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    This page documents a history of a specific aircraft. The details provided vary from aircraft to aircraft and are dependent on the research and amount of data uploaded to the Aerial Visuals database.

    Airframe Family: Douglas DC-4 / C-54/R5D/C-112 Skymaster / Carvair ATL / Canadair DC-4M/C-4 North Star
    Latest Model:C-54Q Skymaster
    Last Military Serial:56530 USN
    Construction Number:10862
    Last Civil Registration:N44904
    Compressed ID:Douglas C-54Q sn 56530 USN cn 10862...
    Latest Owner or Location:Memorial Airport, Chandler, Arizona

    EDIT THE HISTORY HERE    		 If you can add to the history or would like to submit a correction please use the editor to do so.

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    Dates

    Event

    1945

    Constructed as a C-54D-15-DC by Douglas at Chicago, IL.

    13 August 1945

    Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Army Air Force with s/n 42-72757.

    Redesignated as R5D-3.

    13 August 1945

    Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Navy with BuNo 56530.

    Converted to a C-54Q.

    Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Navy with BuNo 56530.

    April 1971

    Transferred to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) with inventory number 3C0931.

    28 October 1975

    To unknown owner with c/r N44904.

    5 April 1976

    Certificate of airworthiness for N44904 (C-54, 10862) issued.

    October 1979


    Photographer: Geoff Goodall
    Notes: Military disposals Douglas C-54s were ideal heavy sprayers. Biegert Aviation had twelve for large-scale spraying contracts,including spraying detergents on ocean oil pollution. Their former US Navy R5D-3 N44904 was at Mesa, Arizona

    11 October 1984


    Photographer: Mike Powney
    Notes: 1984 photo at Chandler Memorial, Arizona

    17 August 1999

    To Biegert Aviation Inc, Chandler, AZ keeping c/r N44904.

    7 July 2004

    To Brooks Fuel Inc, Fairbanks, AK keeping c/r N44904.

    1 January 2005

    Certificate of airworthiness for N44904 (C-54, 10862) issued.

    17 March 2007


    Photographer: John Bennett
    Notes: Photo taken at Chandler Memorial, AZ, USA

    Based at Brooks Fuel/Don Brooks, Fairbanks, AK.
    View the Location Dossier

    To Memorial Airport, Chandler, AZ.
    Two engines are missing.
    View the Location Dossier

    29 November 2012

    Civil registration, N44904, cancelled.

    11 March 2017


    Photographer: Steffen Rhode

    11 November 2023


    Photographer: Cassidy Cristello
    Notes: The barely recognizable C-54Q N44904 sitting on her tail at her longtime home at Gila River Memorial Airport outside of Phoenix, AZ. Looters and graffiti artists have destroyed her paint scheme beyond recognition. Sad ending for such a magnificent airplane.
    This dossier is waiting for review by an editor.This airframe dossier is based on
    unreviewed imported data.
    If you can verify the documented history or add to it with additional text and/or photos please feel free to do so by using the upload tool and the history editor.
    Credits
     Data for airframe dossiers come from various sources. The following were used to compile this dossier...
    Internet Sources
     Aerial Visuals - The Locator by Mike Henniger, Senior Editor
    Airbus, Boeing, Convair and Douglas Production List
    AMCAR
    Federal Aviation Administration in the United States of America
    Individual Contributors
     Terry Fletcher
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