• 51-16541 USAF #1144. L-20A No: 145. Command AF-1. Delivered 01-Aug-1952. Built as L-20A and re-designated U-6A in 1962.
• 51-16541 Stored at MASDC, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ. Arrival date unknown but departed on 26-Apl-1966
• 51-16541 Passed to the Fairchild Aircraft and Engine facility at St. Augustine, FL. Apl-1966.
• 51-16541 Served with the USAF 606th Air Commando Squadron, Nakhan Phanom, Royal Thai AFB Thailand. Circa 1967.
• N357T Details unknown but possibly a pseudo civil registration for use in Libya.
USAF History
51-16541 was made available on 21-Jul-1952 and accepted on 29-Jul-1952 by the 6600th Air Depot AMO (Air Material Overseas Unit), at Downsview, ON., after which it was delivered to the Tactical Air Command at Donaldson / Greenville AFB., SC., and the 4th Liaison Squadron on 02-Aug-1952 where it remained until 04-Sep-1952 before moving to the 314th Medium Troop Carrier (TCM) Wing at Sewart AFB. TN. This attachment lasted until 08-Sep-1952 when it moved across the base to join the 5th Liaison Squadron remaining until 05-Feb-1953.
The next attachment was reportedly to the 316th Medium Troop Carrier Wing (TCM) at Burlington VT (but this is uncorroborated) between 05-Feb-1953 and 02-Mar-1953 and then Sewart AFB again and the 314th Medium Troop Carrier (TCM) Wing between 02-Mar-1953 and 20-Apr-1953. The next attachment was to Greenville / Donaldson AFB, SC., and the 7th Liaison Squadron between 20-Apr-1953 and 08-Sep-1953.
It was next assigned to Davis Monthan AFB and the Air Material Command 3040th Aircraft Storage and Distribution Squadron, presumably for storage as it was next recorded with the Sacramento Air Logistics Centre at McLellan AFB between 16-Sep-1954 and 01-Nov-1954. This was presumably for maintenance as its next location was the Air Material Command Depot at San Francisco prior to shipping, possibly by C-124 Globemaster, to North Africa.
On its arrival in Jan-1955 it was assigned to the Air Force Europe Command and to the 7280th Maintenance Group at Nouasseur, near Casablanca, French Morocco. The unit was later re-designated as the 3153rd Maintenance Squadron when the assignment changed to the Air Material Command in Feb-1957. It was later re designated 3153rd Field Maintenance (FDM) Squadron in Jun-1957. However it seems they were unable to maintain the Beaver there as it went to Northern Italy and the Air Material Europe facility at Vergiate operated by the Macchi company (MACVI) between 27-Jun-1957 and 20-Dec-1957 before returning to the 3153rd FDM Squadron. The unit was re assigned to the Strategic Air Command and re designated 3922nd with the aircraft attached to the Air Base Group which on 01-May-1960 became 3922nd Combat Support Group.
The next period of this aircrafts history is unclear but the aircraft had returned to the Air Material Command Hagerstown, Maryland operated by Fairchild by June 1963 following the SAC pulling out of French Morocco as required by the local government. From Hagerstown the aircraft was returned to the SAC at Dyess AFB and allocated to the 96th Strategic Air Wing. It subsequently went into storage at MASDC, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ. Its arrival date is unknown but it departed 26-Apl-1966 when it was passed to the Fairchild Aircraft and Engine facility at St. Augustine, FL. Apl-1966 after which it rejoined active service with the USAF 606th Air Commando Squadron, Nakhan Phanom, Royal Thai AFB Thailand sometime in 1967. The aircraft’s further military history is yet to be researched.
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