Douglas C-54 Skymaster (DC-4) - Military Factory

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Four-Engine Military Transport Aircraft

United States | 1942

"The C-54 Skymaster was a pivotal American aircraft serving actively throughout the Berlin Airlift."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/21/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content. Derived from the commercial DC-4 airliner, the C-54 Skymaster was a workhorse transport aircraft for both the United States Army and the United States Navy branches of service. Planned as a technologically superior successor to the DC-3 type, the early DC-4 design suffered through growing pains of burgeoning pressurization technology, proving too much to handle and well ahead of its time. As such, the DC-4 design went back to a simplified un-pressurized version that would become the basis for the C-54 for Army use and the R5D for Navy usage. Design of the DC-4 type consisted primarily of a sleek fuselage and began as early as 1935, though production elements were not delivered till 1942. Even then, the early models destined for civilian transport use were rerouted and enlisted for military service. Four Pratt & Whitney brand radials were mounted on the low monoplane wing assembly. A single ventral vertical surface was set on the tail section in place of the twin fins found on the early DC-4E models. Crew accommodations amounted to 4, with seating for up to 86 civilian passengers and an additional four in-flight service crew. The system saw extensive service for both US branches and appeared in a variety of forms, differing in powerplant usage and number of passenger seats. Some dedicated troop and cargo transports existed with US President Roosevelt's own VIP version known as the "Sacred Cow" - utilized as a personal transport throughout the war. Post war service amounted to high utilization during the Berlin Airlift as well as serving in further models as a civil passenger airliner in later years. Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted. Operators [+] Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Douglas C-54 Skymaster (DC-4). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing. Total Production: 1,170 Units Contractor(s): Douglas Aircraft Company - USA [ Aden; Algeria; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Barbados; Belgium; Bolivia; Burundi; Cameroon; Canada; Chad; Republic of China (Taiwan); Colombia; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Denmark; Ecuador; El Salvador; France; Gabon; Greece; Hong Kong; Iceland; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Ivory Coast; Japan; Kenya; Lebanon; Luxembourg; Madagascar; Mauritania; Mexico; Netherlands; Nicaragua; Niger; Norway; Panama; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; South Africa; South Korea; South Vietnam; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Thailand; United Kingdom; United States; Venezuela ] Mission Roles [+] TRANSPORT COMMERCIAL AVIATION Power & Performance [+] Propulsion 4 x Pratt & Whitney E-2000-7 "Twin Wasp" air-cooled radial piston engines developing 1,290 horsepower each and driving three-bladed propeller units. Maximum Speed 275 mph (442 kph | 239 kts) Service Ceiling 22,310 ft (6,800 m | 4 miles) Operational Range 3,977 miles (6,400 km | 3,456 nm) City-to-City Ranges Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM). NYC LON LON PAR PAR BER BER MOS MOS TOK TOK SYD SYD LAX LAX NYC Structural [+] Crew 4 (MANNED) Length 93.5 ft (28.50 m) Width 117.5 ft (35.80 m) Height 27.6 ft (8.40 m) Empty Weight 38,934 lb (17,660 kg) MTOW 72,753 lb (33,000 kg) Variants [+] DC-4 - Base Series Designation DC-4E - Pressurized Model to succeed the DC-3; increased range; fitted with 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-2000-2SD1-G Twin Wasp engines; later changed to unpressurized type for technical reasons. C-54 "Skymaster" - United States Army Base Series Designation; 26 passenger type; R-2000-7 radial engines; 26 total examples. C-54A - Fully militarized US Army type; R-2000-7 engines; 50 passenger seating. C-54B - US Army version; implemented wing tanks. C-54D - US Army version; R-2000-11 radials. C-54E - US Army version; redesigned fuel tanks; dual-role passenger/cargo handler. C-54G - US Army version; dedicated troop carrier. R5D - United States Navy Base Series Designation. R5D-1 - Fully militarized USN type; R-2000-7 engines; 50 passenger seating. R5D-2 - USN version; implemented wing tanks. R5D-3 - USN version; R-2000-11 radials. R5D-4 - USN version; redesigned fuel tanks; dual-role passenger/cargo handler. R5D-5 - USN version; dedicated troop carrier. Charts & Graphs [+] Relative Max Speed Hi: 300mph Lo: 150mph Aircraft Max Listed Speed (275mph). Graph Average of 225 MPH. Era Crossover Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any) ranging from the Early Years to the Present Day. Max Alt Visualization Production Comparison 1170 36183 44000 Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production. Design Balance RANGE ALT SPEED Qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range. More coverage = Better balanced. MACH Regime (Sonic) Sub Trans Super Hyper HiHyper ReEntry ♦ RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: 19030 Aviation Timeline EarlyYrs WWI Interwar WWII ColdWar Postwar Modern Future ♦ Recognitions [+] [ Tap Anywhere to Close ] [ Tap Anywhere to Close ] Cockpit While traditional jobs involve workstations, office desks, or cubicles, aircraft provide operators with their own unique, ever-changing view of the world below. 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