N70BF

N70BF (c/n 43720), a C-118B Liftmaster (DC-6A), is making a new home at JRF after its ferry flight from SMX. It's owned by Florida Air Transport [Miami, FL], and does work for the National Response Center (NRC) to do oil spill dispersal flights. It will be based at JRF for a few years.

43720 was originally built for the US Navy in 1953, as an R6D-1 with Bureau Number 131617. The R6D-1s were re-designated as the C-118B by the Department of Defense in 1962. It's not known when the US Navy retired this C-118B, but it was stationed at Naval Air Station Barbers Point with Fleet Tactical Support Squadron 21 "Pineapple Airlines" (VR-21) at some point in the 1960s and 70s with the RZ tail code. It also flew with the VR-50 and VR-51 during its time with the US Navy. In 1986, 131617 was retired by the US Navy, and stored at Scott AFB, IL. In 1989, it was sold to Basler Flight services, and registered as N70BF. In 1992, it was sold to Services Aereos Ejecutivos (Aerocarga) as XA-SCZ.  In December 1998, it was sold to Aztec Capital Services 9Fort Lauderdale, FL) as N70BF. In September 2000, Florida Air Transport (Oka Locka, FL) bought N70BF, and four months later, and it re-classified as a DC-6A. In 2012, it had a spray system installed, and has been flying as an oil spill dispersal aircraft.

This is a homecoming of sorts for this Liftmaster, since it was based at Barbers Point more than 50 years ago!

Airliners.net has photos of its previous liveries since returning from México: 2003, 2006, and 2010.