Editing Douglas C-54 Skymaster

{{Short description|Military transport aircraft derived from DC-4}}
{{Redirect|C-54}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name= C-54 Skymaster
 |image= File:An USAF C-54 Skymaster.jpg
 |caption=
 |type= [[Military transport aircraft]]
 |national_origin= United States
 |manufacturer= [[Douglas Aircraft Company]]
 |designer=
 |first_flight= 14 February 1942
 |introduction= 1942
 |retired= 1975
 |status= 
 |primary_user= [[United States Army Air Forces]]
 |more_users= [[United States Navy]] <br />[[United States Air Force]]
 |produced= 1942–1947
 |number_built= 1,170
 |developed_from = [[Douglas DC-4]]
 |variants=
}}

The '''Douglas C-54 Skymaster''' is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] in [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]]. Like the [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]] derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian airliner, the [[Douglas DC-4]]. Besides transport of cargo, the C-54 also carried presidents, prime ministers, and military staff. Dozens of variants of the C-54 were employed in a wide variety of non-combat roles such as [[air-sea rescue]], scientific and military research, and missile tracking and recovery. During the [[Berlin Airlift]] it hauled coal and food supplies to [[West Berlin]]. After the Korean War it continued to be used for military and civilian uses by more than 30 countries. It was one of the first aircraft to carry the [[President of the United States]], the first being President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] during [[World War II]].

==Design and development==
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2020}}
[[File:Douglas C-54 Skymaster in flight, circa in 1943.jpg|thumb|A USAAF Douglas C-54 (s/n 41-37271), circa 1943]]

With the looming entry of the United States into World War II, in June 1941{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} the War Department took over the provision orders for the airlines for the [[Douglas DC-4]] and allocated them to the United States Army Air Forces with the designation '''C-54 Skymaster'''. The first, a C-54, flew from [[Clover Field]] in [[Santa Monica, California]] on 14 February 1942.<ref name=Tinker>{{cite web|url=https://www.tinker.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1132101/tinker-history-douglas-c-54-skymaster/ | title= TINKER HISTORY: Douglas C-54 Skymaster | work= Tinker Air Force Base | date= 24 March 2017 |publisher=Greg L. Davis, Tinker Air Force Base, 24 March 2017|access-date=23 June 2020}}</ref>

To meet military requirements, the first civil production aircraft had four additional auxiliary fuel tanks in the main cabin, which reduced the number of passenger seats to 26. The following batch of aircraft, designated C-54A, were built with a stronger floor and a cargo door with a hoist and winch. The first C-54A was delivered in February 1943. The C-54B, introduced in March 1944, had integral fuel tanks in the outer wings, allowing two of the cabin tanks to be removed. This change allowed 49 seats (or 16 stretchers) to be fitted. The {{awrap|C-54C}}, a hybrid for Presidential use, had a C-54A fuselage with four cabin fuel tanks and C-54B wings with built in tanks to achieve maximum range.

The most common variant was the C-54D, which entered service in August 1944. Based on the C-54B, it was fitted with more powerful R-2000-11 engines. With the C-54E, the last two cabin fuel tanks were moved to the wings which allowed more freight or 44 passenger seats.

Aircraft transferred to the [[United States Navy]] were designated '''Douglas R5D'''. With the introduction of the [[1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system|Tri-Service aircraft designation system]] in 1962, all R5Ds were re-designated C-54.

==Operational history==
C-54s began service with the USAAF in 1942, carrying up to 26 passengers, later versions carrying up to 50 passengers. The C-54 was one of the most commonly used long-range transports by the U.S. armed forces in World War II. Of the C-54s produced, 515 were manufactured in [[Santa Monica, California]] and 655 were manufactured at Orchard Place/Douglas Field, in unincorporated [[Cook County, Illinois]], near [[Chicago]] (later the site of [[O'Hare International Airport]]).<ref>[http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/atct/ord/history/ "History of O'Hare Int'l Airport."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225165805/http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ato/atct/ord/history/ |date=25 February 2011 }} ''FAA''. Retrieved: 1 May 2015.</ref>

[[File:C-54 landing at Tempelhof 1948.jpg|thumb|A C-54 landing at [[Tempelhof International Airport|Tempelhof airport]] during the [[Berlin Airlift]]]]

During [[World War II]], the C-54 was used by [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], [[Douglas MacArthur]], and [[Winston Churchill]]. The American delegates to the [[Casablanca Conference]] used the Skymaster.<ref>Lavery 2007 {{page needed|date=May 2015}}</ref> The C-54 was also used by the [[Royal Air Force]], the [[French Air Force]], and the [[armed forces]] of at least 12 other nations.

President [[Harry S. Truman]] signed the [[National Security Act of 1947]], which created the U.S. Air Force, on board ''Sacred Cow'', the Presidential VC-54C which is preserved at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] near [[Dayton, Ohio]]. More than 300 C-54s and R5Ds formed the backbone of the US contribution to the [[Berlin Airlift]] in 1948. They also served as the main airlift during the [[Korean War]]. After the Korean War, the C-54 was replaced by the [[C-124 Globemaster II|Douglas C-124 Globemaster II]], but continued to be used by the U.S. Air Force until 1972. The last active C-54 Skymaster in U.S. Navy service (C-54Q, BuNo ''56501'', of the Navy Test Pilot School, [[NAS Patuxent River]]) was retired on 2 April 1974.<ref>[http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART10.PDF "The Seventies 1970–1980."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513224531/http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART10.PDF |date=2013-05-13 }} ''history.navy.mil''.  Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref>

In late 1945, several hundred C-54s were surplus to U.S. military requirements and these were converted for civil airline operation, many by Douglas Aircraft at its aircraft plants. The aircraft were sold to airlines around the world. By January 1946, [[Pan American Airways]] was operating their Skymasters on transatlantic scheduled services to [[Europe]] and beyond. Trans-Pacific schedules from [[San Francisco]] to [[Auckland]] began on 6 June 1946.<ref>Berry 1967, p. 7.</ref> After disposal by the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, many C-54s were modified for use in civilian firefighting and air tanker roles. This included fitting tanks inside and under the fuselage and the fitting of dumping and spraying equipment on the wing trailing edges. C-54s continued in this role until the late 1990s.

==Variants==
{{Main|List of Douglas C-54 Skymaster variants}}
[[File:Douglas-C-54-NL-316a.jpg|thumb|Netherlands Government Air Transport C-54A on display at the [[Aviodrome]] ]]

;C-54
:First production variant adapted from DC-4, 24 built.
;{{visible anchor|C-54A}}
:First military version with strengthened airframe, increased fuel capacity, provision for passengers or cargo, Navy equivalent R5D-1, 252 built.
;C-54B
:Increased fuel capacity in the wing, One was used by Winston Churchill, 220 built.
;{{visible anchor|C-54D}}
:Same as C-54B but with R-2000-11 engines, 380 built.
;{{visible anchor|C-54E}}
:Further revision to fuel tanks and provision for rapid conversion from passenger to cargo, 125 built.
;{{visible anchor|C-54G}}
:Same as C-54E but with different version of the R-2000 engine. 400 ordered, of which 162 were completed and the remainder were cancelled at the end of WW2.

==Operators==
{{Main|List of Douglas C-54 Skymaster operators}}

==Accidents and incidents==
{{Main|List of accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-4}}

===Experimental "tank drop" (1943)===
On 9 July 1943, USAAF C-54A 41-37271 crashed in a mid-air collision with a C-40A at [[Wright Field]], Ohio. While para-dropping a [[M29 Weasel|Studebaker T-24 Weasel]] which was slung under the fuselage, the C-54 collided with the C-40A photographic chase plane. Three of the five crew of the C-54A and all five aboard the C-40A were killed.<ref>{{cite document |title=Report of Aircraft Accident 44-7-9-25 |publisher=US Army Air Forces |date=22 July 1943}}</ref> 

[[File:C-54 destroyed by North Korean fighters 1950.jpg|thumb|A USAF C-54 destroyed by North Korean fighters, 1950]]

===Crashing in the sea (1947)===
On 3 July 1947, US Army Air Forces C-54G ''45-519'' crashed in the Atlantic 294 miles off Florida after a loss of control caused by turbulence from a storm, killing the six crew.<ref>{{ASN accident|title= 45-519|id= 19470703-0|accessdate= 7 November 2013}}</ref>

===Massachusetts crash (1948)===
[[File:Northampton C-54 Monument Plaque.jpg|thumb|Monument dedicated to the victims of the 1948 crash]]
On 14 May 1948, an army transport plane flying through a rainstorm crashed in [[Northampton, Massachusetts]], killing the three crew members aboard.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=ARMY PLANE FALLS; 3 DIE; Jackson Heights Man Is Among Massachusetts Crash Victims|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1948/05/14/archives/army-plane-falls-3-die-jackson-heights-man-is-among-massachusetts.html |work=The New York Times |date=1948-05-14 |access-date=2020-09-07}}</ref>

===Disappearance (1950)===
{{Main|1950 Douglas C-54D disappearance}}

On 26 January 1950, a C-54D operated by the [[United States Air Force]] [[List of missing aircraft|disappeared during a flight]] between [[Elmendorf Air Force Base|Anchorage-Elmendorf Air Force Base]] ([[Alaska]]) and [[Malmstrom Air Force Base|Great Falls Air Force Base]] ([[Montana]]) with a crew of eight and 36 passengers (34 service personnel and two civilians).<ref name=ASN>Ranter, Harro and Fabian I. Lujan. [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19500126-0 'Douglas C-54D-1-DC 42-72469 Snag, YT"]. Aviation Safety Net, 2008. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name=Kennebec>Kennebec, Matt. [http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/10054.htm "Douglas DC-4 C-54D."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926125738/http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/10054.htm |date=2011-09-26 }} ''1000 Photos'', 2010. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref> No trace of the aircraft or its occupants has ever been found.

===Attack===
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. North Korean fighter aircraft attacked airfields at Kimpo and Seoul, the South Korean capital, destroying one USAF C-54 on the ground at [[Gimpo International Airport|Kimpo Air Base]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1000korea/ | title=Air War Korea, 1950-53 }}</ref>

===Crashed (1950)===
On 19 September 1950, a U.S. Navy C-54 en route to Korea crashed into the sea approximately one minute after takeoff from Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The aircraft had 26 personnel aboard including eleven nurses. There were no survivors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.koreanwar-educator.org/topics/airplane_crashes/c54_skymaster_kwajalein_19500919/p_c54_skymaster.htm#:~:text=C%2D54%20Skymaster%20Crash%2C%20September%2019%2C%201950&text=According%20to%20KWE%20member%20Art,26%20Naval%20personnel%20on%20board.|title = Korean War Educator: Topics{{dash}}Airplane Crashes{{dash}}C-54 Skymaster Kwajalein September 19, 1950}}</ref>

===Crashing in the sea (1951)===
On 31 January 1951, the C-54D with tail number 282 of the [[Portuguese Air Force|Portuguese Military Aeronautics]], operated by the Search and Rescue Squadron of the [[Lajes Air Base]], [[Azores]], flying from the [[Lisbon Airport]] back to its base, crashed in the [[Atlantic]], when approaching Lajes. All of the 14 people on board (two pilots, nine mechanics and three other military personnel) were killed.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19510131-2 Douglas C-54D-1-DC (DC-4) 282] Aviation Safety Net, 2008. Retrieved: 22 March 2017.</ref>

===Berlin corridor attack (1952)===
On 29 April 1952, an [[Air France]] Douglas C-54A (registration F-BELI) operating a scheduled service from [[Frankfurt International Airport|Frankfurt Rhein-Main Airport]] to [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport]] came under sustained attack from two Soviet [[MiG-15]] [[fighter aircraft|fighters]] while passing through one of the Allied air corridors over [[East Germany]]. Although the attack had severely damaged the aircraft, necessitating the shutdown of engines number three and four, the pilot in command of the aircraft managed to carry out a safe [[emergency landing]] at Tempelhof Airport. A subsequent inspection of the aircraft's damage revealed that it had been hit by 89 shots fired from the Soviet MiGs. There were no fatalities among the 17 occupants (six crew, 11 passengers) despite the severity of the attack. The Soviet military authorities defended this attack on an unarmed civilian aircraft by claiming the Air France plane was outside the air corridor at the time of attack.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19520429-0 ASN "Aircraft accident description Douglas C-54A-DO F-BELI – near Berlin, Germany."] ''Aviation Safety Net''. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref>

===Shoot-down by the PRC (1954)===
{{Main|1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown}}
On 23 July 1954, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster civilian airliner, [[Cathay Pacific VR-HEU|registration VR-HEU]], operated by [[Cathay Pacific|Cathay Pacific Airways]], en route from [[Bangkok]] to [[Hong Kong]], was shot and heavily damaged by Chinese [[People's Liberation Army Air Force|PLAAF]] [[Lavochkin La-11]] fighters off the coast of [[Hainan Island]]. The pilot was able to ditch the aircraft, and whilst ten people on board were killed as a result of the attack, another nine were rescued by a USAF [[Grumman HU-16 Albatross]] Air-Sea Rescue plane.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19540723-0 "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54A-10-DC VR-HEU Hainan Island."] ''Aviation Safety Network''. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1954/1954-35.htm "Accident details – VR-HEU."] ''Plane Crash Info''. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name="val">[http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/dnetGOjg/230754.htm "VR-HEU Account by passenger: Valerie Parish."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127031330/http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/dnetGOjg/230754.htm |date=2009-01-27 }} ''Major Commercial Airline Disasters.'' Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name="helianthus">[http://www.helianthus-productions.com/VRHEU.html "VR-HEU."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820003641/http://www.helianthus-productions.com/VRHEU.html |date=20 August 2008 }} ''The Life & Times of James Harper.'' Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref>

===Crashed in Nevada, United States (1955)===

On 17 November 1955, United States Air Force C-54 Flight 9068 crashed into the south eastern flank of 11,916 foot Mount Charleston at approximately the 11,300 foot elevation. The crash occurred at roughly 8:30am during a high wind snowstorm with limited visibility approximately 35 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The airplane was en route to a classified destination referred to as "Watertown" (now known as the Area 51 test site in Nevada) from Burbank, California. There were 14 passengers and air crew on board from the U.S. Air Force, the CIA, and several government contractors who were working on the top secret U-2 spy plane project. There were no survivors and the crash investigation remained classified until 1998.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Plaskon |first=Kyril D. |title=Silent Heroes of the Cold War{{dash}}Declassified |publisher=Silent Heroes of the Cold War Memorial Committee |year=2015 |isbn=978-1507884669 |edition=2nd |location=Las Vegas, Nevada |pages=10–30 |language=English}}</ref>

===Explosion in North Africa (1955)===
On 11 December 1955, the C-54 of the United States Air Force's [[1700th Air Transport Group]], based at [[Kelly Field]], San Antonio, Tex. The transport crashed in the Gomor district near the border, between French and Spanish Morocco. Flying from [[Wheelus Field]] in [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] to [[Casablanca]], it was believed en route to the United States. Eight United States airmen died when their plane exploded in the rugged Riff Mountains of [[North Africa]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1955-12-14 |title=Bulter Airman Dies in Crash |pages=26 |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/120355572/bulter-airman-dies-in-crash/ |access-date=2023-03-07}}</ref>

===Disappearance (1964)===
On 28 March 1964, a C-54A disappeared over the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] (about 1120&nbsp;km west of [[San Francisco]]—last reported position: {{Coord|29.33|N|135.00|W}}) on an executive passenger flight from [[Honolulu International Airport]], [[Hawaii]] to [[Los Angeles International Airport]], [[California]]. The pilot reported a fire in No. 2 engine, which might make it necessary to ditch. Nothing more was heard from the aircraft, nor was any trace of it found despite an extensive search. Three crew and six passengers died in the accident.<ref name=HighandMighty>Ranter, Harro and Fabian I. Lujan. [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19640328-0 "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-54A-10-DC N4726V San Francisco, CA."] ''Aviation Safety Network'', 2011. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref>

==Specifications (C-54G-DO)==
[[File:Douglas R5D-2 Skymaster 3-view line drawing.png|thumb|Three-view line drawing of the Douglas R5D-2 Skymaster]]
[[File:C-54 Cockpit 2009.jpg|thumb|Cockpit of a restored C-54 Skymaster, N500EJ, ''Spirit of Freedom'' of the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation]]

{{Aircraft specs
|ref=''McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I''<ref name="Francillon">{{cite book |last1=Francillon |first1=René J. |title=McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920 : Volume I |date=1988 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=London |isbn=0870214284 |pages=313–333}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--

==Aircraft on display==
{{Main|List of Douglas C-54 Skymasters preserved or on display}}
;;On Display
* Douglas C54D-15-DC, C/N 22192 (L/N644) registered ZS-PAJ is on display at the [[South African Airways Museum]]  at [[Rand Airport]], [[Germiston]], [[South Africa]]. Formerly operated by the [[USAAF]] the aircraft changed ownership, operating as a freighter in Africa.  The last operator was [[Phoebus Apollo]] and the aircraft is preserved in the former's colours at the museum.<ref>http://www.saamuseum.co.za/our-aircraft/69.html {{Bare URL inline|date=May 2022}}</ref>

        General characteristics
-->
|crew=four
|capacity=50 troops / {{cvt|32500|lb}} cargo
|length ft=93
|length in=10
|length note=
|span ft=117
|span in=6
|span note=
|height ft=27
|height in=6
|height note=
|wing area sqft=1460
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 23016]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 23012]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=38930
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=62000
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=73000
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|2868|USgal|impgal l}} normal fuel load; {{cvt|3592|USgal|impgal l}} with auxiliary fuel
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=4
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-2000-9 Twin Wasp]]
|eng1 type=14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines:
|eng1 hp=
|eng1 note={{blist|{{cvt|1450|hp|kW}} takeoff rating|{{cvt|1100|hp|kW}} normal rating at {{cvt|7500|ft}}}}

|prop blade number=3
|prop name=constant-speed fully-feathering propellers
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=275
|max speed note=at {{cvt|20000|ft}}
|cruise speed mph=190
|cruise speed note=at {{cvt|10000|ft}}
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed note=
|range miles=4000
|range note= with  {{cvt|4000|lb}} payload
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=22300
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude= {{cvt|10000|ft}} in 14 minutes 36 seconds
|wing loading lb/sqft=42.5
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.0935|hp/lb|kW/kg}}

|more performance=
|avionics=
}}

==Notable appearances in media==
A C-54, registration C-FIQM ([[Buffalo Airways|Buffalo]] 5-721 (tail 57)), was used as a substitute [[Avro Lancaster|Lancaster bomber]] due to its similar top speed and maximum payload, for a recreation of [[Operation Chastise]] with its [[bouncing bomb]]. It was filmed in the UK documentary ''Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb'', Canadian documentary ''Dambusters Fly Again'', ''[[Nova (American TV series)|Nova]]'' season 39 episode "[[Bombing Hitler's Dams]]", and ''[[Ice Pilots NWT]]'' season 3 episode 2 "Dambusters".<ref name="DBFA-HTca">[http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=261043 "Dambusters Fly Again."] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319220020/http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=261043 |date=19 March 2012 }} ''History Television'', August 2011.  Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name="Telegraph-2011-05-02">Chivers, Tom. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8478469/The-day-the-Dam-Busters-returned...-in-Canada.html "The day the Dam Busters returned... in Canada."] ''The Telegraph'' (London), 2 May 2011. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name="EAA-2011-05-05">Bryan, Hal. [http://www.eaa.org/news/2011/2011-05-05_dambusters.asp "'Ice Pilots' Help Re-Create 'Dambusters'"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330063638/http://www.eaa.org/news/2011/2011-05-05_dambusters.asp |date=30 March 2012 }}. EAA, 5 May 2011. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name="Ch4-DBTBB">[http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dambusters-building-the-bouncing-bomb/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1 "Dambusters: Building the Bouncing Bomb."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429194631/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/dambusters-building-the-bouncing-bomb/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1 |date=2016-04-29 }} ''Channel 4'', 2011. Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref><ref name="Nova-BHD">[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/military/bombing-hitler-dams.html "Bombing Hitler's Dams"]. PBS, WGBH, ''Nova''. Retrieved: 12 January 2012.</ref><ref name="IPNWT-D">[http://www.icepilots.com/episode3_2.php "Ice Pilots NWT: Season 3, Episode 2: Dambusters."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505224303/http://www.icepilots.com/episode3_2.php |date=2017-05-05 }} ''History Television.'' Retrieved: 15 May 2012.</ref> The 1950 drama, "The Big Lift" features C-54s flying the Berlin Airlift.

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{aircontent
|related=
*[[Aviation Traders Carvair]]
*[[Canadair North Star]]
*[[Douglas DC-4]]
*[[Douglas DC-6]]
*[[Douglas DC-7]]
|similar aircraft=
*[[Avro York]]
*[[Boeing 307 Stratoliner]]
*[[Lockheed Constellation]]
*[[Lockheed L-049 Constellation]]
|lists=
*[[List of aircraft]]
*[[List of aircraft of World War II]]
*[[List of civil aircraft]]
*[[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
*[[List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)]]
<!-- |see also= -->
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|group=N}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Berry, Peter et al. ''The Douglas DC-4.'' Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1967.
* Blewett, R. ''Survivors.'' Coulsden, UK: Aviation Classics, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-9530413-4-3}}.
* Eastwood, Tony and John Roach. ''Piston Engine Airliner Production List''. West Drayton, UK: Aviation Hobby Shop, 1991. {{ISBN|0-907178-37-5}}.
* Francillon, René. ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume I.'' London: Putnam, 1979. {{ISBN|0-87021-428-4}}.
* Lavery, Brian: ''Churchill Goes to War: Winston's Wartime Journeys.'' Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-591141-037}}.
* {{cite book |last = Lawrence |first = Joseph |title = The Observer's Book Of Airplanes |location = London and New York |publisher = Frederick Warne & Co |year = 1945}}
* Milberry, Larry. ''The Canadair North Star''. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1982. {{ISBN|0-07-549965-7}}.
* Pearcy, Arthur. ''Douglas Propliners: DC-1–DC-7.'' Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 1995. {{ISBN|1-85310-261-X}}.
* Pickler, Ron and Larry Milberry. ''Canadair: The First 50 Years''. Toronto: CANAV Books, 1995. {{ISBN|0-921022-07-7}}.
* Yenne, Bill. ''McDonnell Douglas: A Tale of Two Giants.''Greenwich, Connecticut: Bison Books, 1985. {{ISBN|0-517-44287-6}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.usaf-sig.org/index.php/references/downloads/category/46-c-54-skymaster-douglas?download=120:an-01-40nu-1-handbook-flight-operating-instructions-c-54g-r5d-5-07-02-1952 AN 01-40NU-1 Handbook Flight Operating Instructions USAF Series C-54G and Navy Model R5D-5 Aircraft] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809090651/http://www.usaf-sig.org/index.php/references/downloads/category/46-c-54-skymaster-douglas?download=120:an-01-40nu-1-handbook-flight-operating-instructions-c-54g-r5d-5-07-02-1952 |date=2017-08-09 }}
*[http://www.rcaf.com/aircraft/transports/northstar/index.php Canadair DC4M North Star]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050612082416/http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/pm.php?id=story_line&lg=English&fl=&ex=00000209&sl=4402&pos=1 Moose Jaw crash at virtualmuseum.ca]
*[http://www.psa-history.org/The PSA History/Oldtimers Page]{{dead link|date=December 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[http://www.spiritoffreedom.org Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation]—Operates C-54 "Spirit of Freedom" as flying Berlin Airlift Museum
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050317233313/http://www.afa.org/magazine/gallery/c-54.asp Air Force Association page on C-54]
*[http://www.warbirdalley.com/c54.htm Warbird Alley: C-54 page]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzdYYp2jwvg Cockpit View of C-54 During Landing/Taxi]
*[http://www.boeing.com/history/products/dc-4.page Boeing McDonnell Douglas page on DC-4]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120208121611/http://historicflight.co.za/lebombogallery1.html The last passenger certified & built DC-4s in the world]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100705142057/http://www.vintagewings.ca/page?a=543&lang=en-CA Vintage Wings of Canada Canadair North Star showing RR Merlin installation]
*[https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/items/show/50154 Handbook of operation and flight instructions for the model C-54 airplane, C-54A airplane] – [https://digitalcollections.museumofflight.org/ The Museum of Flight Digital Collections]

{{Douglas aircraft}}
{{Douglas DC-4 family}}
{{USAF transports}}
{{USN transports}}
{{Thai transport aircraft designations}}
{{Spanish transport aircraft}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas Dc-4}}
[[Category:Douglas aircraft|DC-04]]
[[Category:Four-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:1940s United States airliners]]
[[Category:1940s United States military transport aircraft|Douglas C-054 Skymaster]]
[[Category:Douglas DC-4| C-54]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1942]]
[[Category:Four-engined piston aircraft]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]