C 74 Globemaster in the UK !

Thank you for reminding me of the constitution, I have a weird love of all large old, limited production, aircraft !!!! I will share this, very late, pic, possibly at its final resting place, as parts are missing ?? Keith.

I occasionally read my father’s old “Dash-1” C-124 flight manual.
It’s several hundred pages and filled with neat photos of the panels and systems.

You don’t really appreciate the complexity of aircraft until you delve into one of these (or try to restore one).

The 124 was a huge accomplishment for it’s day.
For hauling outsized cargo, it wasn’t bested until the C-5 came along.
Not bad for late-WWII technology.

Initiated in 1942! Nominally DC-4-derived. In the same timescale Convair was doing (B-36-derivative, to be) XC-99 Constitution.

The R6V Constitution was a large (largest type ever used by US Navy) Lockheed built transport, loosely a scaled up, double decked, Constellation. Not aware of the B-36 derived Convair XC-99 gaining any name, civil version studies (for Pan Am) known as Model 37.

Further to my previous entry, here is the C-124s engineer’s panel:

http://www.theaviationzone.com/images/vintage/c124/bin/c124_26.jpg

I wonder if today’s flight engineers could handle all this?

Bri 😀

Thank you all for even more input ! I have been looking into the history of the(only 14) of these monsters from the past.
One particular aircraft, 42-65414, spent six weeks during 1948 carrying some large tonnage whilst taking part in the Berlin Airlift, but was too heavy for some of the temp runways.
On 25 November 1949, the same aircraft crossed the atlantic carrying 103 troops, another record for the time, it made landfall at Marham, Norfolk.
When I was so young and impressionable ! whilst this aircraft was at Stansted, someone told me of the tunnel within the wing ! don’t think I believed them at the time ?
Have found another photo of HP-385, this time at Heathrow, thanks to abpic !

Initiated in 1942! Nominally DC-4-derived. In the same timescale Convair was doing (B-36-derivative, to be) XC-99 Constitution. A UK MAP team visiting US in late-42 saw mock-ups of both, and leapt to the conclusion that size would rule in peace. No-one told the Brit team that they had been funded in anticipation of US having to deal with Germany alone, Transoceanic, after UK had become non-combatant. Brabazon Committee’s Type I (selected 11/3/43 as Bristol T.167 Brabazon) was intended to take these behemoths on, Centaurus Mark I, pending the Brit advantage of propellor-turbine in Mark II – Bristol Theseus, in hand for (to be) Vickers Windsor.

All crumbled before DC-4, then DC-6, and Constellations. Nothing bigger/longer range proved relevant to airlines for several decades.

Nice photo wl745, that is a C-124 Globemaster and we were talking about C-74 Globemasters!:)

Well, they are all Globemasters!

I remember (yes, here we go again!) when C-124 Globemasters used to fly in to RAAF Amberley, Queensland, landing in the dark. With their three rows of portholes lit, they looked like a hotel coming in!

Upon closer inspection, they were vast! Even the radio room was bigger than my living quarters. The USAF flight engineer showed me the tunnel through the wing which he said could be used to change a magneto in flight! I chickened out of crossing the open wheelwell through this tunnel.

He was from the ‘Deep South’ and I had trouble understanding his thick accent. But I did manage to ask him how a huge aircraft such as this could fly with just four engines and he replied “they aint jest four engines, buddy. They’se got four rows o’ seven in each one!”

I was a new instrument basher at the time and was amazed/horrified that the engineer’s instrument panel had over 80 instruments to deal with.

Yes, I could write a book – and I have but not on this subject!

Hope I haven’t bored you all. But these planes really took the biscuit.

Bri 🙂

Can’t understand why the USAF keep naming different aircraft the same ! Of course we now have Globemaster III in the shape of the portly C17.

It’s the super power mentality, presumably when they go to the moon regularly, there will be Spacemasters.:D

Interestingly, the plane is named Heracles which, if I think correctly, was also added to another ‘big lifter’ in the shape of a Shorts Belfast.

If I am incorrect, i’m sure some kindly soul will ‘put me to rights’ on this and I will plead forgiveness for the error of my statement.

Bomberboy

Indeed it was! All 10 Belfasts (or Belslows :diablo: ) were named after mythical or biblical characters with a strong/heroic connection. Heracles was XR367.

Can’t understand why the USAF keep naming different aircraft the same ! Of course we now have Globemaster III in the shape of the portly C17.

Interestingly, the plane is named Heracles which, if I think correctly, was also added to another ‘big lifter’ in the shape of a Shorts Belfast.

If I am incorrect, i’m sure some kindly soul will ‘put me to rights’ on this and I will plead forgiveness for the error of my statement.

Bomberboy

Nice photo wl745, that is a C-124 Globemaster and we were talking about C-74 Globemasters!:)

Globemaster

This is an old slide of mine ,taken at Mildenhall open day68/69?

HP-385 – a registration from Panama after 1952?

Newforest, Thank you, and ooooooops I did not do a forum search, as I assumed 99% of people here had not heard of these things ? But the previous thread is very interesting ! Lets see what happens ? Keith.

The pilot was probably Tad Houlihan.

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=71207&highlight=Globemaster

Lot more history and photos here.

http://www.air-and-space.com/Douglas%20C-74.htm