James Harper

January 22, 1946 saw Jim’s last delivery of an airplane to the Army Air Corp. Peace had broken out and the shift from a war effort to the business of peace-time business was rapid and is easily seen in Jim’s assignments. The pent-up demand for all goods and services was great. On January 4th the first reference in Jim’s logs to the DC 4 appears as he tests NC10201 for delivery to Western Airlines and on the 15th and 16th he shakes down two DC 3’s for Pacific Northern and Canadian Colonial Airlines. On the 18th Jim continues testing the Western Air DC 3 in preparation of delivery. On the 24th Jim takes to the sky with NC37465 and makes his way to Anchorage where he turns over the aircraft and checks out pilot DeMarais.

Delivery of DC-3 NC37465 to Pacific Northern Airlines - Anchorage, Alaska January 27, 1946

One of the signatories of this photo to commemorate this day was William Boeing Jr. - the son of "the" Boeing who built Boeing Aircraft. Boeing Jr. was a well respected private pilot in his own right. Another was Art Woodley, the founder of Pacific Northern Airlines.

Jim knocks around Alaska most of February and while up in The Great White North he flies the DC 3 known as "King Chris" (NC14) for a little loop across the International Dateline and the Arctic Circle and is rewarded with some documentation of the event.

Jim, Jack Jefford of the Civil Aeronautics Admin. & King Chris

He also skippers DC 3 #NC35469 around Mt. McKinley for some Pacific Northern publicity shots.

This run makes the cover of Douglas Airview for March, 1946.

Jim then rides King Chris to Seattle and is back at Clover for some more DC 3 & 4 duties. In quick succession Jim tests planes for the likes of United, Swiss Air, KLM, Pacific Northern, National, Air France, Sabena and Danish Airlines.

Jim makes his first delivery run of DC 3 #OY-DCY to Danish Airlines on April 15, 1946. His route takes him through Newfoundland, Ireland and then on to Copenhagen. Jim is back home by the 30th and is testing a DC 4 for Western Airlines, a DC3 for Brazil Airlines and the first DC 4 for Danish Airlines.