Air Power

DOUGLAS C-124C "GLOBEMASTER II"

The C-124 evolved from the earlier Douglas C-74. To facilitate cargo handling, the C-124, or "Old Shakey" as it was affectionately known, featured "clamshell" loading doors and hydraulic ramps in the nose and an elevator under the aft fuselage. It was capable of handling such bulky cargo as tanks, field guns, bull dozers, and trucks. It could also be converted into a transport capable of carrying 200 fully-equipped soldiers in its double-decked cabin or 127 litter patients and their attendants.

The first flight by a C-124 took place on Nov. 27, 1949 and deliveries of C-124As began in May 1950. The USAF bought 448 C-124s before production ended in 1955. These planes performed such missions as airlift support in the Far East and Southeast Asia, resupply missions to Antarctica, refugee evacuation in the Congo and mercy flights to Morocco, Chile and elsewhere throughout the world following floods and other natural disasters. Most C-124s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard by 1970 and all were released from active service in mid-1974.

SPECIFICATIONS
Span: 174 ft. 1 in.
Length: 130 ft.
Height: 48 ft. 4 in.
Weight: 216,000 lbs. max.
Armament: None
Engines: Four Pratt & Whitney R-4360s of 3,800 hp. ea.
Cost: $1,646,000

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 320 mph.
Cruising speed: 200 mph.
Range: 2,175 miles
Service Ceiling: 34,000 ft.

James K.L., Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class –

Hey, James, I sure am glad that you can visit often. I’ll bet that you have a lot of stuff going on. Thank you for the jobs you are doing to help keep all of us back home free. I’m glad that you enjoyed the rodeo. The Dream Team really did an excellent job of putting it together and it’s good to know that a Corpsman was on standby for any mishaps. Junk Food Day was so much fun. I hope you didn’t have to treat too many tummy aches for overeating. We are proud and honored to think about you 24/7 for the protection you provide us.

C-124 Bump

The C-124 used the same wings, tail, and engines as the C-74, but featured a new and enlarged fuselage, as well as stronger landing gear to handle higher weights. It was powered by four P&W R-4360-63A radial engines, with 3,800 horsepower per engine.

The "YC-124" prototype, rebuilt from a C-74, performed its initial flight on 27 November 1949. The Globemaster II had "clamshell" doors in the nose with hydraulically-activated loading ramps. The cargo bay, which was 23.5 meters (77 feet) long, featured the overhead hoist and removeable belly section of the C-74. Each hoist had a load capacity of 7,250 kilograms (16,000 pounds).

The C-124 could carry most Army field vehicles without requiring that they be dismantled. It could lift 33.560 kilograms (74,000 pounds) of cargo. Its double-decked cabin could also be fitted with 200 seats for troops, or with 123 litters for casualty evacuation. Flight crew was six.

The first operational C-124 was delivered in May 1950. A total of 204 "C-124As" were built, to be followed by 243 "C-124Cs". A turboprop-powered "KC-124B" tanker variant was considered, which emerged as a single "YC-124B" transport prototype that flew in 1954.

The C-124C featured uprated engines, an APS-42 weather radar with a distinctive nose "thimble" radome, and wingtip-mounted combustion heaters to provide cabin heating and wing de-icing. The radar and combustion heaters were retrofitted to most C-124As. The last of 448 Globemaster IIs was rolled out in May 1955. At the type's peak in 1963, there were 377 C-124s in service with 20 transport squadrons.

The C-124 provided valuable service in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, though by the Vietnam era it was regarded as too slow. It was given a variety of nicknames by its crews, such as "Old Shakey", the "Shakemaster", the "Aluminum Cloud", or "Aluminum Overcast".

The Globemaster II also performed many other duties, including Antarctic resupply missions, refugee evacuation, and disaster relief. They were finally replaced by the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy in 1970.