UPDATED 25 feb 2010
The Survivors
Out of the 39 aircraft none have survived airworthy. This page contains a list of
the recent disappeared ones and
the only Airframe still existing, the GUPPY #16.
17 FEB 2010
Another blow to the Canadair CL-44 survivor census:
Today we received confirmation that Serial #13 has also been scrapped at Guayaquil Airport in November 2009 !
Ironically exactly 50 years after the first flight of the type, this only surviving CC-106 Yukon disappeared in the melting pot.
I hope and will get photographic proof in a few days and will try to find out if indeed all parts are gone.
Contributor Mark Rade of Ecuador has send me this great but somewhat ironic shot from 2004. A Canadian Air Force CC-150 Polaris of the 437 Sqn takes off over the derelict Yukon some 50 years after this CC-106 was deployed by the RCAF 412 Sqn in the same VIP transporting role. Hopefully the pilots noticed their famous "grandfather" left of the runway.
HERE IS A UPDATE ON THE LAST SURVIVOR :
Carl Jacobsen of NYC supplied us real nice footage of the Guppy in better times...ENJOY the SOUND !!
Andrew Stevens did send me this shot 25feb2010, The Guppy is starting to turn green!
Serial #16. After storage by ALG-First International AL at Smyrna Nashville TN, the Guppy was brought back to life early 2002. Test Flight from Smyrna was conducted at 23-05-2002. Delivery of 9G-LCA took place at 26-09-2002 and was done in daylight hours only. A landing and night stop was made in YQX, with final delivery to Teesside,UK the next day. The CL44 did some hours of flying for crew training 28-09-2002. 9G-LCA was repositioned to Bournemouth BOH. 9G-LCA arrived at Hurn from Teesside as JON03F on 31-12-2002. An extensive engine run took place on 17-04-2003, at a spot close to the perimeter road at BOH, next day a test flight was performed, during this flight engine #1 was shut down. (If any of you has photo's and /or Video Footage of these events, Please contact me !). Aircraft was put in open storage in front of the BASCO hangar.
01-10-2006 Aircraft sold to Heavylift Cairns. 31-10-2006 Aircraft into BASCO hangar performed a Landing Gear swing Test. 02-11-2006 Aircraft outside BASCO again, following day 03-11-2006 performed an underpower engine test. 04-11-2006 into BASCO again. 06-11-2006 9G-LCA performed another outside engine test with malfunctions occurring on #1 and #2 engine. Next day in BASCO hangar again. Two weeks later, engine #2 was replaced and 30-11-2006 saw a full power 1 hr engine test in front of BASCO's - facing south, no problems occurred. At 10-12-2006 the Guppy was Re-registered RP-C8023. Roll-out with new reg on 12-12-2006 performing another 1hr full power engine run at the old 17/35 runway just north of RWY 26. Into BASCO's again same day. 15-12-2006 pushed outside BASCO's again for the last time, BASCO closed 22-12-2006. Preparations were made for delivery flight. Around 10-01-2007 a flying ban on the CL44 was re-issued by the CAA. 16-02-2007 the machine was re-located from the BASCO platform to the taxiway near European. During November 2007, the CL44 was up for sale again. She performed another engine run at 28-11-2007.
The Guppy was abandoned by his new Australian owners due to financial problems. I undertook a serious attempt to persuade the German aviation museum in Sinsheim to take the machine and their interest was genuine. no-one expected a drastic measure taken by Heavylift Australia who ignored financial offers from some airlines to take the machine and the Germans and ruthlessly took her four Tyne engines and avionics for re-use on their only airworthy SC5 Belfast (engineers assured me they won't fit).
So since November 1st, 2008, the Guppy has been left to the elements, engines removed, a very sad sight.
Andrew Stevens kindly supplied me the following movie of the removal of the props: click here.
We are no sure what will happen next, but scrapping seems the only option left. There was a rumor that an Icelandic company bought the flight deck for preservation but that did not seem to have materialized.
Any movements, rumors or suggestions are welcome at peter@cl44.com
See also the photopage for some great atmospheric shots of RP-C8023
Serial #13. HC-AZH. The faith of the only CC-106 Yukon left was turned on last minute. Instead of being scrapped like so many CL44's,
it was saved by the Ecuadorian Air Force. The intention was to restore it to
display condition for use in a new Aircraft museum in Guayaquil. The aircraft was parked on
the military area of Guayaquil airport. Ownership transferred to Ecuador Air Force in November 2000. In 2003, the Canada Air Museum in Ottawa was attempting to raise funds to have this aircraft returned to Canada. Airframe was bought for 1000 USD, but the the budget for dismantling and transport to Trenton was not reached and the aircraft was given back the Ecuadorians. At this moment the machine is parked painted all white at a remote corner of Guayaquil Airport. See Pictures. If you have news about this airframe or a better picture or video-footage, please send an E-mail at peter@cl44.com
Still around September 2009 as seen by a ecuatorian passenger.
And a Image taken at September 4th 2009:
Canadian contributor Wim Sonneveld has send me a close-up of the CL44 Yukon HC-AZH, just before the machine was donated to the Canadian's, you can clearly see its deteriorated condition.
Serial #32. 5A-DGE was stored and canniballized at a remote corner of Tripoli Airport, Libya in 1980. UAA quit flying the CL44 in 1983 and since then, the elements took their toll. Due to developments of Tripoli Airport in the recent years, we are not sure if the airframe is still in this position. See Pictures. If you have news about this airframe or a better picture or video-footage, please send an E-mail at peter@cl44.com
NOW...Prepare yourself for some bad news:
17 September 2009, today I checked Google Earth and to my surprise there were recent pictures of Tripoli Int'l Airport...
And there is the sad confirmation: Together with a DC-8, dome dakota's and a DC-4, the Last CL44D4 hull has vanished from this earth, Serial # 32 has Gone !
4. TN-235. Serial #37.. This aircraft sold by Mike Snow to the Congolese government but has been stored at Brazzaville after a hard landing accident where #3 prop hit the runway and damage to the main landing gear. Although oficially registered as TN-235 and her old reg. 7Q-YMS but has been erased from the Malawi register, this reg. was still seen on it in 2008. Rumors go that is was broken up in September last year. Can anyone confirm this? Please email at peter@cl44.com
A very sad confirmation was send us at 30 march by Michel Huart:
"I went to BZV on 26th augustus 2008 and the CL-44 was already scrapped!!!
Just a few pieces of fuselage remained on the ground . In my opinion, it was scrapped mid july-begin august 2008. Sad end!!! "
So that is the end of #37, once delivered as one of the two extra's to FTL as N1001T, served TMAC as G-AZKJ, later Redcoat as G-BRED and followed her carreer back in the USA at BlueBell TradeWinds as N106BB before sold to James Lloyd and had a short African Life lived most of her days sitting stored at BZV after being sold to Professional Aviation. A few pictures of her african life were send to me by Paul Howard:
Lanseria Kinshasha
Lanseria Kinshasha
I personally recognised it as "my favourite CL44" since I was in this machine two times, once in 1981 at Rotterdam in Redcoat livery - stupid enough I TURNED DOWN an offer by the captain to fly with them from there to Maastricht, I can still declare myself stupid for that, 15 Years later I was in the same airframe when it was just about to leave the USA for Africa at Greensboro, NC.
If you have memories to recall on #37, please send them to peter@cl44.com
Photo by Dietrich Eggert