Braniff  International Airways    Douglas DC-4     NC65141       (c/n  10424)


                              

                                  For some inexplicable reason, photographs of Braniff International Airways' DC-4s are extremely
                                  rare.    This rather grainy shot shows NC65141 disgorging passengers, probably at Love Field, circa
                                 1946.  In that year Braniff was awarded a South American route from Houston to Buenos Aires,
                                  via Havana, Panama, Bogota, Lima and Asuncion.  Clearly the airline was not able to service all this
                                  immediately, and hence the stops were added in stages.  However, to fly in and out of La Paz, Bolivia,
                                  (the world's highest international airport) the DC-4s had to be equipped with JATO (Jet Assisted Take
                                  Off) bottles attached to hard points under the outboard engines to gain enough power for take-off.
                                  In keeping with the granting of these South American routes, early 1947 saw the airline change its name
                                  to Braniff International Airways.