It may be interest or not to readers who follow Cathy Pacific’s history that one of its Douglas DC 6B propeller-driven airliners is still active in 2019 after an exceptionally long life for this type of aircraft.
Owned by Cathy as VR-HFK and operated from Kai Tak during 1958-62, it was sold to the Norwegian airline Braathens South America & Far East Airlines that had pioneered the early post-war years “school-children” flights to and from Hong Kong enabling children at boarding schools in Europe to return to their parents for the holidays.
The aircraft subsequently passed through many operator’s hands and became a forest fire-bomber titled No 47 in Western Canada where this writer saw it in the early 2,000s.
This magazine report states that it is destined to revert to Braathen’s colours and to an aviation museum in Norway.
Mention of this aircraft’s registration reminded me that I have a ‘Journey Log Book’ for this aircraft gifted to me by Captain Charles ‘Chic’ Eather many years ago. The log-book tabulates each flight and the names of the operating crews.
