Paul Weston
C-119 in the snow, at some unknown location somewhere in Alaska. By Paul Weston.

Paul wrote with this photo: "Here is a shot taken of our aircraft's shadow, a DC-6, and the Augustine Volcano. It was taken enroute from Dillingham to Anchorage or Kenai. We were hauling fish so this was not an unusual altitude!
My DC-6 flying was mostly with the Ball Brothers."

Paul has an interesting tale to tell on this C-119 N3267U!
C-119 N3267U
Pilot and the UN Coördinator / Lodwar, Kenya

"Here's a photo from Lodwar, Kenya. This C-119 N3267U was ferried to Lodwar from Greybull,WY in the late '80s/early 90s.
We were flying a United Nations contract, involving food-drop missions into Sudan.

After some scary flights, the hot African climate and field length required the normal Alaskan 20,000lb payload be reduced to 18,000lbs or less. ("pitch up, gear up..!") The bags of maze (observed in the background) were secured on five to seven pallets in the cargo bay and rolled out the 'paratainer' door, one at a time.
Obviously, this would require a minimum 5 to 7 passes over the drop zone, below 1000 feet. Often a drop pass would have to be aborted due to hungry people storming the drop zone!
Spending so much time in a predictable low orbit is not the most fun in a war zone... However, the heart-felt satisfaction of supplying food to starving people, and the seemingly plethoric observation of wild animals on the long, empty, low-level return flights to Lodwar, remains with me (not to mention the inherent involvement in flying a C-119 and the necessary teamwork requirement of Loadmaster / Deployment Crew (8) & Flight Crew (2) all being on the same page).

We accomplished the tasks. Thanks to the teamwork of all involved.
This Boxcar not only contributed significantly to the well being of starving individuals on the ground, she performed within a standard deviation of pilot expectations in hot weather and the occupants remain to tell the story.
Perhaps I should mention that all aircraft fuel was hand-pumped from 55gal barrels!
There was at least one engine failure and numerous bullet holes..."

Note from Webmaster: N3267U was reported stored at Nairobi, Kenya in 1996. That was the end of its flying career, because by end-2003 it was dismantled and trucked to Namibia for use in the movie "The Last Flight of the Phoenix". See profile of N3267U on my Website.

Actually, there are still C-119 airframes around Paul is interested in, such as this one at Battle Mountain,NV which
he visited in April 2019!
Paul at C-119 N5215R at Battle Mountain,NV
Paul at C-119 Flying Boxcar stored at at Battle Mountain,NV
Is it N5216R or N5215R, read on...

Paul at C-119 N5215R at Battle Mountain,NV
'Bring your own seats!'

Paul at C-119 N5215R at Battle Mountain,NV
This C-119 has recently been sold at an auction, it was either that or get scrapped.
Ann Slattery posted these photos on Facebook, commenting: "Morning Highlights!!! Stopped in Battle Mountain,
Nevada to check out the C-119 Boxcar that Paul spent a long time flying around Alaska!! What a piece of work!"
I thought I had the identity clinched as N5216R, but now I see N5215R appearing...
There is a confusing tail about its tailnumber and its construction number, all explained on my:
C-119s at Battle Mountain

C-119 N5215R at Battle Mountain,NV
Rather apt this C-119 has been bailed out from scrapping, expected to move to Alaska!

Alaska glacier flying with the Cessna 185.
Paul wrote: "Here's a shot I took through the windshield during a formation flight through 'One Shot Pass' on the way to Denali Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier. The slope of Denali is on the left.
The second shot is the Denali Base Camp. Both were taken in the early 1990s."

My visit in 2012 to Talkeetna and K2 Aviation

"Here's a photo of me and my daughter Ellora on the Ruth Glacier in the 1990s."

DC-7 N284 T&G Alaska
"Here's an Alaska ramp shot at Homer of a C-119, DC-6, DC-3 and DC-7 from 1983 (I think).
I have seen this DC-7 N284 (of T&G) when it skidded off the end of King Salmon runway, after an aborted take off...
It was something to see!. Whew!
Fortunately most of the damage was to the props, when the gravel in the overrun was hit while in full reverse."

N284 came to a cruel end, shot down over Africa with SAM missiles on 08Dec1988, mistaken for military planes:
aviation-safety.net/database

Another beautiful 1980s rampshot by Paul Weston, with a C-119 firing up an engine and the Carvair in the background.
Photo taken at Anchorage IAP, on the 'Gifford Ramp'.

DHC-2 Beaver in flight
"deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver along the west coast of San Juan Island,WA - mid 2000s."

DHC-3 Otter at the Bahamas
"DHC-3, with a new prop STC, which I flew from Victoria (Canada) to the Bahamas, in 2006: Rough Duty!"
Karl E. Hayes wrote me: "I am sure this is N335AK, which actually crashed and was destroyed not long
after it arrived in the Bahamas, and has since been replaced by a different Otter."
N335AK crashed 09Dec2006 - see report Aviation Safety Network (ASN)

Paul looks back on this epic ferry flight: "It was great to get out of the Northeast winter weather that January of 2006 and head out to the Bahamas in Otter N335AK..!
As I recall, the trip was over 5,000 nautical miles taking over 40 hours.

It started in Victoria, BC and ended in Flamingo Cay on Andros Island, Bahamas. The via points included Salem OR, Medford OR, Columbia CA, Palm Springs CA, Truth or Consequences NM, El Paso TX, Waco TX, Mobile AL, Baton Rouge LA, Sarasota FL, Ft. Lauderdale FL, Nassau and Flamingo Cay on Andros Island.
Air Traffic Control was kind enough to allow us an over-flight of Typhoon-Katrina-Ravaged New Orleans. I rather doubt they had ever seen an Otter on floats so ATC's interest in us allowed observation of the devastation from anywhere we wanted to fly..
.
This DHC-3 had a larger STC prop that (I believe) came off a Grumman Mallard. It improved the off-the-water performance greatly!
Prior to its rebuild in Victoria, N335AK had a history flying for Wings of Alaska out of Juneau, Alaska.
Charles, the new owner, asked me if I would stay for about six weeks and fly his clients and staff around to various Bahama fishing sites while he became familiarized with the beast. I was greatly pleased to take him up on this offer..! Spectacular people, fishing, accommodations, and food. Not to mention the fun flying…"

Karl E. Hayes added to this: "The Otter had serial (c/n) 263 and was delivered to the Indonesian Air Force in 1958. It was imported into Canada in 1990 and flew for a few Canadian operators andthen went to Wings of Alaska.
After the ferry flight from Victoria to the Bahamas in January 2006, it unfortunately did not last too long down there. It crashed on take off from the water at Andros on 09Dec2006 and was destroyed, although thankfully without any injuries.
I could never find out what exactly happened, as no crash report ever appears to have been published.
Anyway, in March 2007 the owner Charles Bethel bought another Otter, N443CB, which he had converted with a turbine engine, and that one still flies for him."

B-25 Mitchell, WW@ bomber
Paul wrote here: "B-25 which we built up at Aero Nostalgia in Stockton,CA and which we flew to Australia during
mid-1980s The first (and only) TransPacific B-25 flight since WWII !"
On this website www.aerovintage.com/b25news5.htm (2007) I read about a video produced on the preparations of this epic event and also provided me with the identity of this B-25 Mtchell bomber: B-25J 44-86791 (N8196H).
www.warbirdregistry.org/b25registry/b25-4486791.html provided a full history of this warbird:

History:
Delivered to U.S. Army Air Force as 44-86893.
- BOC: July 5, 1945.
- SOC: June 1958.
- Stored at Davis Monthan AFB, AZ, December 1957-1959.
Ace Smelting Inc, Phoenix, AZ, May 18, 1959.
- Registered as N8196H.
Merrill & Richard Wien, Fairbanks, AK, May 19, 1959-1961.
Merric Inc, Fairbanks, AK, June 8, 1961-1962.
- Flew as tanker #5.
Frontier Flying Service, Fairbanks, AK, May 19, 1962-1963.
RJD Company, Fairbanks, AK, February 3, 1963-1967.
Aero Retardent, Fairbanks, AK, April 4, 1967.
Donald G. Gilbertson/James Anderson/Aero Retardent, Fairbanks, AK, December 1, 1967-1977.
Pacific Alaska Airlines, Fairbanks, AK, June 13, 1977-1979.
Donald Gilbertson, Fairbanks, AL, August 28, 1979-1982.
- Flew in blue USN scheme as Tite Pussy.
Aero Heritage Inc, Melbourne Australia, June 4, 1982-1985.
- Restored to airworthy, Stockton, CA, 1982-1983.
- Ferried to Brisbane from USA, December 20, 1983.
Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT, 1985-1999.
- Registered as VH-XXV.
- Flew as A47-31/KO-P.
- Last flight, November 30, 1987.
- Put into long term storage, Canberra, 1987-late 90s.
Yanks Air Museum, Chino, CA, March 1999-2015.
- Registered as N6116X, May 2002.
- Shipped from Sydney to USA, March 1999.
- Arrived at Chino with minor shipping damage, April 1999.
- Restored to airworthy, Chino, CA.
- First flight, June 22, 2002.

A-26 Invader "Pretty Patti" by Paul Weston

Paul wrote me on this in june 2015:
"This photo was taken (with my camera) in Stockton CA, ca.1984, after we flew the B-25 'Sprit of Australia' to Sydney.
Pictured is the Aero Nostalgia Aircraft Rebuild / Maintence Crew.
It was a thrill for me (hand on prop) to do the test flights on this A-26! This is one hot flying machine…

On one flight just after take-off with the throttles at climb power, the SCK Tower made a call. "Douglas N??? Stockton Tower has a request..." - "Say Request" - "Tower requests a low-level-high-speed-pass" (since there was no traffic, how could I say "no"?) - "Roger, returning for low-level-high-speed-pass."
Leaving the throttles at climb power, I pulled up into a right wing-over resulting in a 180 degree turn diving down to under fifty feet between the runway and the tower!
The speed quickly approached 300+mph, followed by a pull-up into a very high right chandelle back to original departure heading. "Douglas N???, SCK Tower, that's what we call a low-high-speed-pass! Thank You!"
I know I'll never forget that requested opportunity! (but wish I could have seen it from their perspective).

This Aero Nostalgia crew also did a significant amount of work on the B-17 in the background. While I did fast-taxi checks (and actually got the tail in the air), I regret to say I never got to actually fly the B-17!"

I have here the identity of this A-26 Invader, now known as 'Wild Thang'...
Serial #: 44-34766 c/n 28045
Civil Registrations: N67807 N1243 N910G N9150 N26BK
Model(s): A-26B
On Mark Marketeer

Name: Wild Thang
Status: Airworthy
Last info: 2002

History in detail:
Delivered to Reconstruction Finance Corp as 44-34766, 19??.
- Immediately put up for disposal, 1945.
Dianna Converse Cyrus Bixby, 1947-1949.
- Registered as N67807.
- Flown as Bendix Racer #91/'Huntress'.
- Fitted with bomb bay fuel tank for Bendix cross-country race, 1947.
Stanolind Oil & Gas Co, Tulsa, OK, 1954
- Registered as N67807.
Pan American Petroleum Corp, Tulsa, OK, 1961-1964
- Registered as N1243.
Standard Oil Co (Indiana), Chicago, IL, May 31, 1965.
Nine Ten Corp, Chicago, IL, Aug. 4, 1965-1966.
- Registered as N910G.
Paramount Trading Co., Vero Beach, CA 1968-1969
- Registered as N9150.
Miami Aircraft Ventures Inc., Miami, FL, 19701972.
Vicky Miller, Burbank, CA, 1977
USAF Museum, Castle AFB, CA, 1983
- Displayed as USN JD-1 "34766" port side.
- Displayed as USAF 34766/Mary Jo starboard side.
V. Mark Johnson, Lakewood, CO, Dec. 1984-1987
Donald Douglas Museum, Santa Monica, CA, 1987-1990
- Displayed as 434766/Pretty Patti/J
Larry Leaf, Willston, FL, 1990-1991.
David Brady, Cartersville, GA, 1991-1992
- Damage in mid-air collision with Brady's T-37. Accident Report on ASN
- A-26 landed safetly, Cartersville, GA, June 7, 1991.
Reva J. Brady, Cartersville, GA, Feb. 1992.
Museum Of Flying, Santa Monica, CA, 1993.
- Restored to executive configuration, Mojave, CA, 1993-1995.
Howard B. Keck/Thermco Aviation, Thermal, CA & Coachella, CA, May 25, 1994-2002.
- Registered as N26BK.

Source: www.warbirdregistry.org/a26registry/a26-4434766.html

Airliners.net has only one photo (at time of compiling this), a 2006 photo; but flying!

Paul in a different setting: "An honor to fly, this 1928 (or '29?) Alexander Eaglerock, with a Curtiss OX-5 Engine.
Photo by aircraft owner Rick Livingston (NC206Y).

Wikipedia: The Alexander Eaglerock was a biplane produced in the United States in the 1920s by Alexander Aircraft Company of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
It was a fixed-gear two-seater, and was offered in two models, one with a Hispano-Suiza 'A' engine of 150 hp (110 kW), priced at US$4000, and one with a Wright J-5 Whirlwind, priced at US$6500. The Eaglerock was also available fitted with a variety of other engines, of up to 270 hp (200 kW), with prices starting at US$2250.

The moment of overrun...

DC-7 N284 runway overrun
By googling I came across the date of this incident: 02Jul1983. NTSB Identification: ANC83IA111.

DC-7 N284 runway overrun

Douglas DC-7CF N284 (c/n 45203/776) met a violent end, 08Dec1988; the following is from Aviation Safety Network (ASN):
Two T&G Aviation DC-7 planes were to be flown from Senegal to Morocco for a locust control mission there.
Both aircraft were following their flight plan on airway Red 975 at an altitude of 11,000 feet and were flying 1.5 miles apart. Both aircraft were attacked and hit by SAM-7 surface-to-air missiles fired by the Polisario.
The lead aircraft (N284) lost one of its engines and part of a wing and crashed. Five occupants, all fatal.
The second aircraft (N90804) lost an engine and suffered other damage, but it was able to land at Sidi Ifni, on the Moroccan coast.
Polisario soldiers thought the DC-7s were Moroccan military C-130 aircraft.

Paul shared this on his Facebook:
1970s @Sitka

Paul Weston here: "This is Sitka in the late 1970s.
Eagle Air had a USFS support contract with 5 Beavers and a few helicopters. Since it was not under FAR 135
regulations, our flight time was not limited. I flew this Beaver 800 hours in about 5 months!"

Webmaster, RL: As Paul later suggested the tailnumber is N57741, clues & history on www.dhc-2.com!

Paul & friends and deHavilland DHC-2 N37741 (c/n 269) at Jewel Lake in Alaska

Jewel Lake (Alaska)

Some history on this DHC-2 Beaver bushplane from Neil Aird's excellent DHC-2.com:

51-16801 US Army #1083. L-20A No: 84. Command A-2. Delivered 30-May-1952. Built as L-20A and Re-designated U-6A in 1962.
N37741 Kenmore Air Harbour, Seattle, WA.
N37741 Dean Carroll, Anchorage, AK. Purchased in an 'as is' condition.
N37741 Alaska Travel Air Inc., Anchorage, AK. Circa 1975 – 1978.
Accident. Whittier, AK. 13-Sep-1978. Aircraft flew into blind canyon in adverse weather conditions and crashed into ground in controlled flight. Aircraft substantially damaged. Pilot and five passengers killed.
N37741 Harold J. Hanson, Seattle, WA. Regd Dec-1978.
<various owners and registrations a.o. C-GSMX and N49443>

N3129S Peter B. Iverson, Eric H. Akola, Robert J. Forkas, Robert H. Franz & Helmer Directional Drilling Inc., Anchorage, AK. Regd 05-May-1983.
Accident. Iliamna, AK. 20-Aug-1983. During a low level caribou spotting flight, the aircraft got into a downdraft (300ft) and collided with hilly terrain. Pilot and one passenger sustained serious injury. Three passengers received minor injuries.
Present fate unknown, registration cancelled 1984, presumed scrapped.

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Updated: 02-Nov-2023