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Description
| Manufacturer: | Douglas |
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| Base model: | C-74 | ||
| Designation: | C-74 | ||
| Nickname: | Globemaster I | ||
| Designation System: | U.S. Air Force | ||
| Designation Period: | 1925-1962 | ||
| Basic role: | Transport | ||
Specifications
| Not Yet Available |
Known serial numbers
Recent comments by our visitors
| corky c. fort lupton, CO | i was asigned to 1629th a. b. squad. at rhein main ger. on 7/11/48 as a mechanic on c-47 & c-54 aircraft.later in the year c74 glogemasters started flying in replasement engines for the c-54's on the berlin/airlift. they came from mobile ala. they made 3 or 4 trips a week. piston engines did not last long on the lift. i was a private first class at the time and the line chief asked me to volunteer for the c-74 crew as they they were all from mobile on tdy and would be going back to the states befor long. when they left, my c.o. lt.col fred o. easley gave me two quick promotions and put me in charge of the crew. i hand picked 7 mechanics who i knew were not afraid of work and we became the crew. we were on duty when ever a c-74 was on the the ground, but had no other duties whatsoever. we had a blocked off section of barracks where we could sleep, undisturbed any time we were off duty. we also had 10 german mechanics that were split on 3 8hr. shifts so we always had 2 or 3 working each shift. 02/21/2008 @ 09:07 [ref: 19736] |
| Boeing , IL | Beginning in early 1942, Douglas began development of the C-74 Globemaster I. This large four-engine transport would meet the need for an aircraft that could support the demands of a global logistics network with larger payload and transoceanic range. In July of that year, a contract was awarded to Douglas to build 50 of the giant planes. Development took longer than expected, and the first aircraft did not fly until just after the end of the war. By that time the government was canceling or reducing all aircraft production, including the production run of the C-74, which was reduced to just 14 aircraft.
Called Globemaster because of its ability to circumnavigate the world with only two stops, the C-74 was designed for self-sufficiency. A combination of features enabled it to operate anywhere in the world, independent of any transportation network or facilities. Self-contained electrical power enabled the crew to change engines if needed and to load cargo using internal cranes and freight elevators that lifted cargo to and from the ground. The C-74 featured a laminar-flow wing and full-span fowler flaps. One of its strangest features was the twin bubble canopies. The separate canopies made communication and cooperation between the pilot and co-pilot difficult; a conventional cockpit would later be retrofitted. During its short career, the C-74 participated in the Berlin Airlift, set a record for being the first aircraft to cross the North Atlantic with more than 100 passengers and was flown at a gross weight of 86 tons -- the most weight for any powered aircraft up to that time. The fifth Globemaster had the distinction of being the prototype for the plane that would replace the C-74: the C-124 Globemaster II. Specifications First flight: Dec. 5, 1945 Wingspan: 173 feet 3 inches (52.81 m) Length: 124 feet 2 inches (37.85 m) Height: 43 feet 9 inches (13.34 m) Weight (max): 172,000 pounds (39.018 kg) Speed (max): 328 mph (528 km/h) Ceiling: 21,000 feet (6,490 m) Range: 7,250 miles (11,670 km) Power plant: 3,250 horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-4360-69 Accommodation: 125 troops, 115 stretchers or 48,150 pounds (21,840 kg) of cargo Copyright © 1995 - 2007 Boeing. All Rights Reserved 12/03/2007 @ 10:49 [ref: 18774] |
| Kris Knutson fromberg, MT | My father flew the C74 in Korea during the war but that was all I really know about his time there would be interested in finding out more about the C74's time in Korea 11/29/2007 @ 11:45 [ref: 18724] |
| Austin Brookley , FL | Great plane it flew out of my great grandpa's air field brookley field. 11/08/2007 @ 16:13 [ref: 18463] |
| JV , CA | There were a grand total of 14 C-74's constructed all at the Long Beach(CA) plant site. The first 12 had the bug-eyed twin canopies and the the last two had the revised cockpit & canopy that was characteristic of the C-124 Globemaster II. As a point of interest Pan American World Airways placed a tentative order for twenty C-74's. The civil C-74 was to have been called the "DC-7" but the order was cancelled and the "DC-7" designation was eventually re-assigned to another design. 04/13/2006 @ 19:45 [ref: 13152] |
| Ed Newport, MI | Here's a whole page full of C-74 pictures etc..
They have S/N 65406 converted to a YC-124A S/N 48-795 Experimental with turboprops. This is very doubtful, as they have totally different fuselages. A C-124 was converted to turbos and then back to recip.The C-124 used the same tail, engines, wings etc. but the fuselage was all different http://www.air-and-space.com/Douglas%20C-74.htm 01/15/2006 @ 23:41 [ref: 12163] |
| Tom Flaspoler , MO | The original Globemaster had fighter like cockpit canopies, hence the nickname "Bug-eyed Monster" 03/02/2005 @ 14:04 [ref: 9587] |
| Mike Kelly , TX | I couldn't find a picture of my Dad's, but if you go to this website (http://www.spiritoffreedom.org/ ), and click on "The Berlin Airlift" and tab down towards the end of the verbage you will be rewarded with a nice picture. 01/03/2002 @ 22:09 [ref: 3976] |
| Mike Kelly , TX | I will try to find a picture for you from Brookley. 01/03/2002 @ 09:35 [ref: 3970] |
| Mike Kelly Austin, TX | My Dad flew the C-74 out of Brookley AFB in Mobile in the early 1950's (MATS). I think I remember him telling me there were only 7 or 8 of them. He flew them all over the world from there. It was the airframe the C-124 was made from. It (C-124) was a lot easier to load and had a lot more room. 01/03/2002 @ 09:34 [ref: 3969] |
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