Douglas C-54 Skymaster
Also know in civil form as the DC-4. Production began with military aircraft. In three
years, C-54's made 79642 crossings of the Atlantic; only three were lost. After WWII
production reverted to airliners. There also was a SC-54 SAR version, a TC-54 trainer, an
EC-54, a RC-54, and a MC-54 casevac aircraft.
C-54s began service with the USAAC in 1942, carrying up to 26 passengers. (Later
versions carried up to 49 passengers.) The U.S. Navy also acquired the type, under the
designation R5D. The C-54/R5D was one of the most commonly used transports by the U.S.
armed forces in World War II. One C-54 Skymaster - the
"Sacred Cow" - was
put into service for President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
| General characteristics C-54G |
| Primary function |
transport |
| Power plant |
Four Pratt&Whitney R-2000-9 engines |
| Thrust |
4x 1,435 HP |
4x 1,070 kW |
| Wingspan |
117 ft 6 in |
35.81 m |
| Length |
93 ft 11 in |
28.63 m |
| Height |
27 ft 6.25 in |
8.39 m |
| Wingarea |
1,463 sq ft |
135.91 sq m |
| Weight |
empty |
38,000 lb |
17,237 kg |
| max. |
73,000 lb |
33,112 kg |
| Speed |
273 mph |
440 km/h |
| Ceiling |
22,506 ft |
6,860 m |
| Range |
3,877 miles |
6,240 km |
| Date deployed |
1941 |
Source: David Hanson´s American
Aircraft of World War II
Jirka Wagner
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