Douglas DC-4
- CountryUnited States of America
- TypePiston engined airliner and freighter
- PowerplantsFour 1080kW (1450shp) Pratt & Whitney R20002SDBG Twin Wasp 14 cylinder twin row radial piston engines driving three blade constant speed propellers.
- PerformanceMax speed 451km/h (244kt), cruising speed 365km/h (197kt). Service ceiling 22,300ft. Range with a 5200kg (11,440lb) payload 4023km (2172nm).
- WeightsEmpty 19,460kg (43,300lb), max takeoff 33,112kg (73,000lb).
- DimentionsWing span 35.81m (117ft 6in), length 28.60m (93ft 10in), height 8.38m (27ft 6in). Wing area 135.6m2 (1460sq ft).
- CapacityFlightcrew of three, standard passenger seating for 44, max seating for 86. Most surviving aircraft configured as freighters.
- ProductionTotal DC-4 production comprised one DC-4E, 78 commercial DC-4s, 1162 military C54 Skymasters and 42 Canadair developed Merlin powered derivatives. Almost 80 remain in commercial service, most as freighters.
The historical backdrop of the DC-4 goes once more to when United Airlines formulated a necessity for a four motor long extend carrier.
United looked to Douglas to satisfy the prerequisite, who formulated the profoundly aggressive DC-4e (where the E remained for exploratory). This four engined behemoth was flight tried in 1939. It was about three times the measure of the DC-3 (its wingspan was 42.17m/138ft 3in, and length 29.76m/97ft 7in), had triple tail surfaces, tricycle undercarriage, was pressurized and conceivably could fly steady from Chicago to San Francisco.
However all the momentous new innovation on the DC-4e implied that it was unreasonable, complex and had higher than expected working expenses, so Douglas altogether reexamined the outline, bringing about the more modest and easier authoritative DC-4.
The new DC-4 was created under the obscuring billows of Ww2, and upon the USA's entrance into war all DC-4s then on the creation line were ordered for the US military. The result was that the first DC-4 flew surprisingly on February 14 1942 in military markings (as the C-54 Skymaster). The DC-4 was found to splendidly suit the USAAF's prerequisite for a long extend payload transport, and 1162 were manufactured through the war years.
As was the situation with the DC-3, the end of war implied that much of that number were surplus and sold to the world's aerial transports. Further to this Douglas assembled an extra 78 DC-4s to new requests. Through the years the survivors have been passed down to contract and cargo aerial shuttles, and today little numbers make due in administration as tankers.
Eminent advancements of the DC-4 incorporate Aviation Trader's greatly adjusted Carvair vessel (depicted independently) while Canadair manufactured a number with Rollsroyce Merlin motors and pressurized fuselages. The DC-4 additionally shaped the premise for the bigger DC-6 and DC-7 which are depicted independently (the DC-4 was the first carrier to present a round segment, steady width fuselage which made extending the fundamental airplane moderately straightforward).
Pictures of Douglas DC-4
