Ever flown the C-46?

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Stoneboat
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Ever flown the C-46?

#1 Post by Stoneboat » Tue Apr 25, 2017 12:39 pm

Got this in an email from a friend. I hasten to add I was not endorsed on the C-46, but I have some stick time on it from the days I spent flying as third crew. What impressed me the most about the beast was how light the controls were, compared to the DC-3 and the PBY-5A, both aircraft from the same era.

Pelican's Perch, the old Commando.

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Re: Ever flown the C-46?

#2 Post by om15 » Thu Apr 27, 2017 10:14 am

Used by the Israelis as a bomber at one time in the earlier years.

Wasn't success limited by the fact it couldn't fly on one engine? I have never seen one, but it was one of those aircraft that didn't make a successful transition from military use to civil use, possibly by performance requirements.

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Re: Ever flown the C-46?

#3 Post by Stoneboat » Thu Apr 27, 2017 6:21 pm

Wasn't success limited by the fact it couldn't fly on one engine? I have never seen one, but it was one of those aircraft that didn't make a successful transition from military use to civil use, possibly by performance requirements


It would fly on one, how well depended on what the company was using for maximum takeoff weight. It did ok at 46,000 lbs, not so ok at higher weights.

As far as commercial success,the airplane was originally designed to be pressurized. As a matter of fact I believe it was the first to use the 'double-bubble fuselage cross section but it never flew pressurized. After WW2 there were scads more ex-mil C-47's around that could be had cheaper for the feeder lines and the C-54/DC-4 offered more engines, since passengers were becoming leery of twins. There is one tale - probably apocryphal - of a California operator of passenger C-46's that briefly advertised the aircraft as a 4-engined transport. One day on the ramp a passenger challenged the Captain to prove it. A quick thinker, said Captain led the doubting Thomas around to the front of the engine and pointed out the rear row of cylinders. "There's the second engine, behind the first one in the front."

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