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Subject: Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Date: 12 Nov 2016 18:50:52 -0800
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C-54_Skymaster
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the
United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the
Douglas C-47 Skytrain, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian airliner,
the Douglas DC-4. Besides transport of cargo, the C-54 also carried presidents,
prime ministers, and military staff. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were
employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as air-sea rescue,
scientific and military research, and missile tracking and recovery. During the
Berlin Airlift it hauled coal and food supplies to West Berlin. After the Korean
War it continued to be used for military and civilian uses by more than 30
countries. This was one of the first aircraft to carry the President of the
United States.
The original DC-4 was abandoned in favor of a smaller, less-complex four-engined
design. This newer design was also designated DC-4, leading the earlier design
to be re-designated DC-4E (E for "experimental"). Before the definitive DC-4
could enter service the outbreak of World War II meant production was channeled
to the United States Army Air Forces and the type was given the military
designation C-54 Skymaster, with US Navy aircraft designated Douglas R5D. The
first aircraft, a C-54, flew from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California on 14
February 1942. With the introduction of the Tri-Service aircraft designation
system in 1962, all R5Ds were re-designated C-54. In the end, only 80 DC-4s were
built, the remaining aircraft being C-54s.
Role
Military transport aircraft
Manufacturer
Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight
14 February 1942
Introduction
1942
Retired
1975
Primary users
United States Army Air Forces
United States Navy
United States Air Force
Produced
Number built
1,170
Developed from
Douglas DC-4
C-54s began service with the USAAF in 1942, carrying up to 26 passengers, later
versions carrying up to 50 passengers. The C-54 was one of the most commonly
used long-range transports by the U.S. armed forces in World War II. Of the
C-54s produced, 515 were manufactured in Santa Monica, California and 655 were
manufactured at Orchard Place/Douglas Field, in unincorporated Cook County,
Illinois, near Chicago (later the site of O'Hare International Airport).
During World War II, the C-54 was used by Franklin D. Roosevelt, Douglas
MacArthur, and Winston Churchill. The American delegates to the Casablanca
Conference used the Skymaster. The C-54 was also used by the Royal Air Force,
the French Air Force, and the armed forces of at least 12 other nations.
President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which
created the U.S. Air Force, on board "Sacred Cow", the Presidential VC-54C which
is preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton,
Ohio. More than 300 C-54s and R5Ds formed the backbone of the US contribution to
the Berlin Airlift in 1948. They also served as the main airlift during the
Korean War. After the Korean War, the C-54 was replaced by the Douglas C-124
Globemaster II, but continued to be used by the U.S. Air Force until 1972. The
last active C-54 Skymaster in U.S. Navy service (C-54Q, BuNo 56501, of the Navy
Test Pilot School, NAS Patuxent River) was retired on 2 April 1974.
Specifications (C-54G)
General characteristics
Crew: four
Capacity: 50 troops
Length: 93 ft 10 in (28.6 m)
Wingspan: 117 ft 6 in (35.8 m)
Height: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Empty weight: 38,930 lb (17,660 kg)
Loaded weight: 62,000 lb (28,000 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 73,000 lb (33,000 kg)
each
Performance
Maximum speed: 275 mph (239 kn, 442 km/h)
Cruise speed: 190 mph (165 kn, 310 km/h)
Range: 4,000 mi (6,400 km)
Service ceiling: 22,300 ft (6,800 m)
Power/mass: 0.094 hp/lb (160 W/kg)
*
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