Carco Air Service Beechcraft Model18 “Twin Beech”

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The Beechcraft Model 18, aka “Twin Beech”, was a 6- to 11-seat twin-engine, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Over 9,000 Model 18’s were continuously produced from 1937 to 1969, making it one of the world’s most widely used light aircraft. The Model 18 was sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger airliner that were also used by the military. Postwar, the Beech Model 18 became the pre-eminent “business aircraft” and “feeder airliner”. Many of these aircraft are still privately owned around the world with hundreds of aircraft still on the FAA Aircraft Registry in the United States.

Carco Air Service was established in 1947 to operate an air taxi service between Albuquerque and Los Alamos, New Mexico for the Atomic Energy Commission. The carrier used mainly small Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft and as Los Alamos was referred to as “The Atomic City”, Carco was referred to as “The Atomic Airline”. During the World War II years while atomic weapons were being developed, Los Alamos was kept secret and simply known as “the city on the hill”. Carco also flew to many other Atomic Energy Commission cities as needed. In July 1964 Carco was officially certified as a commuter airline. On the companies’ April 25, 1965 schedule, seven daily roundtrips were operated between Albuquerque and Los Alamos. Interestingly, this schedule showed that Los Alamos was observing daylight savings time and Albuquerque was not. Clark Carr who founded the airline, sold it to Ross Aviation in 1969 which continued the shuttle flights until 1995.

Carco Air Service used the Beechcraft Model 18, N629Z, transport for passenger service to Los Alamos beginning in 1948. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) contracted with Carco for scheduled service from Albuquerque to Los Alamos to ferry lab personal. Carco also flew mail and cargo around New Mexico.

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