Passenger Turbo Props
Douglas DC-3
ICAO: DC3
Overview
Douglas DC-6 — four-engine piston airlinerThe DC-6 first flew in 1946 and entered service in 1947. It featured a pressurized cabin and improved range compared with its predecessors. Airlines adopted it for transcontinental and transoceanic routes.Four radial piston engines, each producing approximately 2,400 horsepower, powered the aircraft. Cruise speed exceeded 270 knots (500 km/h). Maximum takeoff weight surpassed 100,000 pounds (45,359 kg), depending on variant.The DC-6 played a significant role in expanding global air travel during the late 1940s and 1950s. It remained in cargo service long after passenger retirement. The aircraft stands as a benchmark of piston-era airline performance.
Live Fleet Activity (DC6)
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Specifications
Units
- Engine
- 4 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CA15 "Double Wasp"
- Engine type
- Piston
- Power
- 4 × 2,400 hp · 1,790 kW
- Avionics
- —
- Wing tips
- No winglets
- Seats
- 68
- Crew
- —
- Cabin width
- 9 ft 10 in · 3.00 m
- Cabin height
- 6 ft 11 in · 2.10 m
- Cabin length
- —
- Exterior length
- 100 ft 5 in · 30.60 m
- Tail height
- 28 ft 3 in · 8.60 m
- Fuselage diameter
- 10 ft 2 in · 3.10 m
- Wing span
- 117 ft 5 in · 35.80 m
- Baggage volume
- 533 ft³ · 15.1 m³
- Gross weight
- —
- Empty weight
- —
- Max takeoff weight
- 97,000 lb · 44,100 kg
- Max landing weight
- —
- Max payload
- 28,000 lb · 12,700 kg
- Fuel capacity
- 4,700 gal · 17,900 L · 12,900 kg (AvGas)
- Max cruise speed
- 270 kt · 311 mph · 500 km/h
- Maximum speed
- —
- Cruise speed
- —
- Approach speed
- 84 kt · 97 mph · 156 km/h
- Range
- 2,598 nm · 2,990 mi · 4,810 km
- Fuel burn
- —
- Ceiling
- 25,000 ft · 7,600 m
- Rate of climb
- 1,070 ft/min · 5 m/s
- Takeoff distance
- 5,900 ft · 1,800 m
- Landing distance
- 3,950 ft · 1,200 m
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Live fleet activity details
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Operational Context
In 1944, the DC-6 project was designated by the United States Army Air Force as the XC-112. The Army had a requirement for a stretched and pressurized type of the C-54 Skymaster powered by more reliable engines. On February 15, 1946, the XC-112A prototype conducted its maiden flight, however, the Second World War had ended which led to the cancellation of Army Air Force’s requirements, and later converted the aircraft to YC-112A which were sold in 1955.
The aircraft manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company converted the design into a civilian aircraft which was around 2 meters longer compared to the previous DC-4. On June 29, 1946, the DC-6 civilian transport took its first flight, being kept by the company for testing. On November 24, 1946, the aircraft were delivered to its first airline customers, American Airlines and United Airlines.
In 1947, the DC-6 was grounded due to a series of inflight fires that occurred. In 1949, several airlines in the United States operated the aircraft including United Airlines, American Airlines, National Airlines, Delta Airlines, and Braniff International Airways. In 1952, the DC-6B version was used by Pan American Airways for their transatlantic tourist-class routes.
The manufacturing company produced four versions of the DC-6: the standard DC-6 was the initial production version with two types- the DC-6-1156 was a fifty-three to sixty-eight-seater domestic version while the DC-6-1159 was a forty-eight to sixty-four-seater trans-ocean version; the DC-6A was a freighter version with a stretched fuselage, forward and aft cargo doors, and was initially named as Liftmaster; the DC-6B was an all-passenger version of the DC-6A lacking the cargo doors. The DC-6B-1198A was a sixty to eighty-nine-seater domestic version while the DC-6B-1225A was a forty-two to eighty-nine-seater trans-ocean version; the DC-6C was a convertible cargo and passenger version.
The DC-6 could fly up to 25,000 feet and had a rate of climb of 1,070 feet per minute.
Sources and references used for research and fact-checking.