Slick Airways Curtiss C-46  N4718N                    (c/n  22490)

                                       

                                               Slick Airways was founded by Earl J. Slick at San Antonio, TX  in 1946, and later moved its
                                               headquarters to Burbank, CA. .   It operated, at one time or another, over 35 C-46s.  One of
                                               these is seen above at Oakland in 1952.      As the company grew it acquired DC-4s, DC-6s
                                               and Lockheed L-1049 Constellations.   Just before its purchase by Airlift International in 1966
                                               it was operating swing-tail Canadair CL-44s      The airline began scheduled service as a cargo
                                               operator with transcontinental flights beginning in 1949.      During the Korean War it acquired
                                               military contracts for troop transport.   N4718N seen above was one of many C-46F-1-CUs
                                               civilianized in 1947.  It originally went to Aaxico Airlines who leased it out to various airlines
                                               between 1948 and 1965.      Slick operated it from 1952 to 1954.        Other leasees were
                                               Northeast Airlines, Zantop Air Transport and Argonaut Airways.  In 1966 it went to Boliivian
                                               Airways (TABSA) as CP-795.  Then to Servicios Aereos Bolivianos at CP-990 with whom
                                               it was written off when it flew into a mountain near Unduavi (16 km from La Paz) on 6 Jan
                                               1974.