View Full Version : "Smith-Curtiss Commuter Equipment" - what is this ?
I have an old Northeast Airlines (Boston, USA) timetable from 1957 which states a number of flights are operated by "Smith-Curtiss Commuter Equipment". I have no idea what type this might be and cannot find any information on it.
The flights in question seem the least significant ones in the schedule, below the DC3 operated ones. I am guessing it must be some modified version of another type like a Lockheed Lodestar or a Beech 18, which Northeast gave their own name to. Any ideas ?
forget
17th Oct 2007, 10:32
Seems it was a modifed C-46. See this then view next image. Smith-Curtiss was mentioned just before I reached this.
http://ts.nordgren.org/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=58&uid=1
PaperTiger
17th Oct 2007, 19:10
Remanufactured C-46 by the L B Smith Aircraft Corp. of Miami FL, who also were responsible for the Smith Tempo executive version of the A-26.
FAA type cert here (http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/2bdeef19f038be98852567240052095f/$FILE/2a5.PDF)
Northeast seems to have only had one (at a time):
N1381N CW-20T msn 419/CK396 from 04/54 to 05/54 cvtd C-46A fitted with Turbomeca Marbore underwing jets !
N4718N C46F msn 22490/CU2599 from 04/57 to 10/57.
Thanks for the notes all.
1957 Schedule for the aircraft was :
Boston to Montreal : 0730, 1245, 1800
Montreal to Boston : 1000, 1450, 2010.
A bit of further investigation shows Northeast leased the aircraft from Aaxico for the 1957 summer season. It was later lost in Bolivia in 1974.
Interesting to see those auxiliary jets fitted, possibly this was just to handle engine-failure issues. A C-46 with an engine down was a real handful compared to say a DC3.