Propliners aid Haiti relief effort

Several 1950s piston-engined transports have been flying relief aid into Haiti following the earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince on January 12.

By mid-February, Florida Air Transport's (FAT) Opa-Locka-based Douglas DC-6 and DC-4 had made 35 flights, carrying an estimated 770,000lb of relief supplies. FAT has now purchased a second DC-4 from Tucson, Arizona, for the airlift, which is expected to continue for at least three months.

Delta Air Lines Captain Bill DaSilva joined the airlift from Opa-Locka on January 23 in his Grumman HU-16 Albatross, N7025N. With Port-au-Prince airport full to capacity, the Albatross flew doctors, medical equipment and supplies to Les Cayes harbour in the south-west of Haiti, making a water landing. On January 28 the HU-16 delivered more supplies, landing at Les Cayes airport owing to rough sea conditions. Two days later the Albatross picked up 3,000lb of supplies from Nassau, landing in a 2–3ft swell off Les Cayes.

This is just a taster — see April's Aeroplane magazine for the full story and picture.