Friday, September 23, 2005
Friday Night Airplane Blogging
The Curtiss C-46 first flew as a commercial airliner a year before the US entered the war. The US Army Air Corps ordered a military transport version that joined the service in 1942. Larger than the better known C-47, its Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 engines gave it higher altitude and better load carrying performance. It was the preferred aircraft "over the Hump" in Southeast Asia. It also provided inter-island transport in the Pacific and carried paratroops and pulled gliders in Europe. It was capable of towing two gliders at a time. Over 3000 were built and according to Warbird Alley over 50 are still in the air today.
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