Douglas C-74 Globemaster

what is it?

The Douglas C-74 Globemaster was a United States heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The aircraft was developed after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The long distances across the Atlantic and, especially, Pacific oceans to combat areas indicated a need for a transoceanic heavy-lift military transport aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 52.8 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 528 km/htop speed
• seats 125passengers
• size 78 tmax take-off weight
• built 14made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 81 years ago, in 1945.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 52.8 m: about 12 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 13 African elephants (~6 t each).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1945-09-05

introduced

1945

retired

1969

status

retired

number built

14

role

strategic airlifter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Douglas

engines

4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360-69 Wasp Major /-29s /-49s

crew

13

passengers

125

length

37.8 m

wingspan

52.8 m

height

13.3 m

max take-off weight

78 t

top speed

528 km/h

cruise speed

341 km/h

range

—

ceiling

6,492 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.