Mercer Airlines  Douglas DC-3  N18620                      (c/n  4886)

                             

                                Mercer Enterprises Inc, dba Mercer Airlines was founded in 1954 at Burbank by D.W. Mercer.
                                Its original coast-to-coast flights with DC-3 equipment were operated as Empire Air Coach and
                                Columbia Air Coach.  It later acquired military charter contracts, and also flew charter flights to
                                the Bahamas for punters headed to the casinos in the islands.  My photo of this former C-53-DO
                                was taken at Long Beach in 1966 just before the aircraft was scrapped.  N18620 was acquired
                                by Pennsylvania Central Airlines in 1948, and then went on to become Capital Airlines 'Capitaliner
                                Readings' before being purchased by Mercer in 1960.    Mercer went on to to acquire DC-4s
                                and DC-6s, one of which (N901MA) had a spectacular crash on a golf course  just short of run-
                                way 34L at Van Nuys in 1976, when the No 3 engine separated from the aircraft after take-off
                                at Burbank.