Douglas DC-4 Skymaster c/n 43157 The Douglas DC-4 Association of South Africa

DOUGLAS DC-4 1009

This is the world's youngest DC-4 and was produced at the Douglas Aircraft Company plant at Santa Monica, California.

Manufacturers' plate states date built as 4 August 1947.

The aircraft did two test flights on the 7^th and 8^th of August 1947 with Captain G.D.B. Williams. The aircraft was delivered to SAA on the 9^th of August 1947, registered ZS-BMH and was named “Lebombo”. This was the last DC-4 Skymaster off the Douglas factory production line.

The aircraft was delivered by SAA Captains G.D.B. Williams, Captain G.W. Williams and Captain William J. Morrisey, assistant chief pilot of the Douglas Aircraft Company.

09^th August 1947	Los Angeles – Chicago	8 hours 20 min.
10^th August 1947	Chicago – Gander (New Foundland)	8 hours 10 min.
11^th August 1947	Gander – London	10 hours 10 min.
15^th August 1947	London – Amsterdam	1 hour 30 min.
16^th August 1947	Amsterdam – Castel Benito – Khartoum	8 hours 10 min
17^th August 1947	Khartoum – Kisumu – Nairobi	6 hours
18^th August 1947	Nairobi – Palmietfontein	8 hours 15 min.
		50 hours 35 min.

On the 30^th of June 1962 the Skymaster was involved in a collision with SAAF Harvard 7464 during the approach into Durban Airport. The rudder and elevators were damaged but the aircraft landed safely, the Harvard crashed near a bowling club on the Bluff, both pilots parachuted and landed without injuries. The pilot of the Skymaster was Captain Archie Nasmith.

The aircraft was sold to the SAAF on the 21^st of January 1966, allocated the tail number 6904 and was operated by 44 Squadron. The aircraft was leased to Safair in February 1977 using the registration ZS-BMH and was used for carrying mineworkers from neighbouring states to South Africa and was returned to the SAAF three months later.

During 1991 the SAAF began phasing out the DC-4 and in 1992 SAA bought the most noteworthy of the DC-4's back from the Air Force. It was ZS-BMH, "Lebombo". After an extensive rebuild she re-entered service with the SAA Historic Flight on 8 April 1993, exactly 46 years after she rolled off the Douglas assembly line in 1947. ZS-BMH was the last DC-4 ever built.

In July 1994 Lebombo flew to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in the USA. The journey to Oshkosh was over 15 000 kilometres and she set a new world record for the longest, time and distance, propliner flight in one direction, with an unchanged passenger group. Lebombo did SAA proud by winning the award for best transport aircraft, in the classic category, at the show.

The ownership of the aircraft was transferred to the Transnet Heritage Foundation on the 25^th of January 2001.

On the 18^th of September 2006 the airliner transferred to Rand Airport with the Transnet Heritage Foundation.

On 20 December 2007 the aircraft was donated, by Transnet, to the South African Airways Museum Society based at Rand Airport.

The airliner is operated by charter company Skyclass Aviation

Powered by four Pratt & Whitney R2000 radial piston engines, ZS-BMH is one of very few passenger-licensed Douglas DC-4 Skymasters operating in the world today (December 2010) and is a great favourite in the tourism industry, venturing as far as North America and Europe. The aircraft seats 50 passengers, in a Business Class configuration. The DC-4's range of over 3000 km puts it in easy reach of exotic destinations such as Central and East Africa as well as many of the spectacular tropical islands in the Indian Ocean.

C/N 43157
ZS-BMH South African Airways
ZS-BMH Lebombo collided with SAAF Harvard 7464 on 30^th of June 1962 near Durban
Newspaper clipping: Brendan Odell collection

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SAAF 6904 Suid Afrikaanse Lugmag
Photograph: South African Air Force Museum Swartkop Archives

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SAAF 6904
44 Squadron
Port Elizabeth
1980s
Photograph: Kjell O. Granlund Collection

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SAAF 6904
Rand Airport Air Show
Photograph: Costa Economides

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SAAF 6904
44 Squadron
Durban 1 June 1981
Last DC-4 built
Photograph: Kjell O. Granlund Collection

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SAAF 6904
44 Squadron
Waterkloof Air Force Base
October 1991
Photograph: Kjell O. Granlund Collection

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ZS-BMH
South African Airways Historic Flight “Lebombo”
April 1993
Photograph: Kjell O. Granlund Collection

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
1994 Oshkosh Air Show
Photograph: Dave Mangham

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ZS-BMH
South African Airways Historic Flight “Lebombo”
Europe
May 1996
Photograph: Kjell O. Granlund Collection

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ZS-BMH
South African Airways Historic Flight “Lebombo”
RAF Fairford
July 1998
Photograph: Kjell O. Granlund Collection

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Photograph: John Austin-Williams

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
In the background is DC-4 ZS-AUA and Douglas DC-3 Dakota ZS-GPL
Photograph: John Austin-Williams

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Photograph: John Austin-Williams

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Pratt & Whitney R2000 start-up
Photograph: John Austin-Williams

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Photograph: Marilyn Andre

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
In the background is Boeing 747 ZS-SAN Lebombo in the SAA Museum Society Aircraft Park
Photograph: Marilyn Andre

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Photograph: Marilyn Andre

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Photograph: Athol Franz

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ZS-BMH Lebombo along with Boeing 747 ZS-SAN Lebombo
Photograph: Athol Franz

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ZS-BMH Lebombo
Photograph: Bruce Perkins