Figure 1.--The C-54 Skytrain had an extended servuice life, appearing in 1942 and still widely used in the 1960s. Some were till in ise during the early-70s Here we see one being used by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The Navy deignation was R5-D. The press caption here read, "Reception Committee: Comdr. Vincent Mennella, wh commanded one of three Navy Reserve planes in a mission to North Africa and Europe, was ethusiastically welcomed by his family yesterday at the Dand Point Naval Air Station. From left -- Bruce, Mrs. Mannelle, Mannelle, Chris, Scott, and andy, and a family friend, Roy Bonney. Mannelle's R5-D plane was in the background." The photograph was taken February 14, 1960.

The most advanced American transport of World War II was the four-engine C-54 Skymaster. Thus was the military version of the already designed, but not yet produced DC-4. The War Department took over the provision orders for the airlines for the Douglas DC-4 and allocated them to the United States Army Air Corps (June 1941). The Army designated it the C-54 Skymaster. The first C-54, flew from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California (February 1942). The C-54 was powered by Four Pratt & Whitney radial engines. They were mounted on a low monoplane wing assembly. A single ventral vertical surface was set on the tail section in place of the twin fins found on the riginal early DC-4E design. The C-54 was not produced in massive numbers during the War. It was the C-47 that was the primary ransport plane of the War and producd in large numbers. But some were profuced and used. It was a workhorse transport aircraft for long range missions by both the United States Army and the United States Navy. The military would rely primarily on the C-47s and 46s for transport during World War II. Nearly 1,200 were built and used. DC-4 had a maximum speed of 274 mph and a range of 3,900 miles meaning it could cross the Atlantic as well as most Pacific missions. The military configurationm could carry 26-50 passengers. The military used it as a long-range transports during World War II. President Roosevelt (the Sacred Cow) and Prime Minister Churchill each got one. Gen. Douglas MacArthure also got one. The C-54 would, however, play a major role in the Cold War. Their most prominent role was in the Berlin Air Lift (1948). More than 300 C-54s and R5Ds (the Navy designtion) formed the backbone of the American contribution to the Berlin Airlift in 1948. It was the plane that Berliners fell in love with. The C-54 ws extensively used during the Korean War. Like the C-46 and C-47, it was such a wonderful aircraft that it continued to be used into the 1970s. Shortly after this photograph was taken, the Pentagon introduced the tri-Service aircraft designation system to simplify the designation of American military aircraft (1962). Prior to thhis, the U.S. military separate nomenclature systems such as the R5-D Naby designation for the Skymaster. After World War II, the DC-4 fufilled in original mission as a commercial airliner. The DC-4 and the subsequent DC-6 was used in both domestic flights and trans-Atlantic flights (New York to London).The DC-4 was widely used until civilian jets came into use (late-1950s).

Created: 1:34 AM 7/13/2018
Last updated: 1:35 AM 7/13/2018