This Day in Aviation History
March 26th, 1940
First flight of the Curtiss C-46 Commando
 
The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name ‘Condor III’ but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company publicity. It was used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces and also the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps, which used the designation R5C. The C-46 served a similar role to its counterpart, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, but was not as extensively produced. At the time of its production, the C-46 was the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world, and was the largest and heaviest twin-engine aircraft to see service in World War II.
 
After World War II, a few surplus C-46 aircraft were briefly used in their originally designated role as passenger airliners, but the glut of surplus C-47s dominated the marketplace and the C-46 were soon relegated to primarily cargo duty. The type continued in U. S. Air Force service in a secondary role until 1968. However, the C-46 continues in operation as a rugged cargo transport for Arctic and remote locations with its service life extended into the 21st century….
 
 
Source:
Wikipedia, Curtiss C-46 Commando: http://gstv.us/21L1mMb
 
YouTube, Curtis Wright Transport NX-19436: http://gstv.us/21L1qvc
 
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Photo from: http://gstv.us/21L1kUv
 
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