Zantop Air Transport  Douglas DC-3  N18101                   (c/n  1959)
                              
                              

                                    Zantop Air Transport was founded as Zantop Flying Services in 1956 by Howard, Duane and
                                    Lloyd Zantop.  The name change was made in 1962.  Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, their cargo
                                    charter contracts were primarily based on supplying parts and components for the automobile
                                    manufacturing industry.    They later acquired Logair military contracts and grew into a sizable
                                    enterprise before selling out in 1966 to Universal Consolidated Industries who reformed the
                                    Zantop operation into Universal Airlines.   In addition to flying a dozen or so DC-3s, the com-
                                    pany also flew C-46s (50+), DC-4s, (6)  DC-6s, (5)  DC-7s (+/-17) and Armstrong Whitworth
                                    AW660 Argosys (6).    N18101 had bummed around the L.A. Southland for a number of years
                                    before Zantop acquired it in 1964.  My shot was taken at Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Feb
                                    1965.    Originally delivered to Western Air Express as a DST-A207 it had served with several
                                    owners (Catalina Pacific Airlines, Miami Air Services etc.) previously.      Zantop did not hold it
                                    long and it went to Argonaut Airways in 1965 and then to Aerovias Quisqueyana (still with U.S.
                                    registration) before being withdrawn from service.