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Aircraft of the Berlin Airlift: The C-54 Skymaster

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  While the C-47/Dakota -- the military versions of the DC-3 -- became the symbol of the Berlin Airlift because they were the first aircraft Britain and the United States sent to Berlin with supplies, the DC-3 did not make the greatest contribution. That honour goes to the larger, four-engine C-54. The C-54 'Skymaster' was born out of a commercial design by Douglas Aircraft corporation which had been developed to meet commercial demands for a larger, long-range passenger transport. It was designated the DC-4. By the time the design was ready for testing, however, the United States had entered WWII. The US military immediately appropriated all 80 aircraft already ordered and pressed them into service. The government needed a plane that could rapidly deliver people and dispatches over long distances, notably across the Atlantic.  Within months, however, more orders were placed for a cargo version of the DC-4. These versions had removable seats and could carry either passengers o...
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ATA Training System

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  Without doubt, one of the keys to the ATA's success was its training system. When the pool of qualified pilots had been depleted but the demands for ATA services were growing, the ATA took the decision to train their own pilots. They then devised a customised training program that produced qualified pilots in record time.   Critical to the success of ATA's training program was that it had been designed to meet the demand for ferry pilots. ATA pilots were trained for a specific purpose: ferrying. They did not need to master the skills required of fighter, bomber, recce pilots, or airline pilots.  This meant there were many aspects to flying that they did not need to learn in order to do the job assigned them. They were not supposed to fly at night or in poor weather so they did not need instrument training, for example. They certainly didn't need to master aerobatics! On the other hand, they had to be very good at navigating without instruments and they needed to be comf...
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Aircraft of the Berlin Airlift: the "Gooney Bird"

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  One of the many unique aspects of the Berlin Airlift was that it transformed the humble cargo plane into a hero. And it all started with the short-range workhorse of both the USAF and RAF, C-47 Skytrain or Dakota -- known affectionately as "the gooney bird."   The military transport that came to be called the C-47 Skytrain by the USAAF and the Dakota by the RAF derived from the Douglas Aircraft Company's DC-3. This twin-engine aircraft powered by two Pratt and Whitney Wasp engines made its debut flight in December of 1935 and first went into commercial service in June 1936. It became an instant success. The DC-3 was the first aircraft that could carry passengers from one coast of the U.S. to the other in less than 24 hours. It was roomy enough to accommodate 14-16 sleeping berths, but it was the version with 21 passenger seats that rapidly became most popular. By 1939, 90% of all airline flights across the globe were made in DC-3s. What no one could foresee at the tim...
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