The designation DC-4 was used by Douglas Aircraft Company when developing the DC-4E as a large, four-engined type to complement its forthcoming DC-3 design. It was intended to fulfill United Airlines' requirement for a long-range passenger airliner. The DC-4E (E stands for experimental) emerged as a 40-passenger airliner with a fuselage of unusually wide cross-section for its day and a triple fin tail unit, similar to that later used by Lockheed on its Constellation.

The DC-4E first flew on June 7, 1938, and was used by United Air for test flights. But the type proved to be ahead of its time - it was complicated to maintain and uneconomical to operate. The sponsoring airlines, Eastern and United, decided to ask instead for a smaller and simpler derivative but before the definitive DC-4 could enter service the outbreak of the Second World War meant production was channelled to the US Army Air Force and the type given the military designation C-54.

The DC-4 had a notable innovation in that its nose-wheel landing gear allowed it to introduce a fuselage of constant cross-section. This lent itself to easy stretching into the later DC-6 and DC-7. The original DC-4 entered production in 1941 and 1,162 were ordered by the United States services. Nine military versions were produced but Douglas continued to develop the type in preparation for a return to airline services when peace returned. But the type's sales prospects were hit by the offloading of 500 wartime C-54s, and R5D US Navy, machines on to the civil market.

Douglas built just 74 new-build aircraft before production switched to the upgraded DC-6. All were unpressurised, as were the DC-4s built by Victory Aircraft, later Canadair, in Canada with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. Canadair did build the pressurised DC-4M Argonaut for BOAC.

The DC-4 proved a popular type and several remain in service today, particularly in the USA where it proved popular as charter/freight plane.

Douglas DC-4 Specifications

• Country: United States of America
• Designation: DC-4/C-54
• Gross weight: 73,000 lb (33,112 kg)

Specifications (variant described)

General characteristics

• Crew: 3
• Capacity:
• Length: 93 ft 11 in (28.6 m)
• Wingspan:117 ft 6 in (35.8 m)
• Height: 27 ft 6.25 in (8.39 m)
• Wing area: m² ( ft²)
• Empty: 40,806 lb (18,509 kg)
• Loaded: kg ( lb)
• Maximum takeoff: kg ( lb)
• Powerplant: 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-2000 reciprocating, 1,450 hp (1,081 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 280 mph (450 km/h)
• Range: 4,250 miles (6,839 km)
• Service ceiling: 22,300 ft (6,800 m)
• Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
• Power/mass:

External links

Boeing McDonnell Douglas page on DC-4