Aviation / Aerospace

Douglas C-54 Skymaster (DC-4)

Four-Engine Military Transport Aircraft [ 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.

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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.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1942

Origin

United States

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

4

Production

1,170
UNITS

Douglas Aircraft Company - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

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

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

✓ Commercial Aviation
Used in roles serving the commercial aviation market, ferrying both passengers and goods over range.

Length

93.5 ft
(28.50 m)

Width/Span

117.5 ft
(35.80 m)

Height

27.6 ft
(8.40 m)

Empty Wgt

38,934 lb
(17,660 kg)

MTOW

72,753 lb
(33,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+33,819 lb
(+15,340 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Douglas C-54A (R5D-1) Skymaster production variant)

Installed: 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.

Max Speed

275 mph
(442 kph | 239 kts)

Ceiling

22,310 ft
(6,800 m | 4 mi)

Range

3,977 mi
(6,400 km | 11,853 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Douglas C-54A (R5D-1) Skymaster production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

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.

Cockpit image of the Douglas C-54 Skymaster (DC-4)

Cockpit image represents the Douglas VC-54 production model.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

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Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

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Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

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