C-46 COMMANDO

The 'Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando' was an American transport aircraft originally designed for commercial use although it was primarily used during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces; the Navy/Marine Corps version was known as the R5C. Also known to the men who flew them as "The Whale," or even more irreverently as the "Curtiss Calamity," Davis, Martin and Whittle 1978, p. 11. the C-46 served a similar role as its counterpart, the Douglas C-47 Skytrain, but was not quite as famous or as extensively produced.
Postwar, C-46s were briefly used in their original role as passenger airliners, but the glut of surplus C-47s dominated the marketplace with the C-46 soon relegated to a secondary status. However, the C-46 was adopted as a rugged cargo aircraft for northern and remote locations with its service life extended into the 21st Century. ^[2]

Contents

Design and development

Operational history

Variants

Operators

Military Operators

Civil Operators

Specifications (C-46)

References

External links

Related content

Design and development

The Curtiss 'CW-20' designed in 1937 as a private venture intended to introduce a new standard in pressurized airliners. The CW-20 had a patented fuselage conventionally referred to as a "figure of eight" (or "double-bubble" Johnson 2007, p. 45.) which enabled it to better withstand the pressure differential at high altitudes. This was done by having the sides of the fuselage creased at the level of the floor that not only separated the two portions but shared in the stress of each, rather than just supporting itself. The main spar of the wing could pass though the bottom section which was mainly intended for cargo without intruding on the passenger upper compartment. Johnson 2007, p. 45. A decision to utilize a twin-engine design instead of a four-engine configuration was considered viable if sufficiently powerful engines were available, allowing for lower operating costs and a less complex structure. Johnson 2007, p. 44.
Engineering work involved a three year commitment from the company and incorporated an extensive amount of wind tunnel testing at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The resultant design was a large but aerodynamically "sleek" airliner, incorporating the cockpit in an streamlined glazed "dome." The engines featured a unique nacelle "tunnel cowl" where air was ducted in and expelled through the bottom of the cowl, eliminating turbulent airflow and induced drag across the upper wing surface. Johnson 2007, p. 45. After a mock-up was constructed in 1938, Curtiss-Wright exhibited the innovative project as a display in the 1939 New York World's Fair. Love 2003, p. 4.
Although the company had approached many airlines in order to obtain their requirements for an advanced airliner, no firm orders resulted, although 25 letters of intent were received, sufficient to undertake production. Love 2003, p. 4. The design of a 24-34 passenger airliner proceeded to prototype stage at the St. Louis, Missouri facility with the initial configuration featuring twin vertical tail surfaces. Powered by two 1,700 hp Wright Cyclones, ''NX-19436'' flew for the first time on 26 March 1940 with famed test pilot Eddie Allen at the controls. After testing, modifications included fitting a large single tail to improve stability at low-speed.
During its testing, General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold became interested in the potential of the airliner as a military cargo transport and ordered 46 modified CW-20s as the 'C-46' "Commando." The first prototype was purchased by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) to serve as a master for the series and was designated 'C-55' but after military evaluation, the sole example, was returned to Curtiss-Wright and subsequently re-sold to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).Love 2003, p. 4.
A total of 200 C-46s in two initial batches were ordered. Davis, Martin and Whittle 1978, p. 11. After the first 25 C-46s were manufactured with the CW-20 pressurized fuselage, built essentially to the original specifications although Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines replaced the Wright Double Cyclones as well as a number of minor changes (like less cabin windows) were adopted. Mondey 2006, p. 72.Later production models were unpressurized, but retained the figure eight fuselage configuration. Johnson 2007, p. 47.Further military contracts for the 'C-46A' extended the production run to 1,454 examples, 40 of which were destined to be 'R5C-1's for the US Marine Corps. The military model was fitted with double cargo doors, a strengthened floor and hydraulically operated cargo handling winch; 40 folding seats were the sole passenger accommodation for essentially a cargo "hauler." Mondey 2006, p. 72.
The final large production run 'C-46D' incorporated a single door to facilitate paratroop drops and was ordered throughout 1944-1945 for a total of 1,430 aircraft. Mondey 2006, p. 72.Although a one-off 'XC-46B' experimented with a stepped windscreen and uprated powerplants, a small run of 17 'C-46E's had many of the same features as the XC-46B along with three-bladed Hamilton-Standard propellers replacing the standard Curtiss-Electric four-bladed units. A last contract for 234 'C-46F's reverted to the earlier cockpit shape but introduced square wingtips. A sole 'C-46G' had the stepped windscreen and square wingtips but the end of the war resulted in the cancellation of any additional orders for the type. Johnson 2007, p. 47.

Operational history

Most famous for its operations in the Far East, the Commando was a workhorse in "flying the The Hump" (over the Himalaya Mountains), transporting desperately needed supplies to troops in China from bases in India and Burma. Mondey 2006, p. 72. A variety of transports had been employed in the effort but only the C-46 was able to handle the adverse conditions with unpredictable  weather, lack of radio aids and direction finders, engineering and maintenance nightmares due to a shortage of trained air and ground personnel and poorly equipped airfields often wiped out by monsoon rains.
The C-46's huge cargo capacity (twice that of the C-47) and long range also made it ideal for the vast Pacific campaign. The C-46 could carry more cargo higher than other Allied twin-engine transport aircraft and it was called upon to transport an incredible variety of cargo, including light artillery, fuel, ammunition, parts of aircraft and, on occasion, various types of livestock.Another advantage of the C-46 over C-47s is that it had single or double fuselage doors, allowing paratroopers to exit the aircraft quicker. The Marines used the Commando in the Pacific island-hopping campaigns, flying supplies in and wounded soldiers out of numerous island landing strips.
Though not built in the same quantities as its more famous wartime compatriot, the C-47, nonetheless, the Commando played a vital role in the Pacific. It wasn't until March 1945 that the C-46 saw duty in Europe, joining the USAAF in time to drop paratroopers in the push for the Rhine.
Despite its success as a wartime military transport, postwar operations revolved around the more plentiful C-47 series with the result that the Commando reverted back to its original civilian role, at first being considered as a commercial airliner by Eastern Airlines. One of its major drawbacks compared to the C-47 was that it had a much higher (up to 50% greater) operating cost, mainly due to its prodigious fuel consumption. Mondey 2006, p. 72. Surplus C-46s were sought after, however, for their cargo-carrying capacity and Capitol, Flying Tigers and World Airways were among the first of many air carriers that operated the type on scheduled and non-scheduled routes. The C-46 also became a common sight in South America, widely used in Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chile where ground transport is hindered by the harsh terrain: Amazon jungle, the Andes and vast swamplands.
C-46 Commandos were also to go back to war albeit under a strange new operator, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The transport played a supporting role in many clandestine operations including the "Bay of Pigs" fiasco. Under cover as Southern Air Transport in the early 1960s, the CIA ended up owning its own airline: Civil Air Transport (CAT) renamed Air America in 1959. Air America eventually operated more than 150 planes and 8,000 employees, playing a significant role in the Vietnam War.
Although their numbers gradually began to dwindle, C-46s continued to operate in many of the remote and northern locations, valued for their workhorse capabilities. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Canadian airline Lamb Air operated several C-46s from their bases in Thompson and Churchill, Manitoba. One of the largest operators was Air Manitoba whose fleet of C-46 Commandos featured gaudy color schemes for individual aircraft. In the 1990s, these aircraft were divested to other owner/operators.
Between 1993 and 1995, Relief Air Transport operated three Canadian registered C-46s on Operation Lifeline Sudan from Lokichoggio, Kenya. These aircraft also transported humanitarian supplies to Goma, Zaire and Mogadishu, Somalia from their base in Nairobi, Kenya. Two C-46s of different vintages still operate as "freighters" for First Nations Transportation in Gimli, Manitoba. Buffalo Airways also owns and operates two C-46s, primarily used in Canada's Arctic.

Variants

;CW-20
:Original passenger airliner design
;C-55
:Original CW-20 prototype and later prototype military cargo transport, also designated 'XC-46'
;C-46A
;CX-46B
;XC-46C
;C-46D
;C-46E
;C-46F
;C-46G
;C-46H
;C-46J
;AC-46K
:Unbuilt version.
;XC-46K
;XC-46L
;XC-113
:Engine change. General Electric T-31 turboprop in place of right hand side R-2800. The aircraft handled so poorly on the ground that it was never flown.
;R5C-1
:Military transport version for the US Marine Corps.

Operators

Military Operators

;

★ Republic of China Air Force
;

★ People's Liberation Army Air Force
;

★ Haitian Air Corps
;

★ Japan Air Self-Defense Force
;

★ South Korean Air Force
;
;United States

★ United States Army Air Forces

★ United States Air Force

★ United States Marine Corps

★ United States Navy

Civil Operators

;

★ Varig
;

★ Air Manitoba

★ Buffalo Airways

★ Lambair

★ First Nations Transportation
;

★ Irish International Airlines (Seaboard & Western Airlines)
;

★ Relief Air Transport
;United States

★ Civil Air Transport (later became Air America)

★ Delta Air Lines

★ Resort Airlines

★ Riddle Airlines

Specifications (C-46)

References

1. Background Information:Curtiss C-46 "Commando"
2. Love 2003, p. 46-47.


★ Davis, John M., Martin, Harold G. and Whittle, John A. ''The Curtiss C-46 Commando''. Townbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 1978. ISBN 0-85130-065-0.

★ Johnson, E.R. "The Airliner that Went to War." ''Aviation History'' Vol. 18, no. 1, September 2007.

★ Love, Terry.'' C-46 Commando in action''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 2003. ISBN 0-89747-452-X.

★ Mondey, David. ''The Hamlyn Concise Guide to American Aircraft of World War II''. New York: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4.

External links

★ Curtiss Comando

★ Background Information:Curtiss C-46 "Commando"

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