Aero Coach   Curtiss C-46  N74690                     (c/n 33463)

                                                                                  

                                          Many non-skeds used the word "Coach" in their titles.  Whilst previously used in both the bus and
                                          train industries, the word signified a "less than first class" (and hence cheaper, or more affordable)
                                          mode of transportation.  Aero Coach was a division of Aero Finance Corporation and was founded
                                          in 1950 by C.N. Shelton.    It provided irregular (although often scheduled) passenger services
                                          from Miami to Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Oakland.   Bill Larkins' photo, above, was
                                          taken at the latter venue on 23 July 1952.     The company had an affiliation, and ran in conjunction
                                          with, Peninsular Air Transport.  It operated two C-46s and four DC-3s.    N74690 was a former
                                          C-46D-15-CU (serial 44-78067) was, in fact, civilianized in 1946 for Peninsular.     Aero Coach
                                          leased it in the 1952-53 period.     It eventually wound up with Aero Factors Corp in Miaimi and
                                          was probably reduced to produce sometime in the 1970s.      The other C-46, seen below in this
                                          grainy shot taken from a post card, was another C-46D-15-CU issued to the USAAF in March
                                          1945 as 44-78081.  It was sold by the Reconstruction Finance Corp in 1955 to Aero Finance
                                          Corp of Phoenix.   This one, like many ex non-sked machines, wound up in Latin America, first
                                          in Panama as HP-296 (and later HP-334) and then in Peru as OB-ZAA-606 and OB-R-606.
                                          It crashed into a mountain near Rioja, Peru on 23 February 1966.

                                                  Curtiss C-46  N95445          (c/n 33477)