The Curtiss C-46 Commando was a low-wing, twin-engine American transport aircraft of the Second World War, derived from the Curtiss CW-20, a pressurized high-altitude airliner that George A. Page Jr. designed at Curtiss-Wright and that first flew on 26 March 1940. The Army Air Forces ordered the military version in September 1940, replacing the airliner's Wright Twin Cyclone engines with more powerful Pratt and Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radials, and used it mainly as a cargo hauler with fold-down seats and some paratroop work, while the Navy and Marine Corps flew it as the R5C. It did a job similar to the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, and about 3,200 were built against roughly 10,200 C-47s. After the war it could not meet scheduled passenger certification in the United States, so it flew mostly as a freighter, stayed in Air Force service in a secondary role until 1968 and still works in remote and Arctic regions.
Facts
Engine Class Top Speed (km/h) Maximum Mass (kg) EnginePratt & Whitney R-2800-51 Double Wasp 1 Comparison
Body StyleAircraft (no road body style) 1 Connections
Exemplifies
Source Curtiss C-46 Commando (Wikipedia)
Of Make
Source Curtiss C-46 Commando (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Manufactured By
Also in Business Atlas: the manufacturer of this subject.
Source Curtiss C-46 Commando (Wikipedia)Design and development, makerQuote, Design and development, maker
The prototype for what would become the C-46, the Curtiss CW-20, was designed in 1937 by George A. Page Jr., the chief aircraft designer at Curtiss-Wright.
Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Source Curtiss C-46 Commando (Wikipedia)Design and development, originQuote, Design and development, origin
The prototype for what would become the C-46, the Curtiss CW-20, was designed in 1937 by George A. Page Jr., the chief aircraft designer at Curtiss-Wright.
Sources
1. Curtiss C-46 Commando (Wikipedia)
Lead, an aircraft type
It was used primarily as a cargo aircraft during World War II
Specifications, powerplant
2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines
Design and development, first flight
flew for the first time on 26 March 1940
Lead, current use
The aircraft continues in limited operation as a rugged cargo transport for arctic and remote locations with its service life extended into the 21st century.
Lead, production
with some 3,200 C-46s produced to approximately 10,200 C-47s
Specifications (C-46A), empty weight
Empty weight: 30,669 lb (13,911 kg)
Specifications (C-46A), gross weight
Gross weight: 45,000 lb (20,412 kg)
Specifications (C-46A), performance
Maximum speed: 270 mph (430 km/h, 230 kn)
Specifications (C-46A), powerplant
2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines
Design and development, maker
The prototype for what would become the C-46, the Curtiss CW-20, was designed in 1937 by George A. Page Jr., the chief aircraft designer at Curtiss-Wright.
Design and development, origin
The prototype for what would become the C-46, the Curtiss CW-20, was designed in 1937 by George A. Page Jr., the chief aircraft designer at Curtiss-Wright.
In Group: Military Transport Aircraft, Lead, kind of aircraft
It was used primarily as a cargo aircraft during World War II
Exemplifies: Aviation, Lead, an aircraft
The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design.
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