Neil's Nostalgia

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A pleasant visit to KMSO - Missoula, Montana.

Photos: Neil Aird & Tom Baillie © 16 September 1968

An amazing selection of aircraft were noted at Missoula, Montana during my visit back on 16 September 1968. This is the first time I see these images in print, only took 49 years to get a good look at them. Many of the airframes have been carefully restored and are still active in 2017.This was to be a very memorable and eventful day for Tom and for myself!
N3969A/1 Grumman TBM-3E Avenger (53787).
N7157C/A22/7 Grumman TBM-3E Avenger (86020) later C-GFPL.
N3251G/A15 Grumman TBM-3E Avenger (4303) Bu 91398.
N7014C/A11 Grumman TBM-3E Avenger Bu 85835 later C-GLEP.
N9010C/A13 Grumman TBM-3E Avenger (3262) ex 53200 then C-GLEL, shares the grass with two other Grumman TBM-3 Avenger aircraft, N3249G/A14 (4064) ex 91159 later C-GLEN with Forest Protection Ltd., and N6824C/A12 (2552) ex 85773 later C-GLEK.
N3426G/A17 North American A-26C Invader (28776) ex 44-35497. In the distance a Johnson DC-3, one of four present. The Invader eventually went to Red Deer, Alberta where it served as C-FOVC with Air Spray Ltd.
N9328Z Beech C-45H (AF-541).
N8069H Beech AT-11 Kansan (3404) ex 42-37024.
N90291 Beech TC-45J (8653) ex BuAer 66431 and 44-87394.
N90551 Beech C-45G Expeditor - D18S (A-421) .
N88890 Douglas C54B-DC Skymaster (10481). Ex ex 42-72376 later to To Carib West Airways as 8P-CWA. Eventually scrapped at Dakar.
N24320 Douglas C-47A-90-CL Dakota (20197). An interesting and sad read about N24320 can be found here. LINK
N91379 Douglas DC-3 Dakota (13079) ex 42-93194, to R4D-5 BuAer 17199, to C-47H 17199.
N91378 Douglas DC-3 Dakota (12296) ex BuAer 17138 Jacksonville. C-47A-5-DK ex 42-92490, to R4D-5 17138, to C-47H 17138, to N91378, to N3210D – 1970 FAA as N91378 to Johnson Flying Service, Missoula, MT by sn 17138 – FAA 1/13 destroyed, canx September 1983. I have no idea what aircraft type the skeleton in the foreground is!!
N49466 Douglas DC-3C Dakota (15260).
N4867V Douglas DC-2 (1368).
Went to the Museum of Flight in Seattle as NC13711. Colour images by Tom Baillie © 16 September 1968 and Boeing Field, Seattle image © 01 August 2012.
NC9612 Ford 4-AT-6 (55) with the "C" removed from the registration.
N9084 Ford Travel Air S-6000-B (865) 1929 vintage. We did meet up again some 27 years later at Homer, Alaska, on 11 September 1995.
N447W Travel Air 6-8 (6B-2040) 1931 vintage. LINK
N3973P Piper PA-18A-150 Super Cub (18-4764) tied down with N1517A Piper PA-2 Pacer (20-707).
N3296Y Cessna 182E Skylane (182-54296).
N6349J Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee D (28-4759)
N23705 Stinson HW75 (7165).
N83778 Aeronca 7AC Champion (7a=AC-2456). Not so sure about the cartoon image!!
N737CG Beech 95 B55 Baron (TC-468).
N42269 Piper J3C-65 Cub (147519). Maybe with hopper and simple spreading contraption.
N4044G Bell 206A (196) Johnson Flying Service Inc.
N8409E Bell 47G-3B (2603).
N178B Bell 47G (47032) with N8416E Bell 47G-3 (2600).