Friends Photos
Send me an appropriate photo with information and a link to your blog or site (if you have one) and I'll share it here with everyone to enjoy. Insure that the file is large enough to expand when clicked on.
send it to: rand@randpeckaviationphotography.com
Send me an appropriate photo with information and a link to your blog or site (if you have one) and I'll share it here with everyone to enjoy. Insure that the file is large enough to expand when clicked on.
send it to: rand@randpeckaviationphotography.com
Nine photos from my Uncles WWII photo album taken in England, Germany, France & the US. My "Uncle B" served in the Army Air Force from 1942-1946 with the 338th Troop Carrier Group and the 45th Depot Repair Squadron. He served again in the 1960's in Germany during the Berlin Blockade which resulted from the construction of the Berlin Wall. We just celebrated his 90th birthday where I saw these incredible photos for the first time. These pictures are 70 years old. (Click to enlarge)
I just received this wonderful photo from Bob Markin who hails from southern California. He's a retired Fire Captain from a rather large municipality. He took this photo of a C-17 landing at San Clemente NALF during a joint civilian/USAFR training exercise. To learn more about Bob and see more of his spectacular photography, click on Captain Schmoe. Thanks very much for the photo Bob. |
Click this LINK to see my friend Paul Mercandetti's beautiful, 1946 Globe Swift. Originally with Piedmont, Paul retired from US Airways and was in my new hire class at ANE in 1974. |
I'm sure you remember Jon Proctor as the editor of AIRLINER MAGAZINE, he also enjoyed a long career with TWA. Jon has an extensive photo collection and shared these two Northeast pictures with me. Please visit Jon at JON PROCTOR.NET
I received these four photos from my friends at the NWA History Centre in Bloomington, MN, located nearby MSP. To see their fantastic collection of NWA and REP memorabilia, click here and learn.
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I received these photos from my friend, retired Continental Airlines, 747-200 captain John Brier. We're somewhere in Africa where this 737 charter captain took a wrong turn and wound up at the end of a dead-end taxiway at night. No big deal so far, many of us can recall turning onto a wrong taxiway sometime during our careers. But it's how he reacted to this unfortunate mistake that is contrary to all of our training. He pulled his throttles into reverse and tried to turn and back out that resulted in this mess. Buckle up it gets worse. Once off the taxiway and in this "rotated" position, he tried unsuccessfully to power his way out. That's the end of those engines to say nothing of the fuselage. Our training would have had us get on the radio with a red face, confess to our poor chart reading skills and ask for a tug while still on the concrete at the end of the taxiway. And that would have been the end of the story. This older 737 was totaled though, much as I suspect the pilots career is.
I just received a bunch of photos from retired NEA/DAL captain Norm Houle and will post them over several days. Thanks Norm. Norm is the unofficial, official, NEA historian.
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Doug Schenk's bird encounter.
DAL qualifies NWA 757 pilots in their 767's using many midwestern airports.
This is GRR, 2010
Photo's by Greg Peters.
This is GRR, 2010
Photo's by Greg Peters.
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A mini Air New England reunion in Florida and a visit with Frank Moss.
You don't know Frank? And you fly airplanes?
Photos from Capt John Brier and Christine Hamersley
You don't know Frank? And you fly airplanes?
Photos from Capt John Brier and Christine Hamersley
Let me tell you a funny story concerning Captain Freddy Holdgate, pictured to the right. Fred lived on the island of Nantucket (Holdgate is a very old/historic Nantucket name.) and during a Burlington, VT (BTV) layover purchased a Vermont Castings wood burning stove. He had the store deliver it to the ANE, BTV freight dock. Sometime later, during another layover, he taxied over to the dock and with much help loaded it into the forward baggage compartment of his Fairchild, flew ANE 55 to BOS and continued to ACK where his wife awaited with a pickup truck. They off loaded their new wood stove and Freddie continued ANE flight 97 to LGA. Don't leave yet...it gets better!
Nantucket (located 25 miles out to sea off Cape Cod) has few trees and even fewer to burn, so Fred, of course, bought a couple cords of wood in BTV and had them delivered to the ANE freight dock. This is no small pile, a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet. For the next few months, he'd load as much as he could into the Fairchild and fly it to ACK via BOS where his wife, yet again, would be waiting with the pickup. We call this, Yankee Ingenuity! |
I just received many Air New England, FH-227 pics from Gary Orlando who maintains
a site called
WHISTLE PIG. I'll be adding more from his collection as time passes.
If you're an FH-227 aficionado you'll love this site. I enjoy it because I flew these at ANE and Gary has done a great job preserving its history.
a site called
WHISTLE PIG. I'll be adding more from his collection as time passes.
If you're an FH-227 aficionado you'll love this site. I enjoy it because I flew these at ANE and Gary has done a great job preserving its history.

I received this pic from retired captain Randy Sohn who spent his career with North Central, Republic and Northwest Airlines. This is a Republic 727 with a tail number that ends with RW, which means it originally came from Hughes Air West as a 727-2M7. This is how Republic's 727's looked when I was hired in 1985 as a flight engineer. Do you know how to read Boeing aircraft/customer designations? This is a -2M7. The 2 means a 200 series and M7 was Boeings identifier for Hughes Air West. DAL's 727-200's were -232's, NWA's were 251's which follow the airplane throughout its life. When Boeing was building the shorter 727, what we now call a 100 series, an NWA -100 was designated as a 727-51.
Just received these shots from Capt. Wes Lundquist while on his latest trip.
Hot off his iPhone.
Hot off his iPhone.
Ward Dunning ANE/UAL ret. gave me these three pictures several years ago. They're of an FH-227 in nearly the same position at Keene, NH (EEN) in three different liveries. The original NEA Yellowbird, 1967, then DAL after the NEA/DAL merger in 1972 and finally in ANE colors after we purchased them from DAL in 1975. You'll note that the Yellowbird aircraft has a DAL Widget painted on its nose.
I met Dan, the captain shown below in a 747-400 on one of my last trips. In the left photo we'd just returned from Nagoya and we're waiting on Uniform taxiway in DTW for our gate to open. Dan took these two interesting photos of a DAL 747 landing. I've forgotten the details, but these photos were arranged and appeared in Aviation Week & Space Tech.
Thanks once again to retired North Central, Republic and Northwest captain Randy Sohn for sending along these pictures of NCA's first Douglas DC-9's from the late 1960's and this shot of a North Central CV-440. Would you like to read some of Randy's flying stories? Click HERE
Airliner art work from Capital/United Airlines
Captain Ken Perkins.
Captain Ken Perkins.
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Capt Randy Sohn just emailed these three pics of North Central Convair 340's and an NCA DC-3. Note the different liveries.
Retired NEA/DAL L-1011 captain Norm Houle sent me these two NEA, DC-6B shots. I think both were taken at PWM. My Dad flew "The Six" up and down the eastern seaboard for years and I accompanied him many times as a boy. Ship 685, N6585C, was purchased new from Douglas Aircraft in July 1957. N6580C below was leased from 1963 until 1967 from F.B Ayer.
Here's an interesting airplane. Capt Mike Peck (NCA, REP, NWA, DAL) was looking for a friends hangar in New Richmond, WI recently and stumbled across this fully restored, post WWII, 1954, Fairey, Gannet. This Royal Navy, carrier based, anti-submarine (ASW) hunter has a "double" Mamba turbine engine, driving counter-rotating props. Operated by a crew of three, this aircraft was a trainer with dual controls. The Brits came up with some very interesting designs and you can see this airplane at Osh Kosh in 2014.
Captain Jack Kastien (Air West, Hughes Air West, Republic and Northwest retired) sent me the following photographs. Taken probably in 1978 by Boeing Chief photographer Vern Manion when he and fellow Hughes Airwest captain Doug Waddell toured the Boeing facility near Seattle to inspect their first B-727-200. HAW 727-200's would be designated as 727-2M7's. I flew regularly with both Jack and Doug when I was a new hire Republic Airlines 727 Flight Engineer in 1985. Wonderful guys and excellent mentors to new pilots like myself learning the complexities of 727 systems.

During their '78 visit they toured the 727 delivery facility. Little did they know that only eight years later they'd be flying for Northwest via the NWA/REP merger in 1986. Come to think of it, they wouldn't have known yet about the 1979 North Central and Southern Airways merger that would create Republic Airlines and absorb Hughes Airwest a year later. Life holds many surprises. Both Doug and Jack retired as NWA DC-10 captains. N461US, 727-21, MSN 18797, mfg 1964.
Captain Sohn sent along these two pics of a REP and NWA 757. He also included the CV-580 below. We acquired six 757-200's at REP late in 1985 and into 1986, but when we merged with NWA in '86 they sold all six to America West. If I remember we had different engines on ours which is why NWA disposed of them. Or so they said. The aircraft below, N7517U, was built in 1953 by Convair or "Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation" as a CV-340 in 1953 for Texaco. Upgraded as a CV-440 it was acquired by North Central Airlines and upgraded yet again with Allison Engines to become the very muscular CV-580. It, along with 12 other 580's survived to fly at Republic and Northwest until 1988.
The CV-580
This very roomy, comfortable aircraft, was highly popular with repeat customers on short flights to/from MSP and DTW with 48 spacious seats, a flight attendant, a galley and a usable lavatory. It was replaced with an uncomfortable, tiny, 50 passenger jet with iddy bitty, unpadded seats, a lavatory so small you couldn't turn around inside it and stand up headroom only in the middle of the aisle with claustrophobic overhead bins surrounding your head. Where the Convairs flew 30 minute commuter legs, the uncomfortable jet was agonizingly stretched out to one-hour plus legs. Frazzled passengers couldn't wait to get off of the thing. The reliable old Convairs enjoyed a 35 year airline career where their replacement jets were phased out of service within 10 years as economically unviable.
The CV-580
This very roomy, comfortable aircraft, was highly popular with repeat customers on short flights to/from MSP and DTW with 48 spacious seats, a flight attendant, a galley and a usable lavatory. It was replaced with an uncomfortable, tiny, 50 passenger jet with iddy bitty, unpadded seats, a lavatory so small you couldn't turn around inside it and stand up headroom only in the middle of the aisle with claustrophobic overhead bins surrounding your head. Where the Convairs flew 30 minute commuter legs, the uncomfortable jet was agonizingly stretched out to one-hour plus legs. Frazzled passengers couldn't wait to get off of the thing. The reliable old Convairs enjoyed a 35 year airline career where their replacement jets were phased out of service within 10 years as economically unviable.
Mike Lesser, QANTAS 737-800 FO
To read Mike's BLOG and enjoy his experiences, click HERE.
To read Mike's BLOG and enjoy his experiences, click HERE.
As often happens, friends send me photos with no info such as these NWA 747-200 freighters at ANC. I'm guessing that these were taken in the late 1990's.
A LITTLE HISTORY: 70 years worth in just five clipped sentences.
Air West, Hughes Air West, Republic and NWA captain Jack Kastien sent this info along recently. He knows I love airline history and this certainly fits the bill. These are photos of Air West taking delivery of Three DC-9's at once, departing Long Beach Airport, forming up over Catalina Island off LA and flying in formation to PHX in 1969.
Top to Bottom: DC-9-31, N9343, MSN 47439, NWA ship # 9979, mfg 5/12/69
DC-9-31, N9344, MSN 47440, NWA ship # 9980, mfg 5/14/69
DC-9-31, N9345, MSN 47441, mfg 1969 was involved in an airborne collision with an F-4B (Phantom) on 6/6/71 as Hughes Airwest flight 706 departed LAX to SLC. Only the F4 RIO survived.
DC-9-31, N9344, MSN 47440, NWA ship # 9980, mfg 5/14/69
DC-9-31, N9345, MSN 47441, mfg 1969 was involved in an airborne collision with an F-4B (Phantom) on 6/6/71 as Hughes Airwest flight 706 departed LAX to SLC. Only the F4 RIO survived.
I flew with some pretty interesting characters, Marc here owned a MIG.
I don't have much info about these pictures taken by James, a USAF Lt Col and DAL 767 FO but they're certainly neat!

Captain Randy Sohn sent this picture of a Pacific Air Lines Martin 404. Pacific Air Lines was founded as Southwest Airways in 1946, became Pacific in 1959 and merged with Bonanza and West Coast to form Air West in 1968. At the time of the merger, Pacific was flying both F-27's and B-727-100's. This aircraft was delivered new to TWA on 6/52 and sold with seven others to Pacific in 1960. They purchased two more 404's from Eastern Airlines for a fleet of 10 aircraft. N40422, s/n 14128 was one of 104 airframes and went on to fly at Fiesta Air and Kodiak Western Airlines.
Captain Howard O. Elkins
When I hear someone mention the name "Howard O. Elkins," or HO as we call him, a smile spreads across my face. I've encountered a lot of characters along my career path, but HO is certainly unique. I wish you could have known him, he's a pilots pilot.
When I hear someone mention the name "Howard O. Elkins," or HO as we call him, a smile spreads across my face. I've encountered a lot of characters along my career path, but HO is certainly unique. I wish you could have known him, he's a pilots pilot.
I recently borrowed these photos from my Mother.
A little timeline photography
A little timeline photography
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MERRY CHRISTMAS
I visited my mother yesterday, she's 92 and helped her decorate her Christmas tree. She took the photo to the left which shows the top of that tree. Ever since I can remember we always had this plastic, American Airlines DC-3 (NC17334) sit atop our Christmas trees. It has to be 60 years old. In 1967 when my Dad checked out in the DC-9, we added this plastic NEA model to the mix. All my friends trees had an angel on top, but the Peck's had a DC-3!
I visited my mother yesterday, she's 92 and helped her decorate her Christmas tree. She took the photo to the left which shows the top of that tree. Ever since I can remember we always had this plastic, American Airlines DC-3 (NC17334) sit atop our Christmas trees. It has to be 60 years old. In 1967 when my Dad checked out in the DC-9, we added this plastic NEA model to the mix. All my friends trees had an angel on top, but the Peck's had a DC-3!
Aero Commander N6106X - PAST & PRESENT
Photos from former ANE FA, Chris Hamersley, ANE pilot Sergio Molina and Tom Hildreth.
To learn about Air Margarita in San Juan, click HERE
Photos from former ANE FA, Chris Hamersley, ANE pilot Sergio Molina and Tom Hildreth.
To learn about Air Margarita in San Juan, click HERE
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Captain Ron Turner was a pilots pilot, loved what he did and enjoyed collecting artifacts from his career.
This is a very small representation that he sent me, they're scans of old photos.
This is a very small representation that he sent me, they're scans of old photos.
Are you an L-1011 fan?
These photos are from Jon Proctor. To learn more about Tri-Stars, click HERE.
These photos are from Jon Proctor. To learn more about Tri-Stars, click HERE.
Gary Orlando sent me these pics that will shed light on NWA/REP merger liveries.
Click HERE to visit Gary's Facebook page and learn more about commercial aviation.
Click HERE to visit Gary's Facebook page and learn more about commercial aviation.
I just received these photos from Leigh Harlem.
His career path after Middle Tennessee State University led thru Air Midwest (Mesa) and Chautauqua/Shuttle America before he landed at jetBlue as an ERJ190FO.
His career path after Middle Tennessee State University led thru Air Midwest (Mesa) and Chautauqua/Shuttle America before he landed at jetBlue as an ERJ190FO.
Thanks very much to David Henderson for these photos and his site SUNSHINE SKIES, where I learned more about one of our DC-3's at Air New England.
Are you a Northeast Airlines enthusiast?
Do you love this Raymond Loewy inspired Yellowbird campaign?
Then you need to click over to Dave Goodwin's site, PLANE VIZ.
Photo's from the Dave Goodwin collection.
Do you love this Raymond Loewy inspired Yellowbird campaign?
Then you need to click over to Dave Goodwin's site, PLANE VIZ.
Photo's from the Dave Goodwin collection.
Dave and I share a common background, both of our fathers flew for BOS based Northeast Airlines. Dave's father also flew Twin Otters at Executive Airlines. Founded as Boston-Maine Airways in 1933, the airline changed its name to Northeast in 1940 when it received its first DC-3. In August of 1972 this iconic little airline came to an end when they merged with Atlanta based Delta Air Lines.
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