European Aviation History

  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...

  Aircraft maintenance is the forgotten step-child of all great aviation achievements. The huge amount of labour, time and dedication that goes into keeping aircraft serviceable so that they can fullfill whatever role is assigned to them is largely forgotten, overlooked or ignored in most accounts of great aviation deeds. The Berlin Airlift is no exception and far too little attention has been paid to the astonishing achievements of ground crews in the most important airlift in aviation history.   RAF groundcrew servicing an aircraft. Note the mechanic on the right is a woman. At the start of the Berlin Airlift, in an incomprehensible example of neglect and under-appreciation, the USAF made no provision for ground crews when it deployed squadrons from around the world. The ground crews were expected to “follow” – by sea. This meant that at the start of the Airlift, the USAF’s cargo fleet had to be serviced by the mechanics already in Europe and they had been trained on c...