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In April 1980, several aviation friends and I visited some parts of the USA, on a month long aviation tour. We had bought a National Airlines pass and went from Amsterdam, via London-Heathrow, on National Airlines DC-10-30, N83NA, to Miami. After spending two weeks in the Miami area, we vistited San Juan, P.R., Saint-Thomas in the Virgen Islands, the Los Angeles area and Houston International airport. 

Below, I focus on our visit to Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgen Islands.


Picture
April 21, 1980, N100SD, using the last meters left of departure runway 10 of Saint Thomas on sunny day.


Picture
Tucking-up her wheels out of Saint Thomas is Douglas DC-3, N100SD, of Aero Virgin Islands.
​  
She is listed destroyed by a hurricane at STT.
 
​

Picture
Aero Virgen Islands DC-3 tail number, N331P, landing at Saint Thomas on April 24, 1980.

After the war, N331P, started flying for Eastern Airlines. She is listed stored in derelict condition at STT.
   
​

Picture
A last look at Aero Virgen Islands N100SD as she climbs away from Harry S. Truman Airport, bound for San Juan, PR. 
​
Increased competition from such airlines as LIAT, and American Eagle forced Aero Virgin Islands out of operations by 1990.


Picture
N783V about to land on runway 10.


Picture
N783V taxis out for another St. Croix freight departure. 

After the war, N783V, started flying for Ladeco in Chile. After our visit she was sold to Tol Air. It was listed that the fuselage was noted preserved by a private owner in Berlin, MA. (USA) in 2014.
​​

Picture
Air Cargo America Douglas DC-3 N10801, taxiing out at St. Thomas/Harry S. Truman, bound for Borinquen, in 1980.


Picture
Rearview of Air Cargo America Douglas DC-3, N10801, in her bare metal livery, taxiing alongside Runway 10/28 at Saint Thomas Airport on a gorgeous spring day during Apil 1980.

After the war, N10801, started flying for the Luftwaffe in the 50's . She is listed converted to Basler BT-67 and fitted with FLIR and machine guns for drug interdiction missions with the Fuerza Aerea Salvadorian.  


Picture
​Convair 440, N44828, was heading purposefully towards runway 10.

N44828, started flying for Varig. During the 70's she flew for Delta Air Transport from Antwerp, Belgium. She is listed destroyed by fire whilst landing at Jasper, AL on December 16, 1984. The last operator was Air Resort Airlines.   
​

Picture
Veteran Convair 440, N44826, trundles towards the take-off point on Saint Thomas runway, in readiness for her flight back to San Juan, PR.
​  
​N44826, started flying for Varig. During the 70's she flew for Delta Air Transport from Antwerp, Belgium. She is listed scrapped at McClellan–Palomar Airport during January 1997.


Picture
N87629 has just arrived from SJU.

After the war, N87629, flew for North Cay Airways. She had an accident occurred at STT while taxiing. The damage was substantial. The pilot reported normal braking pressure failed while taxiing on the ramp. He attempted to steer clear of other aircraft, but collided with two parked DC-3 aircraft. 


Picture
LIAT '748' rolling out.


Picture
LIAT HS.748, VP-LIV, rotates from runway 28 in April 1980.
​  
VP-LIV, was delivered to Channel Airways as G-ATEK in 1966. To LIAT as VP-LIV in 1968. To Philippine Airlines as RP-C1041 in 1985. To LAR as CS-TAV then to Air Senegal as 6V-AFX in 1988. Withdrawn from use at Southend in 1989 and scrapped in 1991.
​

Picture
Prinair DH Heron, N576PR, retracting gear after take-off from STT.
 
DH Heron, N576PR, started flying for British Airline Dragon Airways. She is listed scrapped in 1991.
   
​

Picture
N46949, made a picture perfect landing at Saint Thomas.

​After the war, N46949, started flying for the Canadian Air Force for several decades. She is listed converted to a Basler Turbo and taken on strength with the Royal Thai Air Force.
​   

Picture
N46950 is seen parked in a remote corner of Saint Thomas, Harry S. Truman Airport.

After the war, N46950, started flying for the Canadian Air Force for several decades. She is listed stored at STT in 1989.  
​
​

Picture

Picture
N44826 chilling at the STT ramp, ready to take on another assignment.

N44826, was a regular visitor of Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport in the 70's, whilst flying for Delta Airtransport from Antwerp, Belgium.
  

Picture
N331P between flights at her Saint Thomas base.

After the war, N331P, started flying for Eastern Airlines. She is listed stored in derelict condition at Saint Thomas since 1983.
   
​
Picture

Picture
The DC-3 is parked at Aero Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas maintenance area.

After the war, N28346, started flying for Delta Airlines. She is listed perished in Hurricane Hugo, which wreaked havoc at San Juan on September 17, 1989.


Picture
Mind the Eastern Airlines Boeing 727-100 'WhisperJet' at the ramp.


Picture
In the late afternoon, we returned to San Juan onboard Prinair '285'.

Increased competition for these routes from Aero Virgin Islands and Oceanair, in addition to a measure of distrust from the public that had not forgotten a number of fatal crashes, resulted in Prinair ceasing operations in 1985.


- The End -









© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • OldJets
    • Amsterdam OldJets
    • OldJets
    • Schiphol Jets 2.0
    • On the ramp at AMS
    • CARGO Jets at Amsterdam
    • San Juan 1980
    • LAX - area 1980
    • Houston 1980
    • Fort Lauderdale 1980
    • Russia-Ukraine-Belarus
    • Russian hardware
    • Kiev
    • Lviv - Ukraine
    • YAK-42D to Yaroslav
    • 134 to Kaluga
    • Tu-154M to Minsk
    • Moscow bound Tu-154
    • Zaporazhye - Ukraine
    • Odesa - Ukraine
    • Dnipropetrovsk - Ukraine
    • North-Korea >
      • IL-62 to Pyongyang
      • Pyongyang airport
      • IL-18 to Samjiyon
      • An-24 over Pyongyang
      • Tupolev 134 to Hamhung
    • MD-83 Farewell flight
    • My Last 707 flight
    • We lost the engine
    • My first flight, my first emergency
    • Sharjah, March 1997
    • Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago
    • Cochabamba, March 2005
    • Mexico City Airport in 1987
    • Flutter around the Dutch Antilles >
      • Curaco-Hato Airport
      • Bonaire by Divi Divi Air
      • ATR42 to and Beech 1900 from Aruba
      • Jetair, Curacao
      • Maho Beach, St. Maarten
      • Another day at SXM
      • Twin-Otter to Saba
      • A couple of hours at St. Eustatia
    • Guatemala, January 1987
    • Zarkani 707's
    • Albania, 2017
    • Iran, 2006
    • Medan Polonia Airport
    • MOTOWN Cargo Carriers
    • Jakarta - Kemayoran
    • South-African Oldjets
    • Sofia '79
    • Zaïre
    • Sahara Cocaine Plane
    • 727 X-files
    • By Cedar Jet to Cyprus
    • Maverick Boeing 707 Ops
    • Jet Power 707-Ops
    • Colombian AF Boeing 727's
    • Above the Andes in a 727
    • Bogota Boeing 727's
    • Classic Jets over Iran
    • Flying the Big Q
    • Singapore -80's
    • Athens Ellinikon
    • Convair 880 Freighter Ops
    • Fuerza Aerea Argentina F-28
    • SLM DC-8 crash
    • Working the Hadj
    • KLM DC-8 memories
    • Syrian OldJets
    • VFW-614
    • Biman DC-10-30 to Chittaqn
    • Pelgrimage to Mashad
    • Austral MD80 saved
    • Flying Tigers DC-8
    • Part-out & Scrap of a Queen
    • Saving a Trident
  • OldProps
    • OldProps
    • Saint Thomas 1980
    • Opa Locka 1980
    • Naples, FL. 1980
    • Legendary DC-3 book
    • La Paz - El Alto, February 1985
    • Belfast to Dublin
    • Herc to Helsinki
    • AerCaribe Antonovs
    • Aeroejecutivos Flight 501
    • Rutaca of Cd. Bolivar, Venezuela
    • Venezuela - Once a DC-3 Hot-Spot
    • 580 to Valdez
    • Reeve Aleutian, Alaska
    • Everst Air Cargo - Alaska
    • Brooks Fuel, Fairbanks, Alaska
    • Northern Air Cargo - Alaska
    • KLM goes Guppy for a night
    • Good Old Argosy
    • Belize, 1987
    • Oaxaca, Mexico
    • Zorg & Hoop, Paramaribo
    • Chaiky airfield, Ukraine
    • Villavicencio, Colombia >
      • Villavicencio Vanguardia
      • Aliansa
      • Sadelca
      • Selva
      • Bomberos
      • Allas
      • Air Colombia
      • Aerolineas Llaneros
      • Wrecks & relics
    • East-Midland mid-80's
    • MERCHANTMAN TO AMSTERDAM
    • Northern Air Cargo DC-6 Flight
    • An affaire with beautiful Delaney
    • DC-3 to Gabarone, Botswana
    • Inbound Jan Smuts
    • Antonov An-12 Flight
    • Cuban An-2's
    • Surinam Ag-Cats
    • Chernoye An-2 Works
  • Bush-planes
    • Ontario Bush-planes >
      • Kenora
      • DeHavailland DHC-2
      • Minaki
      • Nestor Falls
      • Fort Francis
      • Vermillion Bay
      • Ear Falls
      • Red Lake
      • Sioux Lookout
      • Ignace
      • Selkirk & Gimli
      • Winnipeg
    • Quebec Bush-planes >
      • The Montreal area
      • The Three Saints
      • Along Riviere St. Maurice
      • Saguenay
      • Laurentian Mountains
  • Mike Zoeller article's
    • Good guys went bad
    • Gemini Air Cargo
    • Perfect Air Tours
    • Aero America
    • Aeropa
    • Air Viking
  • Museums
    • Museo Aeronautico de Malaga
    • Malta Aviation Museum
    • Korea War Memorial Museum
    • Buenos Aires, Moron Air Force Museum, 2013
    • Montevideo, Uruguay - 2013
    • New Dehli - Plane s & Trains
    • Nieuw-Vennep Transport Museum
    • Colombia Air Force Museum, Bogota.
    • Datangshan, China >
      • Datangstan, China - part 01.
      • Datangstan, China - Part 02.
    • Monino, Moscow >
      • Monino, Moscow - part 01.
      • Monino, Moscow - part 02.
    • Shenyang Aviation Museum, Chin
    • Hatzerim, Israel >
      • Hatzerim AFM, Israel - Part 01.
      • Hatzerim AFM, Israel - Part 02.
    • Theran Aviation Museum
    • Wrecks & relics in the Lowlands
    • PS Aero revisted in 2019
    • Kiev Technical School
    • Kiev Museum 2008
    • Kiev Aviation Museum 2018
    • Kiev Memorial
    • Minsk, Belarus
    • DOSAAF - Borovaya, Belarus
    • Le Bourget Aviation Museum
    • Aeroscopia Toulouse
    • Old Wings Toulouse
    • Istanbul Aviation Museum
    • Canada Aviation Museum
    • Aviation monument in Cuba
    • Colombo Airport
    • Winnipeg
  • Contact