Douglas C-54 Skymaster

What the C-54 Skymaster Was

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was the military version of the four-engine DC-4 airliner. The US Army Air Forces took over the airline orders after the US entered World War II, and the first C-54 flew on February 14, 1942, from Santa Monica, California.

It gave the US a long-range four-engine transport in large numbers. The US Navy flew its own version as the R5D, and in 1962 the Navy’s aircraft were redesignated C-54.

Roughly 1,160 to 1,170 C-54s and R5Ds were built, depending on the source.

Variants: C-54A to C-54G

The first C-54A arrived in February 1943 with a strengthened floor and a cargo door with a hoist and winch. In all, 252 C-54As were built.

The C-54B (March 1944, 220 built) moved fuel into the outer wings, so two cabin tanks could come out and seating rose to 49 passengers or 16 stretchers. The C-54D (August 1944, 380 built) added R-2000-11 engines and became the most numerous version.

The C-54E (125 built) moved the last cabin tanks into the wings for more cargo space or 44 seats. The C-54G was ordered in numbers of 400, but only 162 were completed before the war ended and the rest were cancelled.

Sacred Cow: The Presidential C-54

A single C-54C became the VC-54C “Sacred Cow,” a dedicated presidential transport. Franklin Roosevelt flew in it to the Yalta Conference, and it had a stateroom and an electric lift for his wheelchair.

President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 aboard it. The aircraft survives in the National Museum of the US Air Force. For the full story, read how the first president took to the air.

The Berlin Airlift

When the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin in 1948, more than 300 C-54s and R5Ds became the backbone of the US contribution to the airlift. The Skymaster hauled coal and food on short, heavy, back-to-back flights that were nothing like the long-range missions it was designed for.

Thirty-eight aircraft were modified to carry extra coal. The airlift ran from June 1948 to September 1949.

Korea and the Flight That Vanished

The C-54 was the main airlift workhorse of the Korean War. Many were converted to carry litters, and the SAC Museum credits them with returning about 66,000 patients to the United States.

The type’s best-known mystery is not from combat. On January 26, 1950, a USAF C-54D, serial 42-72469, disappeared on a flight from Elmendorf Air Force Base near Anchorage to Great Falls, Montana. It had 44 people aboard: 8 crew and 36 passengers, including a woman and her infant son.

The crew reported over Snag, Yukon, that they were on schedule with some ice on the wings, and were never heard from again. Searchers covered roughly 350,000 square miles before the search was cancelled on February 20, 1950. As of 2026, no wreckage has been found.

Explaining the Numbers

The full specification table for the aircraft is on this page. A few figures need context.

The top speed on the panel is a best-case figure reached at 20,000 feet. Normal cruising speed was far lower, which matters on a long Atlantic crossing.

Range depends on payload. The published figure assumes a light load, and a full cargo of coal or troops cut the distance sharply.

The Twin Wasp engines were rated at 1,450 hp for takeoff but 1,100 hp in normal operation, which is the figure on the panel.

Cockpit and Cabin

The flight deck was built for a crew of four. The cabin was not pressurized, and the C-54’s service ceiling was 22,300 ft (6,800 m).

What Replaced the C-54?

After the Korean War the USAF moved heavy airlift to the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, though the Air Force kept flying C-54s until 1972. The last active Navy C-54, a C-54Q, retired on April 2, 1974.

On the civil side, about 500 ex-military C-54s and R5Ds reached the airline market after the war, many converted to DC-4 standard. The shorter-range C-47 Skytrain had done most theater work, while the C-54 took the long routes.

Surviving C-54s

More than a dozen survive in the United States, and others are preserved in Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey and Venezuela. Two of the German examples are at Frankfurt Airport and in Berlin.

The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation flies a C-54D, serial 43-17228, as its “Spirit of Freedom.” It replaced the foundation’s earlier C-54E, which a tornado damaged in 2020. The foundation has had flying interruptions, so check its schedule before planning a trip to see it fly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Was the C-54 pressurized?

No. Production C-54s and DC-4s were built with unpressurized cabins, so they flew below a service ceiling of 22,300 ft (6,800 m).

What replaced the C-54?

The USAF moved heavy airlift to the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II after the Korean War, although it kept C-54s in service until 1972.

Was the missing Douglas ever found?

No. The USAF C-54D that disappeared between Anchorage and Great Falls on January 26, 1950, with 44 aboard has never been located, and the official search was cancelled on February 20, 1950.

Are there any C-54s still flying?

A few. The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation operates the C-54D “Spirit of Freedom,” and Buffalo Airways was still operating the civil DC-4 version commercially at last report. Check with operators for current status.

How many C-54s were built?

Sources give roughly 1,160 to 1,170 C-54 and R5D aircraft, including 380 C-54Ds, the most common variant.

What was the C-54 used for?

It carried troops, cargo and wounded across the world in World War II, flew the Berlin Airlift and served as the main airlift in Korea. One C-54C also served as President Roosevelt’s “Sacred Cow.”