Brooks Fuel, Fairbanks, AK
After a superb morning at Everts, our next stop was Brooks Fuel, at the Northern end of Fairbanks Airport. Brooks is another operator of classic propliners, however, in this case the aircraft concerned is the older DC-4. Brooks are also engaged in supplying fuel and cargo to remote communities in the rural parts of Alaska, with the requirement for operating into short, unprepared strips.
Begun in 1986 by Roger Brooks, the company operates an airworthy fleet of 2 DC-4s at Fairbanks. Up until fairly recently, they also operated a unique Carvair freighter, based on the DC-4, however, this was lost in an accident at Fork Mine Airstrip in May 2007.
On the day of our visit, only one DC-4 was present, undergoing maintenance on their ramp. The aircraft concerned was N3054V, an aircraft with a very interesting past career. She was ordered for the USAAF and delivered as a C-54D, serial 42-72442, but became the first of 10 aircraft transferred to the RAF as KL977 and designated a Skymaster C.Mk1, arriving in early 1945.
The Skymasters were operated by 232 and 236 Sqns, based at Palam, near New Delhi, India, and used on trunk routes in the Far East, including flights to Australia and Ceylon. All 10 aircraft were returned to the US in 1946, and taken on by the US Navy with the designation R5D-3. Civilian service eventually followed, as a fire fighting tanker with Aero Union, before a period of storage at Kingman, AZ. From there, the aircraft flew to Alaska to start a career with Brooks Fuel in 2006.
Not present at the time of our visit, but seen flying at a later date was their other DC-4, N96358. This aircraft was delivered to the USAAF in March 1945 as 44-9058, but immediately transferred to the US Navy as an R5D-4R, serial 90397. It remained in service until 1970, when it was sent to Davis-Monthan AFB for storage. International Air Leases bought it in 1975, and then sold it on to Aero Flite Inc 2 years later, who converted it into an airtanker.
Brooks also have a storage area containing several more C-54/DC-4s and a single DC-7, along with a couple of other gems.
Brooks are another company, like Everts, who have found something of a niche ferrying cargo to some of the most remote sites in Alaska, or indeed the world, and have found that the most suitable aircraft for doing this are seemingly obsolete piston-engined aircraft. With other aircraft owned by the company residing in Arizona, their looks to be a role for such companies in the future.
Adjacent to the Brooks facility is a sweet shop, with a rather unusual advertisement on the roof - a DC-6 nose! The nose section came from a DC-6 formerly belonging to Everts, which was scrapped some years ago, and the nose installed at the shop.
With thanks to all at Brooks for allowing us to visit.
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