Free Republic
Browse · Search
VetsCoR
Topics · Post Article

To: robowombat

Just a note about the USAF C-54, in the world of civilian aviation, this was the DC-10, the FIRST civilian airplane known as a long-range 4 engine passenger aircraft capable of transcontinental range. It was one of the stars of the 1948-49 Berlin Airlift and an poke-in-the-eye for Soviet Dictator Stalin, who based his thoughts on the capacity of the C-47 / DC-3, an aircraft much less capable.

Postwar Berlin had a population of 2 million people in the French/British/US controlled sections of that city. Support by the WW2 aircraft like the C-47 was impractical and the Potsdam Agreements were agreed to with the unrestricted air-transit agreement based upon that assumption. The added upgrade of the C-54 over the C-47 was that it was a tri-cycle landing gear, which meant that it was a level floor on the ground. The advantages of this in the loading and unloading were immense and under-appreciated. No other Allied plane in use at that time was in quantity to match the C-54 in its throughput.


13 posted on 09/22/2022 1:04:41 PM PDT by SES1066 (More & more it looks like Brandon's best decision was Kamala! UGH!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: SES1066

Good point about the cargo floor vs. the C-47.


14 posted on 09/22/2022 1:15:03 PM PDT by doorgunner69 (Let's go Brandon)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies ]

To: SES1066
Just a note about the USAF C-54, in the world of civilian aviation, this was the DC-10 4, the FIRST civilian airplane known as a long-range 4 engine passenger aircraft capable of transcontinental range.
18 posted on 09/22/2022 2:17:39 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (Is the /Sarc tag really necessary? Pray for President Biden: Psalm 109:8)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
VetsCoR
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson