Good C-46 tribute

https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/W...-the-roughest-Alaskan-terrain--510436371.html

Mike's keeping them flying.

Gary

Neat planes, and astonishingly large when you’re standing next to one. They would come into Aniak from time to time, and it was always a nice change to see them.

Awesome airplane! Very successful airplane for Wien back in the day. My dad has thousands of hours in them flying the bush. Too bad there aren't a hundred more of them flying.

Kurt

Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife is still operating two of them. http://www.buffaloairways.com/index.php?page=aircraft-fleet

Delivering 14,500 pounds of freight to a remote lake.



N1822M flew for Reeve Aleutian when I was in Cold Bay. Rode along on a number of freight and fuel deliveries with those gents. After Everts acquired 22M, she was renamed "Salmon Ella".



"Maid In Japan", an Everts 46 they acquired from the Japan Self Defense Force, and flew to AK.

An old friend of mine flew 46s over the Hump during WW II. He told me several times that all the hoopla over the C-47 was misplaced...that the C-46 was a far better freight hauler. I think Everts agrees with him.

Great old airplanes.

MTV

I had the great pleasure of dealing with Everts for fuel delivery to the logging camp at Icy Bay in '92. We had 60k gallons of storage in camp so at 2k per delivery they spent several days flying fuel from Yakutat to our camp to top us off. Les Bradley was PIC on most of our deliveries. In March of that year, I decided to take my C185 to Yakutat to store it in the city hangar due to the crappy weather, and hitched a ride back to camp on "Maid of Money" in the jump seat. Les offered me the right seat for a little C46 time. WHAT A TANK!!! I'd driven off highway log trucks with no power steering that were easier to handle. The ailerons were extremely heavy. Les had me do a few turns both ways and I was amazed that at the effort required to bank the beast. My hats off to the guys still flying this amazing airplane!! Also had the pleasure of meeting Don Holsheizer and Merril Wein who were right seaters on occasion. Wein had just retired at 60 from one of the major airlines and wasn't ready to give up flying.

Pilots - Maintenance - the finest and maybe last of a dedicated crew. Thankful to have been around to see it and know some. This is the Right Stuff.

Gary

Ground pic of Maid In Japan.

MTV

I saw one sitting at the La Paz Bolivia airport back in 2001. Don't think it was airworthy. They used them to haul fresh butchered meat from the lowlands up to La Paz.