Canadair North Star
| Canadair North Star | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Canadair North Star 1960 at Prestwick |
|
| Type: | Long-haul aircraft , transport aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
July 15, 1946 |
| Commissioning: |
November 19, 1946 |
| Production time: |
1946-1950 |
| Number of pieces: |
71 |
.svg){kind=small}
.jpg)
_BOAC_LHR_01MAR64_(5562138341).jpg)
The Canadair North Star was a transport and airliner made by the Canadian manufacturer Canadair with four piston engines . It was an independent further development of the Douglas DC-4 / C-54 . The machines acquired by the airline BOAC were given the designation C-4 Argonaut .
history
On November 11, 1944, Canadair Aircraft Ltd. the aircraft construction of Canadian Vickers Ltd. In addition to the Consolidated PBY Canso patrol flying boats currently in production , a contract for the development of an improved Douglas DC-4 already existed.
The new Canadair North Star was introduced in 1946. The C-54GM version ordered by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was largely identical to the Douglas C-54G Skymaster except for the engines.
In the more heavily modified DC-4M, the bow, landing gear and shortened fuselage came from the Douglas DC-6 , the stern, tail unit and parts of the wings from the DC-4. The designers took over parts of the fuselage and wings as well as the cockpit from the C-54. Instead of the radial engines used by Douglas , the aircraft received the more powerful, but very loud Rolls-Royce Merlin V12 engine, which enabled a significantly higher speed. With pure Economy Class seating, there was space for up to 62 passengers. In later use on charter flights a maximum of 80 passengers were accommodated.
The North Star prototype made its maiden flight on July 15, 1946. Canadair built a total of 71 machines under the designations C-54GM, DC-4M, C-4 and C-5. With the exception of the C-5, all machines received the Merlin engine; 47 aircraft were equipped with a pressurized cabin . The aircraft was used by several airlines from the 1940s to the 1970s, including the Royal Canadian Air Force . Some machines were converted into freighters and used until 1975.
Versions
The Canadair North Star / C-54GM was produced in several variants and converted into others:
- DC-4M-X North Star: Prototype, later owned by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)
-
C-54GM North Star Mk 1: very similar to the Douglas C-54G; RCAF military transporter with four Rolls-Royce Merlin 620 engines, without a pressurized cabin , 23 units built
-
DC-4M-1 North Star Mk M1: six RCAF aircraft used
on loan from Trans-Canada Airlines from 1947 to 1949
- North Star Mk M1 ST: North Star Mk M1 converted into passenger aircraft
-
DC-4M-1 North Star Mk M1: six RCAF aircraft used
on loan from Trans-Canada Airlines from 1947 to 1949
-
DC-4M-2 North Star: Trans-Canada Airlines passenger aircraft with pressurized cabin. 20 copies built.
- DC-4M-2/3 North Star: with Rolls-Royce Merlin 622 engines and three-bladed propellers; also North Star M2-3.
- DC-4M-2/4 North Star: with Rolls-Royce Merlin 624 engines and four-blade propellers; also North Star M2-4.
- North Star Mk 1 ST: North Star Mk 1 converted into passenger aircraft
- C-4 Argonaut: 22 machines with Rolls-Royce Merlin 626 engines purchased by BOAC
-
C-4-1 North Star: four specimens from Canadian Pacific Air Lines
- North Star C-4-1C: North Star C-4-1 converted into cargo aircraft
- C-5 North Star: a single RCAF VIP transporter with four Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radial engines
use
Newly built aircraft of the civil version were procured from the airlines Trans-Canada Air Lines , Canadian Pacific Air Lines and BOAC . The Canadian Air Force machines, which were delivered without a pressurized cabin, performed a wide variety of transport tasks.
After being taken out of service by the first operators, five aircraft went to the Danish Flying Enterprise , seven to Air Links, several to British Midland Airways , four to Aden Airways, five to East African Airways and others to the Venezuelan Linea Expressa Bolivar (LEBCA).
The C-5, equipped with the quieter Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp R-2800 engine, was set up as a VIP transporter and carried, among others, the Canadian Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth II . After seventeen years it was decommissioned and sold.
Civil users
|
|
Military users
- Fuerza Aerea Salvadorena (1)
.svg){kind=small}
- Royal Rhodesian Air Force (4)
Incidents
The 71 North Star built resulted in 22 total losses (8 of them with the Royal Canadian Air Force ), 17 of them in aircraft accidents. Examples:
- On August 12, 1948, a DC-4M1 North Star of Trans-Canada Air Lines ( aircraft registration CF-TEL ) collided with an unlit pile of earth at the start of the runway when landing in Sydney (Nova Scotia) . The landing gear tore open tanks and a fire started. All 17 inmates survived; the aircraft suffered a total loss.
- On September 21, 1955, after three unsuccessful approach attempts, an Argonaut of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) ( aircraft registration G-ALHL ) crashed at Tripoli airport when, on the fourth attempt, the machine brushed trees 360 m from the runway and crashed ( controlled flight into terrain ). Of the 47 people on board, 15 were killed.
- On June 24, 1956, a BOAC C-4 Argonaut ( G-ALHE ) crashed near Kano Airport shortly after take-off when it brushed trees behind the runway after entering a thunderstorm cell. Of the 45 people on board, 32 were killed.
Technical data (DC-4-M2 North Star)
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 7th |
| Passengers | 44 |
| length | 28.89 m |
| span | 35.81 m |
| height | 8.38 m |
| Wing area | 135.8 m² |
| Empty weight | 19,731 kg |
| Takeoff weight | 33,112 kg |
| Cruising speed | 523 km / h |
| Top speed | 568 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 10,970 m |
| Range | 6,212 km |
| Engines | four Rolls-Royce Merlin 622 piston engines with 1,313 kW each |
See also
literature
- Milberry, Larry. The Canadair North Star . CANAV Books, Toronto 1982, ISBN 0-07-549965-7 .
- Pickler, Ron and Milberry, Larry: Canadair: The First 50 Years . CANAV Books, Toronto 1995, ISBN 0-921022-07-7 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ René Francillon: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920. Putnam, London 1988, ISBN 0-85177-827-5 , pp. 327-330.
- ↑ Peter Berry, Tom Dunstall, Michael Ford, John A. Whittle: The Douglas DC-4 . Air-Britain (Historians), Hutton, Brentwood, 1967, pp. 80 ff.
- ↑ Accident statistics Canadair Argonaut / North Star , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 20, 2016.
- ^ Accident report Canadair North Star CF-TEL , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 20, 2016.
- ^ Accident report Canadair North Star G-ALHL , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on January 19, 2016.
- ^ Accident report Canadair North Star G-ALHE , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on December 20, 2016.