Bird & Sons, Inc., Bird Air &

Continental Air Services, Inc. (CASI)

Table 5:            CASI Fleet

CASI

Flight International

14/04/66

06/05/71

22/03/73

Lockheed L382B Hercules

2

-

-

Douglas DC-3

3

11

6

Curtiss C-46

5

3

6

Pilatus Porter

-

13

16

Dornier Do28

4

4

3

Beech Baron

-

10

10

Wren 460

-

1

-

Twin Pioneer

3

1

-

Beech H-18

-

1

-

FH-1100

-

1

-

SC-7 Skyvan

-

-

1

DHC-6 Twin Otter

-

-

2

Total fleet:

37

-

-

No fleet inventory has been found for Bird Air or Bird & Sons, Inc.

Registered Addresses

Bird & Sons Inc.: 808 Seaboard Bldg, 4th Ave, Seattle 1, WA [USC1/64]

120 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA [USC1/64, 7/68]

CASI:                     One East First St., Reno, NV [USC7/68]

Head Office:                7300 World Way West, Los Angeles, CA [USC7/72]

Overseas Offices:                Bangkok, Vientiane & Saigon

Table 6:            Combined Bird & CASI Fleet List

Beech 18

reg.

model

c/n

notes

N906T

H-18

BA-667

CASI, sold as HS-CHP

N4***N?                  

AT-11                    

?

sold to William Bird in early 1961, becoming the first aircraft operated by Bird & Sons, Inc. – possibly N4830N c/n 3330  > XW- PAG (q.v.)

N18843

H-18

BA-750

CASI (5/74), sold to Volpar Int'l Corp.

XW-PAG

‘D-18S'

 ‘3896'

DBR by shellfire at Vientiane 1961 (owner TBD) – p.i. given as 42-37331 & N4830N (q.v.) but note c/n, > XW-TBF (2.63)( TBC)

Beech D50C Twin Bonanza

N9316Y

D50C

DH295

Bird > CASI

 

Beech 95-B55 Baron

N522C

95-B55

TC-415

CASI, crashed 05/01/69 at Ponesa, Nong Khai province, Thailand

N1349Z 

95-B55

TC-172

CASI - fate unknown

N4681

95-B55

TC-309

CASI, ground collision at Savannakhet, Laos 18/07/72 (fate?)

N7303

95-B55

TC-236

CASI, to HS-PBB

N9781Y

95-A55

TC-437

CASI, W/O 20/02/67 Na Trang

The IDs of additional aircraft are TBD.

Bell 47G-3B-1 Sioux

N6252N

G-3B-1

6666

Bird, sold

Bell 205

XW-PFG

UH-1D

3209

Bird (9.67), sold as N47000 (6.74)

XW-PFH

UH-1D

3210

Bird (9.67), sold as N47001(6.74)

XW-PFJ

UH-1D

3211

Bird (10.67), sold as N47004 (2.76)    

These aircraft were also operated by Air America, Inc. (q.v.)

Bell 206A JetRanger

N2959W

206B

805

Bird, canx. 14/05/79, sold as C-GAHP

N6376

206B

729

Bird, canx. 07/08/80, sold as VH-SAI

N57903

206A

553

Bird (7.74), canx. 11/06/79, sold as C-GAHV

XW-PHO

206A      

553

Bird (1971) Crash landed 80km from Vientiane, Laos 04/01/72  > N57903 (q.v.)

XW-…

206A      

593

Bird (13/05/71) W/O June July, 1971

XW-PKC

206B

729

Bird (TBC) > N6376 (q.v.)

Camair 480

N229

480

I-066

Bird W/O 14/07/62 Laos

The Camair 480 is a Ryan Twin Navion converted by Cameron Aircraft Co.

 

Cessna 180

XW-PED

180

51962

 

XW-PFU

180

51863

 

 

Cessna 206

XW-PKL

206

?

Bird DBR 24/03/76

Curtiss C-46 Commando

N335CA

C-46R

27049

CASI (7/74), sold to Tri-Nine Corp.

N336CA

C-46R

30252 (“30249”)

CASI (7/74), sold to Tri-Nine Corp. 11/03/76

N337CA

C-46R

30257 (“30254”)

CASI (7/74), sold to Tri-Nine Corp. 16/02/76

N1447

C-46F     

22561

CASI (9.67), canx. 1974, to XW-PMF

N4871V

C-46F     

22410

Bird (24/05/63) > CASI (9/65) canx. 1970, lost in SE Asia

N4877V

C-46F     

22442

Bird (03/11/61), crashed at Phou Fa (LS 16) 31/08/62. Canx. 1970, destroyed

N9473Z

C-46D    

22293

Bird (.60) > CASI (9/65), crashed after engine failure W/O 13/08/67 Phu Cum, Laos

N9760Z

C-46F

22574

Bird (.63) > CASI (9/65) > Tri 9 Corp. DBR in rocket attack W/O 26/08/74 Phnom Penh, Cambodia

N67961

C-46F     

22512

Bird (.64) > CASI (9/65), crashed 1969

XW-EAA

C-46

?

Bird (prior to 1965) - fate unknown

XW-EAB

C-46

?             

Bird (prior to 1965) - fate unknown

XW-PBV

C-46D

22232

Bird (5.64) > CASI > turned over to Royal Air Lao (1974)* Believed DBR 24/03/76 (see also Air America)

XW-PBW

C-46D

“1887”

Bird (5.64) W/O 15/10/74*

XW-PHL

C-46R

27049

CASI (29/06/71) canx. 02/07/74 > N335CA (q.v.)

XW-PHM

C-46R

30252

CASI (29/06/71) canx. 02/07/74 > N336CA (q.v.)

XW-PHN

C-46R

30257

CASI (6/71), canx. 03/07/74 > N337CA (q.v.)

*Two CASI C-46s were turned over to Royal Air Laos in 1974 and used for rice drops. One crashed into Phou Bia mountain that same October, killing the crew. (2nd possibly XW-PBW, W/O 15/10/74)

The last CASI C-46 (possibly N335CA) left Long Tieng with refugees on 14/05/75.

 

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300

XW-PGV

300

266

CASI (.72) to N85TC

XW-PHF

300         

274

CASI (3.71) to N86TC

XW-PHP

300

280

CASI (8.71) to 9V-BCJ

XW-PHS

300

285

CASI (8.71) to A-060, XW-PKH (q.v.)

XW-PKH

300         

285

CASI (7.72) to 9V-BCL

CASI had five DHC-6-300

 

Dornier Do28A-1 & B-1

N1153Q

B-1         

3062       

Bird (6.64) – fate unknown

N4222G

A-1

3026

Bird (12.61) > CASI (9/65) > XW-PCG (q.v.)

N4223G

A-1

3013       

Bird > CASI (9/65) – fate unknown

N4228G 

A-1

3046

Bird (2.63) > CASI (9/65) > XW-PDB (q.v.)

N9180X 

A-1          

3060

CASI (10.65) W/O 06/04/67

N9181X

B-1

3084       

CASI (7.65) sold as RP-1220

N9182X 

B-1         

3087

CASI (7.65) – fate unknown

N9183X

B-1           

3086

CASI (7.65) W/O 08/04/67

N9184X

A-1        

3058       

CASI (12.65) > XW-PCJ (q.v.)

N9185X 

A-1        

3059

CASI (12.65) sold as HS-CHI (8.75)

N9186X

B-1         

3089

CASI (2.66) – fate unknown

XW-PBJ

A-1

3021

Bird (clashes with Twin Pioneer c/n 564) r/r XW-PKM (q.v.)

XW-PCG

A-1

3026

Bird? (also used by Air America, see N4222G) – fate unknown

XW-PCJ

A-1

3058

Bird – fate unknown

XW-PCT

B-1

?             

Bird? – no details known

XW-PDB

A-1

3046

Bird? (also used by Air America) – fate unknown

XW-PKM

A-1

3021

Bird, sold as N89AC (10.73)

The following aircraft were registered to Foreign Air Travel Development Inc. but may have been operated by Bird & Sons Inc. in Laos:

N4224G 

A-1

3021

Bird (10.61) > CASI > Air America, crashed at LS-13 (Ban Na), repaired, r/r XW-PBJ (q.v.)

N4225G

A-1

3029

Bird? (1.62) canx. 7.67 > XW-? – fate unknown

Douglas DC-3/C-47 Skytrain

302

?

?

CASI

B-933

C-47A

13817

CASI (02/02/74) sold as N11AF (2.74)

N23BA

C-47A

9342

Bird Air (.75) BU at BKK

N55L

C-47B

26675

CASI, crashed at Phnom Penh 1971

N560

C-47A

10160

Bird > CASI r/r XW-PDE (q.v.) > N560 CASI sold as N82AC

N620Z   

C-47B

25234

CASI (31/03/67) canx. 1970 – fate unknown

N650K

C-47A

13174

CASI (.65 & 11.75) “50 Kip”, canx. 09/12/76

N719A

C-47

4309

CASI (.66) canx. 1970 – fate unknown

N1346

C-47B

25678

Bird Air (TBC)(leased from Trans New England) but “S E Bird”

N4995E

C-47A

12039

CASI (.67) – fate unknown

N7302

C-47A

11971

CASI (09/10/68) sold 16/04/79