C-46s Keep Working
There’s no more dangerous type of word in journalism than the superlative and since aviation is full of the biggest, fastest, oldest, and coolest things on the planet you’d think we’d know better. Our inbox filled Tuesday with readers pointing out that Buffalo Airways does not operate the last C-46 Commandos as our Monday story on the Ice Pilots NWT television series incorrectly stated. By far the majority pointed to the four workhorses toiling for Fairbanks-based Everts Air as cargo and fuel haulers. Interestingly, we didn’t hear from anyone at Everts but we got dozens of emails from their friends and airport neighbors. A quick check of the FAA registry turns up 25 C-46s but it’s not clear how many are airworthy. We also heard that there might be some Commandos working in South America, perhaps even in passenger service.
photo by Ralph Pettersen |
There's no more dangerous type of word in journalism than the superlative and since aviation is full of the biggest, fastest, oldest, and coolest things on the planet you'd think we'd know better. Our inbox filled Tuesday with readers pointing out that Buffalo Airways does not operate the last C-46 Commandos as our Monday story on the Ice Pilots NWT television series incorrectly stated. By far the majority pointed to the four workhorses toiling for Fairbanks-based Everts Air as cargo and fuel haulers. Interestingly, we didn't hear from anyone at Everts but we got dozens of emails from their friends and airport neighbors. A quick check of the FAA registry turns up 25 C-46s but it's not clear how many are airworthy. We also heard that there might be some Commandos working in South America, perhaps even in passenger service.