Remarks: Built for the USAAF as 42-72449 at the Douglas Aircraft in Chicago, Illinois delivered Feb 45. It was flown to the San Diego NAS and transferred to the U.S. Navy as R5D-3 with the Bu. No. 50874, and it spent its entire service life with the Navy. It served with a number of units including VR-1 at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland; VR-8 at Hickam AFB, Hawaii; VR-22 at NAS Norfolk, Virginia; and VR-24 at Port Lyautey, Morocco. Designated as a C-54Q in 1962, its final assignment began in September, 1962 with the Office of Naval Research in Boston, Massachusetts. It was retired to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona in February, 1970, and sold to Mercy Airlift Inc. as N27MA in September, 1975. The aircraft was painted and flown to the California Aerospace Museum, McClellen AFB, CA by Aero Union of Chico, California on January 23, 1990. It is on permanent loan from the U.S. Forestry Service. Scanned from a K64 slide
Remarks: Current Markings: 313th Troop Carrier Group, Fassberg AB, Germany, 1948-1949
The first four-engine transport in Army Air Force service the C-54 is a militarized version of the DC-4 airliner. The first 24 Skymasters had been started as airliners for United and American Airlines and were commandeered by the Army early in 1942. Additional orders for a version capable of carrying heavy cargos quickly followed. Production was moved to a new factory in Chicago. The C-54 is best known for its participation in the Berlin Airlift during 1948 and 1949. In an attempt to force the Western Allies out of Berlin the Soviet government cut off all supplies of food, medicine and fuel to the western half of Berlin. In the largest humanitarian airlift ever the United States, Britain, and France delivered over 2.3 million tons of cargo, the vast majority in C-54s, between June 26, 1948 and September 30, 1949. Known as "Operation Vittles" the airlift was the first major confrontation of the Cold War between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
Remarks: Current Markings: 313th Troop Carrier Group, Fassberg AB, Germany, 1948-1949
The first four-engine transport in Army Air Force service the C-54 is a militarized version of the DC-4 airliner. The first 24 Skymasters had been started as airliners for United and American Airlines and were commandeered by the Army early in 1942. Additional orders for a version capable of carrying heavy cargos quickly followed. Production was moved to a new factory in Chicago. The C-54 is best known for its participation in the Berlin Airlift during 1948 and 1949. In an attempt to force the Western Allies out of Berlin the Soviet government cut off all supplies of food, medicine and fuel to the western half of Berlin. In the largest humanitarian airlift ever the United States, Britain, and France delivered over 2.3 million tons of cargo, the vast majority in C-54s, between June 26, 1948 and September 30, 1949. Known as "Operation Vittles" the airlift was the first major confrontation of the Cold War between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union.
