Douglas C-54
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster / DC-4 | |
|---|---|
 US Air Force C-54E |
|
| Type: | Passenger and transport aircraft |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 14, 1942 |
| Commissioning: |
May 15, 1942 |
| Production time: |
1942-1946 |
| Number of pieces: |
1165 incl. XC-114, XC-116 |
Douglas VC-54C Sacred Cow , Air Force One
_(00910460_131).jpg)
The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was the military version of the Douglas DC-4 commercial built by the Douglas Aircraft Company, produced from 1942 to 1945 . It had four piston engines and was designed to carry up to 49 passengers over long distances. Like the DC-4, the C-54 does not have a pressurized cabin . She became particularly well known for her use in the Berlin Airlift ( raisin bomber ).
variants
The C-54 Skymaster was produced in numerous variants and converted into others:
- C-54
- first military variant developed from the DC-4; Maximum take-off weight 29,873 kg, 24 built
- C-54A
- 1,290 HP R-2000-7 engines, reinforced airframe, higher fuel load and convertibility from transport to passenger aircraft; Maximum take-off weight 30,872 kg, 252 built; 56 were handed over to the United States Navy as R5D-1
- MC-54A
- C-54A converted as an ambulance
- C-54B
- Version with increased fuel supply; Maximum take-off weight 33,142 kg, 220 built
- VC-54C
- Conversion of a C-54A as an aircraft for US President Franklin D. Roosevelt , baptismal name: "Sacred Cow"
- C-54D
- C-54B built with 1,450 hp R-2000-11 engines, 380, of the 22 RAF aircraft were acquired as Skymaster Mk I called
- AC-54D (EC-54D)
- Modification of some C-54D with special communication facilities
- JC-54D
- Retrofitting of nine C-54Ds to track missiles
- SC-54D (HC-54D Rescuemaster )
- 38 C-54Ds converted by Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation as Search and Rescue aircraft, designated as HC-54D from 1962
- TC-54D
- Conversion of C-54D to training aircraft
- VC-54D
- C-54D converted as a VIP transporter
- WC-54D
- C-54D converted as a weather reconnaissance aircraft
- C-54E
- Better convertibility from transport to passenger aircraft, 125 built
- AC-54E (EC-54E)
- C-54E with special calibration device, from 1962 EC-54E
- SC-54E
- C-54E converted as Search and Rescue aircraft, known as HC-54E from 1962
- VC-54E
- C-54E converted as a VIP transporter
- XC-54F
- Version for dropping paratroopers, not built
- C-54G
- C-54E with 1,450 hp R-2000-9 engines, 162 built
- JC-54G
- C-54G converted as test aircraft
- SC-54G (HC-54G)
- C-54G converted as Search and Rescue aircraft, known as HC-54G from 1962
- VC-54G
- C-54G converted as a VIP transporter
- C-54GM
- Variant of the combination of the DC-4 and the Douglas DC-6 produced by Canadair as North Star ; 24 built, 20 of them new
- C-54H
- Version for dropping paratroopers, not built
- C-54J
- VIP transporter, not built
- XC-54K
- Long range version with Wright R-1820 engines, one rebuilt
- C-54L
- Conversion of a C-54A in 1947 with a new fuel system
- C-54M
- 38 C-54E converted into a coal transporter for the Berlin Airlift
- MC-54M
- 30 C-54E converted into an ambulance
- VC-54N (R5D-1Z)
- VIP Transporter, conversion from C-54A (before 1962 R5D-1)
- C-54P (R5D-2)
- 30 C-54B handed over to the US Navy
- VC-54P (R5D-2Z)
- VIP Transporter, conversion from C-54B (before 1962 R5D-2)
- C-54Q (R5D-3)
- 95 C-54D handed over to the US Navy
- VC-54Q (R5D-3Z)
- VIP Transporter, conversion from C-54D (before 1962 R5D-3)
- C-54R (R5D-4)
- 20 C-54E handed over to the US Navy
- C-54S (R5D-5)
- R5D-2 / -3 brought to the standard of the C-54G
- VC-54S (R5D-5Z)
- VIP-Transporter, conversion from C-54S (before 1962 R5D-5)
- C-54T (R5D-6)
- US Navy C-54J, not built
- EC-45U
- two R5D-4 equipped with special electronics for the United States Coast Guard
- RC-54V (R5D-3P)
- Conversion of R5D-3 to reconnaissance aircraft
- XC-112 (YC-112A)
- C-54B with pressure equalization cabin and Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines, prototype DC-6 , one built
- XC-114
- extended C-54E with Allison V-1710 engines, one built
- XC-115
- XC-114 with Packard Merlin V-1650 engines, not built
- YC-116
- XC-114 with special de-icing system, one built
Production for the USAAF
The C-54 was built by Douglas at two locations.
Acceptance of the C-54 by the USAAF:
| Location | version | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica | C-54 | 24 | 24 | ||||
| Santa Monica | C-54A | 2 | 46 | 29 | 77 | ||
| Chicago | C-54A | 9 | 108 | 117 | |||
| Santa Monica | R5D-1 | 17th | 2 | 19th | |||
| Chicago | R5D-1 | 38 | 38 | ||||
| Santa Monica | C-54B | 86 | 3 | 89 | |||
| Chicago | C-54B | 70 | 30th | 100 | |||
| Santa Monica | R5D-2 | 11 | 89 | ||||
| Chicago | R5D-2 | 10 | 9 | 19th | |||
| Santa Monica | VC-54C | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Chicago | C-54D | 304 | 304 | ||||
| Chicago | R5D-3 | 76 | 76 | ||||
| Santa Monica | C-54E | 105 | 105 | ||||
| Santa Monica | R5D-4 | 20th | 20th | ||||
| Chicago | XC-54F | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Santa Monica | C-54G | 161 | 1 | 162 | |||
| TOTAL | 26th | 72 | 356 | 708 | 1 | 1,163 |
Of 46 C-54Ds, 38 were converted into SC-54Ds for sea rescue and 8 TC-54Ds for training. Another SC-54G sea rescue aircraft emerged from a C-54G. From C-54E, 27 were converted to C-54M. In the 1960s, it was converted into 15 VIP transporters (4 D, 8 E, 2 G, 1 M).
Incidents
From the commissioning in 1943 to February 2019, including military operators, there were 371 total losses of the type DC-4, of which 318 were in aircraft accidents. A total of 3505 people were killed.
Accidents involving civilian operators are listed in the main article mentioned above, even if they are originally military versions.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Span: | 35.81 m |
| Length: | 28.74 m |
| Height: | 8.40 m |
| Wing area: | 135.4 m² |
| Setup mass: | 19,310 kg |
| Takeoff mass: | 33,110 kg |
| Engine: | four air-cooled 18-cylinder double star engines Pratt & Whitney R- 2000-25 with 1,450 HP (1080 kW) each |
| Top speed: | 450 km / h |
| Cruising speed: | 365 km / h |
| Rate of climb: | 5.4 m / s |
| Range: | normal 2,200 km maximum 6,000 km |
| Summit height: | 6,700 m |
| Crew: | 4-5 |
See also
Web links
Commons : C-54 Skymaster - album with pictures, videos and audio files
Individual evidence
- ^ Tony Eastwood, John Roach: Piston Engine Airliner Production List. West Drayton: The Aviation Hobby Shop, 1996, ISBN 0 907 178 61 8 , p. 259.
- ↑ Peter Berry, Tom Dunstall, Michael Ford, John A. Whittle: The Douglas DC-4 . Air-Britain (Historians), Hutton, Brentwood, 1967, p. 23.
- ↑ Peter Berry, Tom Dunstall, Michael Ford, John A. Whittle: The Douglas DC-4 . Air-Britain (Historians), Hutton, Brentwood, 1967, p. 5.
- ↑ Peter Berry, Tom Dunstall, Michael Ford, John A. Whittle: The Douglas DC-4 . Air-Britain (Historians), Hutton, Brentwood, 1967, p. 23.
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 100 ff .; www.uswarplanes.net; Air-Britain Digest - July-August 1978, p. 79
- ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1956, p. 117; 1963–1969 "Losses and Gains" tables
- ^ Accident statistics Douglas DC-4 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on March 1, 2019.