Existing comment:
Curtiss C-46D Commando.
The C-46 was developed from the new and unproven commercial aircraft design, the CW-20, which first flew in March 1940. Deliveries of AAF C-46s began in July 1942 for the Air Transport Command and Troop Carrier Command. During World War II, the USAAF accepted 3,144 C-46s for hauling cargo and personnel and for towing gliders. Of this total, 1,410 were C-46Ds.
The C-46 gained its greatest fame during WWII transporting war materials over the "Hump" from India to China after the Japanese had closed the Burma Road. C-46 flights on the treacherous air route over the Himalayas began in May 1943. The Commando carried more cargo than the famous C-47 and offered better performance at higher altitudes, but under these difficult flying conditions, C-46s required extensive maintenance and had a relatively high loss rate. In Europe, C-46s dropped paratroopers during the aerial crossing of the Rhine River near Wesel in March 1945. C-46s saw additional service during the Korean War.
The C-46D on display is painted as a C-46 flying the Hump in 1944. This aircraft was retired from USAF service in Panama in 1968 and was flown to the museum in 1972.
The C-46D was an improved version of the -A model. The aircraft was primarily designed as a troop carrier and had cargo/paratroop doors on both sides of the fuselage. The nose section was also redesigned to incorporate additional radios and flight instruments.
The C-46D had the same model Pratt & Whitney engine as the C-46A but had a top speed nearly 30 mph slower. The engines were fitted with 4-blade propellers designed for decent cruise performance and large gross weight takeoffs. The -D model had a maximum gross weight more than a ton greater than the -A model, but the two aircraft had essentially the same cruising speed.
The C-46D remained in service with the USAF well into the 1960s. The museum's C-46D was retired in 1968 and was among the last C-46s in USAF service.
The museum has C-46D-15-CU (S/N 44-78018) on display in the Air Power Gallery. |