Rhoose Airport in the 60's - [3] Cambrian Dakotas 09/03/69 with thanks to Tony Carless/Geoff Jones

Thanks to Tony Carless via Geoff Jones an historic picture taken on 9th March 1969 at the back of the Cambrian maintenance hangar in the area that is now the Norman apron. Cambrian's five retired Dakota Pionairs awaiting their re-registration and export to Cyprus. Research by StuC gives these histories:

9623 C-47A-30-DL 42-23761 01/06/43 - FD901 RAF 27/06/43 - G-AGHM BOAC 08/07/43 - FD901 RAF leased 13/07/43 - forced landing 13/11/43 Viario do Castelo, Portugal and interned - G-AGHM BOAC - BEA leased 26/02/46 to 04/05/46 - Airways Training Ltd 22/06/48 - BEA leased 01/10/48 to 03/11/48 - Skyways Ltd "Sky Monitor" 11/11/48 - VP-KGI Skyways (East Africa) Ltd 29/11/48 - G-AGHM Skyways Ltd "Sky Monitor" 10/11/49 - BEA Pionair "Edward Maitland" 21/03/51 - Cambrian Airways leased 61, bought 26/08/64 - 5B-CBC Worldinter Supply Services Ltd, Nicosia 18/04/69 used by Cyprus Airways - wfu Jeddah and noted 75-81 - restored by Saudia and mounted on synthetic clouds in the middle of a roundabout in Jeddah
At Cardiff in 1969 (credit the late Peter Metherell via Geoff Jones)

At Jeddah (credit Geoff Jones)

10099 C-47A-50-DL 42-24237 20/08/43 - FL516 RAF 08/09/43 - G-AGHS BOAC 15/09/43 - BEA 27/06/47 - Pionair "Horace Short" - Cambrian Airways leased 02/03/61, bought 01/05/63 - Gibair Ltd - 5B-CBA Worldinter Supply Services Ltd, Nicosia 18/04/69 - wfu & derelict Beirut - cancelled 76 

10106 C-47A-50-DL 42-24244 21/08/43 - FL523 RAF Middle East 25/09/43 - 6808 South African Air Force 27/09/43 - Aircraft Operating Company - G-ALCC Field Aircraft Services Ltd 11/10/48 - BEA Pionair "Harry Hawker" 14/03/49 - Cambrian Airways leased 02/04/61, bought 13/09/63 - 5B-CBE Worldinter Supply Services Ltd, Nicosia 06/03/69 not taken up - 5B-CAW 03/69 - derelict Dhahran 03/77-06/06 

11924 C-47-1-DK 42-92155 16/09/43 - FL563 RAF 511 Sqn 31/12/43 - G-AHCZ BOAC 30/04/46 - BEA 04/06/46 - YI-HCZ Iraqi Airways leased 10/12/46 - G-AHCZ BOAC 19/04/47 - BEA 22/08/47 - Pionair "Charles Samson" 17/06/51 - Cambrian Airways leased 02/03/59, bought 10/05/61 - 5B-CBC Worldinter Supply Services Ltd, Nicosia 18/05/69 - wfu Beirut and noted derelict 1976-82 

16487/33235 C-47B-35-DK 44-76903 08/05/45 - KN595 RAF Montreal 10/05/45 - ACSEA 31/05/45 - 267 Sqn - India 29/08/45 - 12 MU/UK 06/06/47 - G-ALXL Field Aircraft Services Ltd 16/01/50 - BEA Pionair "Charles Rolls" 28/02/50 - Gibair Ltd - Cambrian Airways leased 03/03/60, bought 13/04/62 - 5B-CBB Worldinter Supply Services Ltd, Nicosia 18/04/69 - derelict Bahrain - N94717 International Air Inc 11/07/74 - R M Ferguson, Singapore 04/08/75 - broken up Bahrain 04/76 (US marks never used)

The "Pionair" was a conversion carried out by Scottish Aviation for BEA featuring British instrumentation and an increased seating capacity of 32.