Pan American Airways Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas  N743PA       (c/n  44885)

                                  

                                        This shot of "Clipper Ocean Rover" was taken on a very oily hardstand at LAX  in 1959 as the
                                        aircraft was preparing to depart for London Heathrow.   These long range versions of the DC-7
                                        were used by both Pan Am and Scandinavian Airlines System on the "Over the Pole" services
                                        from the U.S. west coast to Europe, non-stop.  Not, I might add, a very pleasant journey.
                                        Quite often a "technical stop" (i.e. to refuel), had to be made at Bluie West Four in Greenland.
                                        One definitely did not want to leave the aircraft on such occasions!   Pan Am had a couple of
                                        dozen of these large piston engined airliners.  They were replaced in 1958/59 by the early
                                        Boeing 707s.   N743PA led a varied career after Pan Am sold it to Intercontinent Air in 1966
                                        (it became N74303, since it couldn't really operate with a Pan Am style rego). It was finally
                                        impounded at Freeport, Bahamas in 1981 while registered to Juan Rodriguez.  (Unpaid taxes.....
                                        .....drug smuggling?).