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      12-10-2023, 09:31 AM   #2220
Llarry
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In addition to the huge numbers of C-47s, the U.S. military operated two larger air transports during World War II and those aircraft went on to commercial use after the war.

The Douglas DC-4 (USAAF C-54 or R5D) was a big step up from Douglas' twins, with four engines and greater payload, range and speed. While early design was civil-oriented, the C-54 Skymaster first flew in 1942 and the vast majority of aircraft -- over 1,000 -- were built for the services. Like the C-47, after the war, surplus aircraft were used by the airlines as DC-4s, and Douglas built 79 commercial DC-4s postwar as well. The C-54 holds the distinction of being the first aircraft used for transport of the U.S. president.

The standout period for the C-54 was the Berlin Airlift in 1948-49 when the Soviets cut off surface transport routes to West Berlin. Allied aircraft began a prodigious effort to supply the city with food and fuel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C-54_Skymaster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-4


The Curtiss C-46 Commando (manufacturer's designation CW-20) first flew in 1941. It was a larger twin-engine aircraft than the C-47 using more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. Over 3,000 C-46s were built, including some R5Cs for the Marine Corps. The C-46's claim to fame came with the air supply of critical cargo to Nationalist China over the Himalayas. The C-46 had better performance for the arduous flights over "The Hump" as it was called. Postwar, the C-46 was not as successful as the DC-4, as running costs were mostly deemed too expensive for commercial use.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_C-46_Commando

Like the smaller DC-3 and C-47, these transports/airliners were mostly retired by the 1970s.
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