Caldwell, New Jersey (USA)


PERCIVAL PEMBROKE C.51

c/n: PAC/66/014
Line-nr: K66/B4001
serial: RM-1
Radio Callsign: OT-ZAA/BAF81

 

(click to enlarge)      
Percival Pembroke C.51 / RM-1 Percival Pembroke C.51 / RM-1 Percival Pembroke C.51 / RM-1 Percival Pembroke C.51 / RM-1
      more pictures
       

15/02/1954 Manufactured
16/02/1954 Accepted by SCRT (08.05 hours) + engines Alvis Leonides Mk.12701 n° 944 and 946 (both with
  06.05 hours)
17/02/1954 Handed over to the Belgian Charges d'Affaires Mr. Jean de Nieveenhuys at Luton (UK) by Percival
  MD W. A. Summers
19/02/1954 Taken on Charge by 20Sqn/15W (Flight Communications)
16/05/1955 Cat. 2 in flight (14h35L) Cargo-door opened in flight, damage to rear fuselage. Cdt Vl Firlefijn André
  and Sgt Vl Reymen Jacques (Co-pilot) unhurt (143.00 hours)
17/07/1957 Cat. 1 at Melsbroek AB. Tail damaged by prop-wash from a commercial a/c making its "run-up"
  nearby
14/06/1960 Cat. 2 at Melsbroek AB. During routine maintenance the nose-wheel collapsed. Nose damaged. Kpl
  Deceuster unhurt
02/04/1973 Cat. 2 at Melsbroek AB. A violent gust damaged tail-surfaces. Maj Vl Baccaert unhurt.
06/02/1974 Cat. 3 in flight over the Bressy Beacon, hit by lightning. Hole in left wing. ADC Vl Geruzet unhurt
13/01/1976 Flown from Melsbroek AB to Koksijde AB for storage after 2917.53 flying hours
06/04/1976 In protective storage
06/04/1976 Struck of Charge through note VDE/52/18424 of 10/12/1974. Engines Alvis Leonides Mk.12701 n°
  962 (Left) (653.26 hours) and 955 (Right) (544.32 hours)
18/01/1978 Sold to Air America Inc., Factoryville, Pennsylvania, USA (Exchange agreement 730006 of
  18/01/1978)
28/01/1978 Aircraft Registration Application for N51973
06/03/1978 Registration N51973 issued
31/05/1978 Flown to Prestwick (UK) and the same day Flown to Blackbushe for long-range tank and
  instrument fitting together with N51951 and N51966
REMARK notes come from Belgium, but they don't agree with spotter's reports from the UK
00/00/1978 Flown to USA
17/10/1978 Special Airworthiness Certificate (valid from 17/10/1978 until 27/10/1978) for ferry flight from
  Seamans Field, Factoryville, Penn. to University Park Airport, State College, Penn.
27/10/1978 Sold to K.R. Williamson, 1246 E. College Ave., State College, Penn. 16801
27/10/1978 Aircraft Registration Application for N51973
31/10/1978 Application for Airworthiness Certificate by K.R. Williamson
31/10/1978 Special Airworthiness Certificate (valid from 31/10/1978 until 30/10/1979) for use at airshows and
  fly-ins
15/11/1978 Aircraft Registration N51973 issued
23/06/1979 Sold to J. O'Neil in New York
23/06/1979 To City Sea Plane Corp., 410 South State St., Dover, Delaware, USA (Mr. J. O'Neil)
28/06/1979 until 20/07/199 in maintenance at Skytop Airport, Roscoe NY for the sum of 2722 USD
28/08/1979 Aircraft Registration Application for N51973
19/09/1979 Aircraft Registration N51973 issued
21/11/1979 Request for impoundment of aircraft by Skytop because maintenance bill has not been paid
00/00/1981 Sold to Mr. Charles Woods (?)
00/00/0000 Leased to people who got in trouble with Federal Drug Authorities
27/04/1983 Aircraft is impounded
00/00/0000 Stored at Farmingdale (NY, USA)
29/12/1986 Aircraft is forfeited and condemned to the use and benefit of the United States of America by the
  U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
13/05/1987 Sold by U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Customs Service to Mr Charles Woods, Box 1089,
  Dothan, Alabama 36302, USA
01/08/1987 Sold to Yankee Air Force, Essex County Airport, 125 Passaic Avenue, Fairfield, New Jersey 07006
25/10/1987 Flown from Farmingdale, New York to Essex County Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey, USA to be part
  of the Yankee Air Force, Northeast Division
30/09/1987 Aircraft Registration Application for N51973
14/09/1988 Registration N51973 issued
10/09/1991 Aircraft owned by Yankee Air Force Inc., PO Box 1100, Ypsilanti, Michigan 48197, USA
17/05/1996 Aircraft stored at Caldwell Wright Airport (NJ) (with RM1/OT-ZAA BAF colourscheme)
18/10/1999 still registered as N51973. Owner: Yankee Air Force Inc - Belleville
00/00/0000 The engines have not been run for a few years due to higher priorities but it may be made
  airworthy to ferry to a new location. (tt 3100 hours)
10/11/2007 Still at the Northeast Division of the Yankee Air Force Inc. at the Essex County Airport, Caldwell, NJ
   
   
   
REMARK data provided/corrected by Tom Singfield and Sean Keating
   
   
NOTE The note refers to all Air America Pembrokes. The Belgian Pembroke byer Air America Inc had
 

NOTHING to do with the CIA outfit from the Vietnam days. Air America Inc's boss, "The Flying Dutchmen" Rik Luytjes was, however, a wheeler-dealer. He sold several Pembrokes to drug runners. A book called "Trafficking: The Boom And Bust Of The Air America Cocaine Ring" by Berkely Rice tells his story and has some scary details.
The Pembroke was an ideal "doper" and sold to the runners for 50.000 USD each ! It could carry a dozen bales of marajuana and the big doors enabled a quick drop on a runway and even the belly doors were used for air drops.

See also "HE PARKED HIS CONSCIENCE IN THE HANGAR", article from the New York Times

   
   

 

This page was last updated on: 11-Nov-2007