Posted on 01/01/2021 3:04:10 PM PST by DFG
In the winter of 1946, Skymaster 56498 soared over the midwest plains of the United States as it neared the end of a 6,000-mile journey, carrying a very precious cargo.
On board were dozens of British prisoners of war being repatriated from the battlefields of World War Two after the allied victory over Imperial Japan.
And now it is saving British servicemen again - as former members of the armed forces find camaraderie and new skills as they work to restore the aircraft to its former glory.
At the forefront of technological innovation at the time, the Skymaster's 4,000-mile range regularly took it from US airforce bases in the Pacific Theatre to the Californian coast, and occasionally on to Delaware, where troops could be brought back home to the UK by ship.
Today, the very same Douglas C-54 type aircraft finds itself on British soil; somewhat more rusted in its 75th year, and facing a £1 million restoration project to see it take to the skies once again.
It is one of only a handful that still exists and had a lucky escape when Allan Vogel, an aircraft broker, spotted it lying in a scrapyard at North Weald Airfield in Essex.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
PING!
The sound of those engines at idle. Like the coolest jazz beat you’ve ever heard.
Beautiful plane. My uncle flew P3s back in the day and had some great models. Here is a link to video soneone shot after building a model of this one:
Well, shhot. My link took width into stratosphere.
The sound of those engines at idle. Like the coolest jazz beat you’ve ever heard.
—
Indeed, there is a great harmonic resonance with multi-engine prop aircraft, especially radial engine aircraft. I still remember hearing that fantastic thrumming sound when, as a kid, a B-36 would pass overhead. It sounded like God’s own beehive.
Also the main workhorse of the Berlin Airlift.
Great photo. When I was 8 yrs old, I couldn’t build enough model airplanes to hang in my bedroom. I had a C-54, possibly my first one. Most of these (Douglas, Boeing, Lockheed, and many other companies that don’t exist anymore) and at the age of 74 I don’t have but a few still in a cardboard box. Maybe my grandkids could pass them along to the great-kids. BTW - Nice photo!
Beautiful analogy
A C-54 crashed at the end of the Tucson International Airport runway when I was a kid. The aircraft was totaled but no one was seriously hurt. I had just started learning to fly at the time. I never forgot that one because the pilot forgot to remove the control locks prior to takeoff.
Pretty darn cool!
When I go to air shows today, I always tell my family that it's mostly to listen. They think I'm a bit "off"
Took a hop on one in 63’, it was loaded with crates for Central America stenciled, “Alliance For Progress”, yup, motor rounds and grenades for our allies???
I can hear a radial engine somewhere in the sky and instantly recognize it...distinctive sound!
Love it!
When I was in the USN, I loved watching the C-1 Cods take off and land...I had to learn about them in mech school, but they were the last ones...:(
I jumped in the car and drove in the direction, and saw two of these parked in a big grass field, door open, nobody around...:)
I know...not a Skymaster, but...don't see those around here!
“My uncle flew P3s back in the day”
Me too. Do you know what squadrons he was in?
Wasn’t this the plane that made the Russians give up on their blockade of Berlin?
P-3s were Lockheed Electras with turboprop engines. A postwar design.
C-54s were Douglas DC-4s with piston engines. They evolved post war to the DC-6, and culminated in the DC-7 which competed with the trouble plagued Electra but was limited by its Piston engines.
C-54 (the civilian commercial version was the DC-4) was a great airplane. My Dad was a bomber pilot in WWII, and after the war he flew for United Airlines for a few years, and the DC-4 was one of the planes he flew with United. He always said it was a good platform.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.