- Charlotte Aircraft Corporation
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Charlotte Aircraft Corporation Established 1953 Location Delta Airbase, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States Type Corporation President Jenks Caldwell, Jr Website www.charlotteaircraft.com Charlotte Aircraft Corporation is a company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina which deals in used aircraft and aircraft parts. The company was founded by Jenks Caldwell Sr. in 1953. Today the company is run by his son Jenks Caldwell Jr. The company’s main business is reselling refurbished aircraft parts which it acquires by purchasing used aircraft and stripping them of their useful parts, storing them until required, and re-furbishing them before sale to the customer.
The company has a large business in parts for Boeing aircraft.
Contents
Locations
Current Locations
- Headquarters: Delta Airbase, Charlotte, North Carolina: Sometime in the late 1950s the company acquired Delta Airbase, an airfield located off WT Harris Blvd in Charlotte, NC and moved it operations there from Charlotte Douglas Airport. Delta Airbase was created by some people from the Mississippi Delta area who moved to Charlotte to establish an airfield and operation to train pilots during WWII (hence the name Delta Airbase). 35°12′48″N 080°43′23.53″W / 35.21333°N 80.7232028°WCoordinates: 35°12′48″N 080°43′23.53″W / 35.21333°N 80.7232028°W
In the 1960s the company purchased a large number of ex-Eastern Airlines DC-6s & DC-7s. These were flown into Delta Airbase and parted out. Sometime in the past 20 years the airstrip was shortened and some of the land was used to develop an apartment complex.
- Laurinburg-Maxton Airport: The company has a large operation at Laurinburg-Maxtion Airport where it flys in aircraft and reduces them to parts. Visitors to the airport can see 747s, 727s, DC-9s, and many other aircraft in various stages of being stripped of usable parts. 34°47′31″N 079°21′57″W / 34.79194°N 79.36583°WCoordinates: 34°47′31″N 079°21′57″W / 34.79194°N 79.36583°W
Former Locations
- Charlotte Douglas Airport: In the early years the company had a large operation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. At this location the company acquired a large number of surplus aircraft (mainly T-6 aircraft), refurbished them and resold them to various purchasers including the Spanish Air Force - (Ejército del Aire).
Interesting Aircraft from Charlotte Aircraft in museums
First 747 purchased by Northwest Airlines. Aircraft came from Charlotte Aircraft Corp.'s facility in Maxton NC
Over the years the company has supplied a number of aircraft to museums. These include but are not limited to:
- F-84: This aircraft was acquired by the Company from an ROTC unit in Florida and eventually was donated to the Carolinas Aviation Museum.
- 747-100: The nose of the first 747 purchased by Northwest Airlines was removed from the airplane at Maxton and taken and installed in the National Air & Space Museum in Washington DC.
Interesting Aircraft from Charlotte Aircraft used in movies
Over the years the company has supplied a number of aircraft for use in movies. These include but are not limited to:
- 727: This aircraft was trucked from Maxton NC to Massachusetts for use in the Tom Cruise movie Knight and Day.
References
Categories:- Aircraft manufacturers of the United States
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