How many C-46 are still flying?
Several were also pressed into civilian service as cargo transports and airliners. More than 3,000 C-46s were built, of which about 100 survive today. Of these, more than 50 worldwide are still flying.
Was the C-46 pressurized?
No CW-20 or C-46 was ever pressurized. The CW-20 prototype had a long aluminum fairing to hide the crease between cabin and baggage compartment, but the extra metal weighed 275 pounds, added manufacturing complexity and did nothing aerodynamically.
Who built the C-46?
Curtiss-Wright
Higgins Aircraft
Curtiss C-46 Commando/Manufacturers
Why is ac 46 hard to fly?
More About Flying the C-46 (by John Deakin) The one thing the C-46 is really famous for is lousy directional control on the takeoff and landing roll. Its rudder is extremely ineffective at low speeds on the runway, even after the tail is up on takeoff.
What does C 47 stand for?
Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft
About 2,000 C-47s (received under Lend-Lease) in British and Commonwealth service took the name “Dakota”, possibly inspired by the acronym “DACoTA” for Douglas Aircraft Company Transport Aircraft. The C-47 also earned the informal nickname “gooney bird” in the European theatre of operations.
What does the KC stand for in KC 135?
K = Tanker. V = VIP. C = Cargo. The C-135 is a military Boeing 707, so the KC-135 is the tanker version.
How much does a C-47 cost?
Pricing starts at $2950.
Was the C-47 used in Vietnam?
They left as first-rate military aircraft headed for combat in Vietnam in a variety of missions. EC-47s were also operated by the Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian Air Forces. A gunship variation, using three 7.62 mm miniguns, designated AC-47 “Spooky”, often nicknamed “Puff the magic dragon”, also was deployed.
How much does a KC-46 cost?
Instead, the service is working with Boeing Co., the tanker’s manufacturer, to redesign the boom — at a cost of $100 million. The KC-46 Pegasus has had many issues, including how the boom connects and disconnects when refueling aircraft.
Where does the name C-46 Commando come from?
“C-46” redirects here. For other meanings, see C46 (disambiguation). The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design.
Who was the inventor of the C-46?
The prototype for what would become the C-46, the Curtiss CW-20, was designed in 1937 by George A. Page Jr., the chief aircraft designer at Curtiss-Wright. The CW-20 was intended as a private venture intended to introduce a new standard in pressurized airliners.
What was the purpose of the Curtiss C-46?
Curtiss originally designed the C-46 to be a pressurized luxury airliner with enough range to fly the golden route between New York and Chicago nonstop and above most of the weather.
What was the name of the C-46 Skytrain?
Known to the men who flew them as “The Whale,” the “Curtiss Calamity,” the “plumber’s nightmare”, and among ATC crews, the “flying coffin,” the C-46 served a similar role as its counterpart, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, but was not as extensively produced.