Hi,

I have for you another great aircraft photo from the past! This one has some history and it comes with extra bonus items. Read on if you're interested

Description

8X10 Original Glossy B/W Photo of a American Flyers Airlines DC-4

History-Bonus Postcard and one additional Glossy Photo.

I don't just sell items, I sell stories. 

History 

Again and as usual, I over researched this photo and probably spent 3 hours of my time putting everything together not including the ad prep time. I want the buyer to know what they are getting. A picture can tell a thousand stories. I hope you appreciate the information about this subject.

I have one 8x10 original glossy B/W photo of a American Flyers Airline (AFA) Lockheed L-188 Electra parked on the tarmac at San Diego's Lindbergh Field in august of 1965. The back of the photo has the field and date written on it. It also has the stamp of Larry M Peterson. I am assuming that this photo came from his collection. I couldn't find much about him and the only thing close was someone named Lawrence M Peters that lived in California and had been in the Navy. That's all I could find out. The Lockheed L-188 Electra is one of my favorite propeller airplanes.

It first flew in 1957 and was the U.S. first large turbo props delivered. It had four Allison  501-D13 turbine engines. That's right, it's got a jet engine that drives a propeller. Very common in todays world but not so much back then. It had a very high power to weight ratio that pilots loved to fly. It was more powerful than a DC-6. In other words, it was a rocket ship with wings. 170 and were built between 1957 and 1961. There were three fatal crashes due to some sort of engine problem that caused the wing to flutter and break apart. Even though Lockheed modified the problem, the damage was done and no one else wanted it. Our photo has tail number N182-H and was first flown by AFA. It was then sold to Overseas National Airlines (ONA) in 1968. ONA shut down operations in 1978. AFA shut down in 1971. There are still around 13 L-188's flying today. They are used to fight fires and as freight carriers. 

Now to the photo. If you look at my closeup, you can see a tail dragger in the background. It looks like a DC-3 but I am not sure.

If you look just behind the AFA nose wheel, you will see another landing gear door on the other side of the aircraft. I blew it up and saw that it was N183H, another L-188 belonging to AFA. That aircraft crashed on April 22,1966, killing 83 of the 98 or so passengers on board. The pilot flew it into a mountain in IFR conditions. I searched for some photos but could only find the crash site online. I am also including a new color photo of the N182H in its new paint scheme after it was sold to Overseas National Airlines (ONA) in 1968). It is a nice 5X9 photo of it on premium PPD Photo Paper and backed it with an acid free cardstock adhered with an archival safe bond. That is also included as a bonus item. And now for the closing words. I don't know what happened to N182-H. It could have been scrapped or might still being flying. 

Now, I searched the internet for any photos of AFA aircraft for sale. There were only new copies. This makes this one extremely rare. It is in great shape and has no major folds, creases or tears. On that note, it's pretty old so it isn't perfect. It would look great in a frame.

This sale is for the B/W photo only. I am throwing in the other color photo as a bonus.

I am building my reputation one sale at a time.

I will ship this anywhere for $8.99. Each item will come wrapped in its own archival safe sleeves and will be backed by acid free archival card stock. They will be well protected from bending during shipment. I pack these very carefully and take pride in my methods. It will come in a over sized 13X15 sturdy photo mailer. Read the shipping policy below if you want more info. I don't try to profit on my shipping. I just try to break even. Sometimes I do, others I eat it. Read my reviews. I have several that mention how good my packaging is.

I do combine shipping so please bid on more photos!!!

The best thing about my packaging? They are easy to open! They come packed in a sturdy rip open cardboard mailer with no tape over the rip!!! How many times have you received a package only to spend ten minutes trying to open it without destroying the contents!!! No extra tape, glue, staples, or my worst fear, items shoved between two pieces of cardboard with tape on every edge requiring a surgeons scalpel to open it!!!

This is a new store for me but I have been on Ebay for over 26 years with perfect feedback.

Look for my other photos, photo lots and more. I will be posting two more great 8X10 original B/W photos, one with a Northrop Alpha parked at Wichita Airport in the 1930s. It is a fantastic photo with a lot of action. I also will be posting a photo of a salvage operation where the US Navy is pulling a WWII Japanese aircraft out of the drink. Both of these should be up by Saturday night, the 20th.

Please contact me first with any issues.

Thanks for looking.