Neil's Nostalgia

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Photos: Gordon Macadie ©

52-6426 Republic F-84F-35-RE USAF - TAC. Pilots still wave to the enthusiasts as they go by today, but there is a huge fence now. Photo: Gordon Macadie © 15 July 1963
51-1657 Republic F-84F-35-RE USAF - TAC.
48-0404 Boeing C-97A Stratofreighter (16016) USAF-MATS trundles along the taxyway on 14 August 1963.
53-0291 Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter (17073) USAF - Texas ANG. Parked at new terminal freight area, date unknown.
53-0234 Boeing C-97G Stratofreighter (17012) USAF - 137 ATS / 105ATG / New York ANG.
49-2598 Boeing C-97A Stratofreighter (16220) USAF arrives at Prestwick on 29 December 1961, wearing the great day-glo markings of that era.
52-2693 Boeing YC-97J Stratofreighter (16724) USAF Norton AFB. A sleek beauty if ever there was one, she is certainly neither sleek nor a beauty now at the Pima Museum! See other image on Prestwick Portraits page.
48-0419 Boeing C-97A Stratofreighter (16031) USAF - New York Air National Guard in a 1961 visit. Note the heavily textured tarmac!!
52-5787 Convair MC-131A Samaritan (53-07) USAF 322AD, a regular visitor to Scottish Airports from Rhein-Main AFB. I first logged her at Turnhouse on 22 August 1963. Shown here landing and preparing to depart Prestwick.
128427 Douglas VC-118B Liftmaster (43210) U. S. Marines - June 1981
50862 Douglas R5D-5/C-54P Skymaster (10522) U S Navy FN/862 landing 13 in July 1963. This regular was known locally by enthusiasts as "The Sundy School Picnic".
42-72624 Douglas SC-54D Rescuemaster (10569) USAF - MATS - RESCUE. On display at Armed Forces Day Open House. Note white roof paint, removed later.
128433 Douglas VC-118B Liftmaster (43517) US NAVY VR-1 on 26 August 1963. This aircraft was later transferred to the MARINES.
53-3239 Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster (44610) USAF. To MASDC as CG075 Jun 20, 1975. Disposed of in 2001.
53-3244 Douglas VC-118A Liftmaster (44615) USAF. Became N3434F, then N33VX. Crashed at Golden Meadow, LA., after fuel shortage 20 July 1988.
53-3262 Douglas C-118A Liftmaster (44633) USAF - MATS. A casual Open Day start-up, operations end, business as usual for the USAF. Macadie Collection.
"Operation Big Lift" 16,000 troops were transported in 59 hours. These images were taken on 23 and 24 October 1963.

Gordon counted 38 x C-118A Liftmasters on the ground at one time!

Here they are for the record:

0-33254  0-33304  0-33290  0-33272  0-17650  0-17629  0-33269  0-33231  0-33257

0-33245  0-33241  0-17636  0-33267  0-33281  0-13824  0-33238  0-33293  0-33256

0-17642  0-17653  0-33284  0-17657  0-33226  0-17628  0-17646  0-13827  0-33246

0-17661  0-33247  0-17658 0-33231 0-33281 0-17667 0-33271 0-33237 0-17637

0-33284 0-33252

49-0273 Boeing WB-50D Superfortress (16049) USAF - Weather Reconnaissance "Falcon Echo" Squadron, shown here on 29 March 1958.
48-0611 Lockheed C-121A Constellation (749-4404) USAF-MATS.
131635 / MM Lockheed VC-121J Super Constellation (1249A-4136) UNITED STATES NAVY.
55-0131 Lockheed EC-121H Warning Star (1049A-4404) USAF.
54-0135 Douglas C-133A-DL Cargomaster (44705) USAF - MATS. Shown here visiting on 24 September 1961. This airframe was eventually scrapped in 1971.
51-5213 Douglas C-124 Globemaster II (43623) USAF - MATS arrives. To MASDC 23 January 1969.
52-1011 Douglas C-124C Globemaster ll (43920) USAF - MATS departs on 22 June 1961.
52-1014 Douglas C-124C Globemaster ll (43923) USAF - MATS
52-0948 Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II (43857) USAF - MATS getting ready to leave 29 March 1959.
51-5175 Douglas C-124C-DL Globemaster II (43585) USAF - MATS.
60-0376 Boeing C-135A-BN Stratolifter (18151) USAF - MATS landing on 29 December 1961. Later converted to C-135E and thence to AMARC by June 1971.
62-4137 Boeing C-135B-BN Stratolifter (18477) USAF - MATS departing a foggy Prestwick, 29 August 1963. It later became an RC-135E Rivet Amber. Vanished without a trace 05 June 1969 in area of the Bering Sea near Alaska. 19 were on board.
158227 Lockheed EP-3D Orion (185-5551) USN VXE-8sq 'Paisano Tres'. July 1989.
60-6048 Cessna U-3B Blue Canoe (310M-0003) of USAF Startegic Air Command, taking some fuel at Prestwick on 28 August 1963.
OO-SJC Boeing 707 (17626) Sabena, obviously just with crew on board. Delivered 13 February 1960. Went to Israeli Air Force as 4X-JYT/140 in January 1978.
LN-KLG Convair 440-91 Metropolitan (506) SAS "Sigurd Viking, withdrawn from use 01 November 1974, eventually scrapped at Oslo-Fornbeau early in 1975.
PH-CGI Convair 440 Metropolitan (122) KLM "Vincent Van Gogh". Later became N4408 with Mohawk, and eventually after a busy life, was reduced to spares in 1979. Registration cancelled 31 May 1979.
CF-TGF Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (1049E-4563) Trans Canada Airlines f/n 406.
N9716C Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (1049E-4545) Capitol Airways. I can hear the brakes squeal. 01 July 1961. Photographed also by Tom Baillie on the same day.
N9716C Lockheed L-1049E Super Constellation (1049E-4549) Capitol Airways. taken the day before on 30 June 1961.
N4903C Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation (1049G-4619) Capitol Airways, up the back at Scottish Aviation. Circa 1961. Scrapped at Wilmington, Delaware in 1970.
N2737A Lockheed L-049A Constellation (049E-1976) Imperial Airways at the same spot early July 1961. Built in 1945 and the one-time G-AHEK of BOAC. Here it is grounded after declaring an emergency en route Gander to Copenhagen. While on a US Army charter flight on 8 November 1961 it crashed on approach to Richard E. Byrd Airport, Richmond, Virginia, during an emergency diversion. 77 passengers and crew were killed with 2 survivors. This resulted in the operator loosing its FAA approval. Nice sunny shot here.
PH-LKU Lockheed L-1049E Super Constellation (1049E-4505) KLM "Photon" - 22 June 1961. Withdrawn at Amsterdam in November 1961.
PH-LKN Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation (1049H-4843) KLM "Hermannus Boerhaave" - Top: 11 June 1961. Lower: Different scheme, so another day! 40th Anniversary decals.
N6901C Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation (1049-4015) Californian Hawaiian Airlines - CHA - 02 July 1961. Was sold to Líneas Aéreas Patagónica Argentina and during delivery on 06 March 1966 it was ditched in the ocean near Callao, Peru after losing three engines.
N1009C Lockheed L-1049H Super Constellation (1049H-4807) Intercontinental. What a great scene on this blustery day in 1962. Check the rudders!
N6504C Lockheed L-1049D Super Constellation (1049D-4166) Seaboard & Western. in 1961
N86532 Lockheed L-049 Constellation (049-2069) Imperial Airlines departing on 16 July 1961. Previously PH-TAV and later became CC-CAA wfu 1968 and scrapped 1979.
KG441 Douglas C-47A-85-DL Dakota (12476) RCAF.

History: 42-92652 008Feb44 • KG441 RAF Montreal 14Feb44 •UK 24Feb44 - 233 Sq 29Feb44 - 435/436 Sq 18Sep45 - 436 Sq - Canada 02Jun46 - RCAF Weyburn 26Aug46 - 9T Gp Rockcliffe 09Feb48 - NWAC Rivers 15Sep48 - 1 Air Div, Marville 190ct55 109 KU Marville 11 Mar64 - Scottish Avn Ltd 16Dec66, B19Jun67 - SOC 28Mar67 - G-AVPW Hunting Surveys & Consultants Ltd R29Jun67 - R LE Burton 28Sep73 - Canx 17 Jan75 - YV-25CP Tecnica Rondina CA (Jun75) - Serv. y Talleres Aeron., Automotrices e lndustriales CA (STAAICA) 28Mar80 -Aureliano Herrera M, Caracas 09Mar82 - Pronto Avn Services, El Paso, TX 18Nov82 - N2627ZAtorie Air Inc, El Paso, TX 29Dec82 - N25CE Rr28Feb83 "Puff" - E L Scott, El Paso, TX B29Dec87 - Avensa Corp, Miami, FL B19Aug91 -YV-761C Servicios Avensa, SA, (Oct91) - Cr 17Dec94 on appr. to Cerro Hiaiche, Venezuela [PE].

18372 Avro Canada CF-100 Mk. 4B with a few siblings awaiting their eventual fate. SOC 03 June 1963.
18352 Avro Canada CF-100 Mk. 4B. SOC 02 January 1963.
18347 Avro Canada CF-100 Mk. 4B. SOC 02 January 1963.
Not long for this world in their present form, a colourful selection of RCAF tail markings.
23624 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1414) RCAF 434 Squadron. Struck off strength 16 January 1963.
23627 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1417) RCAF , 23501 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1291) RCAF 441 Squadron..
23473 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1263) RCAF with a gathering of 422 Squadron Tomahawks. Struck off strength 01 March 1963. Alas, "the axe man came" . . .
23442 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1232) RCAF. Struck off strength 17 April 1963.
More tails. 23620 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1420) RCAF; 23662 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1452) RCAF; 23392 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1182) RCAF.
Treasured Tails. Were any saved?
23722 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1552) RCAF. Struck off strength 17 April 1963.
23675 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1505) RCAF 441 Squadron. Struck off strength 12 May 1964.
23733 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1563) RCAF with some fellow 421 Squadron Indians.
23705 Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 (1543) RCAF 441 Squadron. Struck off strength 24 September 1963.
Such a sad sight. 13 August 1963. Just before they were shipped off, to Staravia perhaps?
188932 CF-188B Hornet (CB32) 409 Squadron, RCAF lands at Prestwick 28 September. At least Gordon still gets to photograph RCAF aircraft. This one in for a night stop en route to another deployment in Romania.
G-31-11 Douglas AEW.1 Skyraider ex Royal Navy WV185. Up the back at SAL on 26 March 1963, she became SE-EBI. Note the fancy tails of stored Canadair CL-13B Sabres of the RCAF in the background.
SE-EBG Douglas AD-4W Skyraider (7957) Ex 124774/127942, WV182, s.o.c 14 February 1962 to G-31-10. Svensk Flygtjanst taken in 1963.
N90201 Douglas C-54D-10-DC Skymaster (10828). I photographed her much later, worse for wear, on 11 September 2004 in the Brooks Fuel Yard at Fairbanks.
N4086A Curtiss C-46 Commando (26593) Oman-Farnsworth-Wright. 15 August 1961, which was the date it was registered to them. I logged it at Marana as N9900Z on 09 September 1968.
Many more stunning photographs from Gordon waiting in the wings!