American Air Transport (Cloud Coach) Curtiss C-46  N1693M       (c/n  22498)

                                        

                                              American Air Transport was founded in Miami Springs, Florida in 1948 ostensibly to provide
                                              irregular scheduled passenger service between Miami and San Juan.  As can be seen, it traded
                                              under "The Cloud Coach" name.  It ceased operations in 1954.     Like many of the non-sked
                                              C-46s appearing in these pages, the start-up airline leased this one from the United States Air
                                              Force.  Clearly its operations wandered widely from the Caribbean area since (a) this shot by
                                              Bill Larkins was taken at Oakland, CA in April 1952 and (b) this C-46 crashed into Cedar
                                              Mountain, Washington on 23 April 1953 whilst on approach to Seattle-Boeing Field, killing
                                              the four souls on board.   It was positioning for a military charter at the time.