Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


Role	Military transport aircraft
National origin	United States
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	1942–1947
Number built	1,170
Developed from	Douglas DC-4

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is 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 derived from the DC-3, 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. It was one of the first aircraft to carry the President of the United States, the first being President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II.

Design and development

With the looming entry of the United States into World War II, in June 1941^{[citation needed]} 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 Forces with the designation C-54 Skymaster. The first, a C-54, flew from Clover Field in Santa Monica, California on 14 February 1942

Operational history

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.

Douglas Aircraft

Douglas Aircraft Company
DC-4/C-54 Skymaster First flight 14 February 1942

General Info

Crew: four
Capacity: 50 troops / 32,500 lb (14,700 kg) cargo
Length: 93 ft 10 in (28.60 m)
Wingspan: 117 ft 6 in (35.81 m)
Height: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m)
Wing area: 1,460 sq ft (136 m²)

Powerplant

Empty weight: 38,930 lb (17,658 kg)
Gross weight: (28,123 kg)
Max takeoff weight:(33,112 kg)
Fuel capacity: 2,868 US gal (2,388 imp gal; 10,860 L) normal fuel load; 3,592 US gal with auxiliary fuel
Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-2000-9 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,100 hp (820 kW) each at 7,500 ft (2,300 m)

Performance

Maximum speed: 275 mph (443 km/h, 239 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Cruise speed: 190 mph (310 km/h, 170 kn) at 10,000 ft (3,000 m)
Range: 4,000 mi (6,400 km, 3,500 nmi) with 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) payload
Service ceiling: 22,300 ft (6,800 m)
Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in 14 minutes 36 seconds

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Douglas
DC-4/C-54 Skymaster

Powered by four Pratt & Whitney R2000 radial piston engines, ZS-AUB is one of the very few passenger-licensed Douglas DC-4 Skymasters.

Youtube Link

Powered by four Pratt & Whitney R2000 radial piston engines, ZS-AUB is one of the very few passenger-licensed Douglas DC-4 Skymasters

Douglas Aircraft Company
DC-4/C-54 Skymaster
First flight 14 February 1942
Produced 1942–1947