Colchane
Colchane is a scattering of low dispersed houses on the Chile/Bolivia border in what was once the western part of the homeland of the Aymara people (the flag is above). I first read about it when researching for a book ‘Twelve propeller driven classics’.
At the end of each of the twelve chapters there is a section on how that type of aircraft ended (most were scrapped or crashed, a few survive), and one (C/N 1013) ended up just short of the Bolivia border close to Colchane, her story is amazing.
She was a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the pinnacle of spacious, luxury passenger airliner development in the early 1950s, the lavishness which was really unbelievable. Platters of Hors d'oeuvre with aperitifs followed by full three course meals, then fruit and/or a selection of cheeses with finally liquors and/or brandy, all served on bone china with silver service. Cristal glasses served fine wines and champagne. There was even a lounge for playing cards or a pre-dinner drink if you wanted, but these queens of the sky came too late and after just four years were overtaken (quite literally) by the big jets. They were downgraded to freighters and soon all were scrapped but one (and maybe more) found their way into smuggling, and that is how C/N 1013 ended up just yards from the Bolivian border.
Her story is one of murky transactions and overloaded cargos of whisky and cigarettes. She was leased, sold, released and resold between four businessmen, a bank in Jacksonville and a millionaire in Peru almost on a monthly bases and often to the same owner. If you want to know her story it is in a pdf (link below), she is the third aircraft (it may take a few moments to load).
Colchane is a scattering of low dispersed houses on the Chile/Bolivia border in what was once the western part of the homeland of the Aymara people (the flag is above). I first read about it when researching for a book ‘Twelve propeller driven classics’.
At the end of each of the twelve chapters there is a section on how that type of aircraft ended (most were scrapped or crashed, a few survive), and one (C/N 1013) ended up just short of the Bolivia border close to Colchane, her story is amazing.
She was a Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, the pinnacle of spacious, luxury passenger airliner development in the early 1950s, the lavishness which was really unbelievable. Platters of Hors d'oeuvre with aperitifs followed by full three course meals, then fruit and/or a selection of cheeses with finally liquors and/or brandy, all served on bone china with silver service. Cristal glasses served fine wines and champagne. There was even a lounge for playing cards or a pre-dinner drink if you wanted, but these queens of the sky came too late and after just four years were overtaken (quite literally) by the big jets. They were downgraded to freighters and soon all were scrapped but one (and maybe more) found their way into smuggling, and that is how C/N 1013 ended up just yards from the Bolivian border.
Her story is one of murky transactions and overloaded cargos of whisky and cigarettes. She was leased, sold, released and resold between four businessmen, a bank in Jacksonville and a millionaire in Peru almost on a monthly bases and often to the same owner. If you want to know her story it is in a pdf (link below), she is the third aircraft (it may take a few moments to load).