In December 2024, the scrapping of the former Flying Tigers Canadair CL-44 N447T began at Bournemouth Hurn Airport, UK. However, the cockpit section was saved and will be put on display at the South Wales Aviation Museum in St Athan, UK, ensuring that part of this historic aircraft lives on.
The CL-44 N447T embarked on its journey on July 24, 1961, with its first flight under Canadair Ltd. Just weeks later, on August 16, 1961, it was delivered to Flying Tiger Line, marking the start of its commercial operations. The aircraft made its first public appearance at Washington National Airport on August 28–29, 1961, where more than 5,000 visitors toured the massive cargo plane and watched loading demonstrations. Among the attendees were Flying Tiger Line founder, Robert W. Prescott, and his daughter, French, as well as General Counsel, Norman Meyers and his son, Marshall. The event also attracted prominent legislators, government officials, and high-ranking military officers, eager to see the largest aircraft ever to land at Washington National Airport.
In December 1968, the aircraft was sold to Conroy Aircraft Corporation and converted into the CL-44-O “Oversize”, a unique modification designed for transporting large jet engines, oil drilling rigs, prefabricated housing, and other oversized cargo. Specifically the aircraft was designed to transport Rolls-Royce RB.211 jet engines from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Palmdale, California for installation on the new Lockheed L-1011 TriStars. The conversion involved removing the upper half of the fuselage, an 84-foot section weighing nearly 5,000 pounds, increasing the aircraft’s interior diameter to 14 feet 9 inches and doubling its cargo capacity. The aircraft took its first flight in its new configuration on November 26, 1969. The flight crew for this certification test flight were Herman “Fish” Salmon, famed Lockheed test pilot, Captain Jim Seymour (FTL) and Jeff Seideman (FTL) who was on furlough but still possessed a current CL-44 rating to operate as the Flight Engineer
However, disaster nearly struck on April 8, 1970, during a test flight when an FAA test pilot lost control, sending the aircraft into a nosedive. Several panels separated from the fuselage, but the pilots managed to regain control and safely divert to Edwards Air Force Base for an emergency landing. Below are links to Jeff Seideman’s description of the flight and his post flight report submitted to investigators
Flight Test Documentation
Part 1
Part 2
Post Flight Report
After repairs, N447T was leased to Trans Meridian Air Cargo on July 8, 1970, and delivered to Stansted Airport. Over the years, the aircraft earned the nicknames “Skymonster” and “Bahamas Trader”, becoming an icon of heavy-lift cargo aviation. It later changed ownership multiple times, transferring to British Cargo Airlines in 1978, then to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines in 1982, receiving the Irish registration EI-BND. In the 1990s, it was leased to Buffalo Airways and Azerbaijan Airlines before being placed in storage in the United States in August 1999. Eventually, the aircraft was flown to Bournemouth International Airport, UK, where it remained stored for over two decades.
Now, with its scrapping in 2024, the legacy of the CL-44 “Skymonster” nears its final chapter. Fortunately, its cockpit will be preserved at the South Wales Aviation Museum, where aviation enthusiasts can appreciate the history and engineering of this remarkable aircraft.
