In 1935, The Douglas Aircraft Company flew the first DC-3, and in doing so, started a revolution in commercial air travel. The DC-3 was fast, roomy, and, above all, safer than all others before it. The fact that there are still DC-3's (and the military versions) still flying in their original, as-built conditions speaks volumes about the airplane. An icon? Oh, yeah…
By 1938, though, the airlines were looking for a larger version of the DC-3. One prototype, the DC-4E, was built for United Airlines (you see, kids, the airlines were driving the market–they'd tell the manufacturers what they wanted, and the manufacturers would build it). With additional interest from the other major carriers, Douglas went ahead and built the -4E. It was larger, faster, and more advanced than the -3 was. In fact, it was a bit too far advanced, and the project was abandoned in favor of a similar, yet smaller design–this would become the DC-4.
The DC-4 (in military clothes, it was the C-54) first flew in 1938. Powered by four Pratt and Whitney R-2000 and could cruise at 225 knots at about 21,000 feet. It was quickly drafted into World War Two service, and the first C-54 flew in 1942. Notable because of her service during the Berlin Airlift, the airplane soon faded into obscurity after the war–the military was phasing the older transports out in favor of ones with greater lifting capacity, and the airlines wanted bigger airplanes that could fly farther, higher, and faster. The USAF, USN, and the armed forces of several other nations kept the C-54's gainfully employed for many years after the war, the last ones being retired in the late 1970's/early 1980's.
Post-war, Aviation Traders converted 21 airframes to the ATL-98 Carvair. Anyone who has seen the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" has seen a Carvair–that's the airplane that flew Goldfinger, OddJob, and Mr. Goldfinger's Phaeton and golf clubs back to Europe. You can't miss a Carvair–that bulbous nose is a dead giveaway…
Our particular airframe was built where all C-54's were built–Douglas' Orchard Park facility, where O'Hare International Airport now sits. Taken up by the Army Air Force, she saw service for several years before being reassigned to the U. S. Navy as an RC-54V, Navy Bureau Number (BuNo) 45614. The RC-54V, by the way, was used as a mapping aircraft. She was transferred to the U. S. Coast Guard at some point, as well, according to one report I've read. I can find no history that suggested that she flew in WWII (unlikely) or in the Berlin Airlift (probable, since pretty much all airlift assets of the U.S. military were on call for such duty), or Korea (maybe, although she was probably performing mapping duties for the Navy at that time). The interesting part of this airplane's history–for me, at least–is after she retired from the military.
My first acquaintance with Douglas C-54G-10-DO, Constructor's Number 36067, USAAF Serial Number 45-0614, civil registration N708Z, came around 1990 or 1991, when the company I worked for bought her from Aero Union in Chico, California to replace the C-54A-10-DC we recently had to retire (and that one would have been N74183, C/N 10314, USAAF S/N 42-72209. She later wound up in the Flying Leatherneck Museum at MCAS El Toro with a fake BuNo of 90392.). Zero-Eight Zulu had previously kicked around a bit–she had been owned by Southern Aero Traders and sat at Opa-Locka (just north of Miami, FL) for a while, then Aero Union had her and used her as a fire tanker. If you knew where to look, you could see where the fire suppressant tank was installed on her belly.
When we got her, it was evident that the paint scheme she wore was previously painted over–there was evidence of a darker paint around the rivet heads and in some of the lap joints. Also, in the cockpit, there were a lot of phony placards painted in "Russian". Well, if you look, hard enough, there was also a fake "Russian" registration, too: CCCP-56397. And then I started to dig and ask questions–I suppose to a few of my colleagues I was off my rocker, since I was one of the few people there who actually liked working on the "pigs". I loved the history behind these airplanes. They had character; they had been places and done things, more so than any other airplane I've worked on before or since.
So, as Paul Harvey would say, the story picks up in the late 1980's. Apparently, our airplane was a movie star. Well, maybe a stunt double. See, the fake "Russian" disguise was leftover "makeup" from when our airplane appeared in the forgettable 1989 flick "The Experts". The plot was that two hip Americans, Travis and Wendell, get kidnapped by the KGB, sent to a Russian town that is modeled on American society, and tasked (unknown to them) with bringing the place into the present–as it was when they got there, it was right out of "Leave it to Beaver" and "Father Knows Best". Well, sooner or later, our heroes get wise to the deal and try to get away. One of their assistants is a Russian Air Force pilot, and his airplane is their ticket out. The flying sequences were done by a C-118B (and I suspect another airplane that found employment with us), but when everything was "in the can", they found they needed some shots from inside the airplane. Since the C-118 was not available, they turned to the next best thing–yep, the C-54. Paint it dark, sprinkle a few cryptic placards around, and *voila*, we've got us the inside of a Russian transport! The paint job lasted longer than the movie did in the theaters, I fear.
That was probably the highlight of Zero-Eight Zulu's career. She served us well until 1994, when she blew a jug on the number two engine during a landing. Our cargo contracts were winding down, the old propliners were getting harder and harder to find parts for–especially anything with R-2000's–and she just sat. I left the company around that time, but I know her avionics were removed and installed on a Volpar Turboliner (a conversion of the venerable Beech 18/C-45 with Garrett/AiResearch TPE-331 turboprop powerplants replacing the R-985's–another interesting airplane I might tell you about someday), and rumor was she was going to be broken up.
Sometime shortly after the Turn of the Century, she got a reprieve. I learned she was being repaired and possibly restored as a Warbird. Later still, I heard she would be earning her keep in Alaska. And that, boys and girls, is where she is now–flying for Brooks Air Fuel out of Fairbanks, AK. They really tarted her up, too–she now wears a quite attractive livery reminiscent of the United Airlines of old.
It does my heart good to see these old airplanes flying. Especially airplanes like the DC-4, since they aren't found that often. More DC-3's are still active than DC-4's…
I have been hoping for years than someone would produce a good kit of the DC-4/C-54 in something larger than 1/144 scale. Minicraft graced us with a 1/144 scale version several years ago, and it is a beautiful kit. But I have also wanted to build one on 1/72 scale, and right now the pickings are slim. Rareplanes did a vac-form a long time ago, and they are difficult to find and expensive once you do find one. Mach 2 produced a kit of a "DC-4", but like all Mach 2 kits, there is a lot to be desired. So, I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I'll be converting a Heller DC-6 kit one of these days…
(Apologies for the links–I could not, for the life of me, find my photos of the old girl. If the links fail, you can spend an afternoon or two on Airliners.net, just search under "N708Z".)
Thanks for reading. be good to one another, and I bid you Peace.