U.S. NAVAL AVIATION RESOURCE CENTER > TRANSPORT/CARGO > R4D > PREVIOUS PAGE
Curtiss R5C
Curtiss R5C-1 (Bu. 39598) of the U.S. Marines at MCAS Miramar, CA, May 24, 1946.
[Source: William T. Larkins]
The Curtiss R5C is the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps designation given to the
Curtiss C-46 Commando. The Commando is a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States military forces. 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/R5C served a similar role as its counterpart, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, but was not as extensively produced. At the time of its production, the C-46/R5C was the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world, and the largest and heaviest twin-engine aircraft to see service in World War II.
Sources:
Wikipedia
U.S. NAVAL AVIATION RESOURCE CENTER > TRANSPORT/CARGO > R4D > PREVIOUS PAGE
