DC-6 Sacred Cow at Macdill AFB c. 1974-75

[zorro7]

DC-6/DC-4 Folks:

Does anyone remembers a nice & shiny DC4/DC-6 at Macdill AFB used by the base CC?? Could this be the same aircraft??

[SaxMan]

Are you talking about the one that had the lift installed for President Roosevelt to use? That C-54 was sold surplus after the war to Capital Airlines. Capital had a plaque installed to commemorate the plane's use. The plaque claimed that he flew that particular C-54 to Casablanca, but I've read that he flew on a Boeing 314. I don't know what the plane's disposition was after Capital, though.

[JohnB]

My guess it was a DC-6/C-118. The USAF still had a few as VIP transports then...at Wright-Patt I knew a gentleman who was the crew chief for the one belonging to the CC of AFLC. He kept it immaculate and had photos of it at AMARC where it was flown there in the 80s.

I know a base CC would not rate one, perhaps some other commander based there, but not a Wing or Combat Support Group (base) commander.

[mike furline]

Maybe one of these? (If it comes up blank, hit refresh.)

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... humbnails=

[dc8jet]

The C-54 Sacred Cow 42-107451 was not sold to Capital Airlines. It was retired from USAF service in October of 1961 and donated to the Smithsonian. Capital merged with United Airlines June 1, 1961. I believe there was another C-54 that Roosevelt flew to Yalta and that might be the one that went to Capital.

[SaxMan]

The C-54 Sacred Cow 42-107451 was not sold to Capital Airlines. It was retired from USAF service in October of 1961 and donated to the Smithsonian. Capital merged with United Airlines June 1, 1961. I believe there was another C-54 that Roosevelt flew to Yalta and that might be the one that went to Capital.

Interesting. The alleged "Sacred Cow" has been part of Capital folklore since they first acquired the plane, even going so far as to having a plaque installed inside the plane to commemorate that it flew Roosevelt to Casablanca. Every former Capital employee / flight crew that I've interviewed has recounted the story of the C-54 being the "Sacred Cow". I don't think anyone considered the possibility that there was a second C-54 with the lift installed.

[WallyB]

Interesting. The alleged "Sacred Cow" has been part of Capital folklore since they first acquired the plane, even going so far as to having a plaque installed inside the plane to commemorate that it flew Roosevelt to Casablanca. Every former Capital employee / flight crew that I've interviewed has recounted the story of the C-54 being the "Sacred Cow". I don't think anyone considered the possibility that there was a second C-54 with the lift installed.

President Roosevelt flew to Gambia in a Boeing 314 and from there to Casablanca in a C-54, but not the (one and only) Sacred Cow 42-107451 which wasn't converted until 1945.

I can't find the serial of the first C-54 but it's quite possible it ended up with Capital in which case the plaque is correct, sort of. FDR did fly in it but it's not the Sacred Cow.
(I also don't know how he was loaded onto the standard C-54. Fork lift? No wonder he wanted a better way!)

[old iron]

The original Sacred Cow presidential aircraft is at the NMUSAF:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=566

[JohnB]

Speaking of early AF 1 aircraft...I read, many years ago, that the first modified aircraft for presidential transport/FDR's plane was a C-87 named "Guess Where II". It had special appointments and was chosen in part because of its low loading height for the wheelchair. For some reason it was never used on the Casablanca trip and was eventually replaced by the C-54. It was eventually scrapped. Anyone else know more?

[WallyB]

Anyone else know more?

According to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave the C-87 was deemed unsafe for POTUS!
http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/special/AF1/
Why nobody said anything before conversion I don't know. Wait, this was Washington .

[SaxMan]

President Roosevelt flew to Gambia in a Boeing 314 and from there to Casablanca in a C-54, but not the (one and only) Sacred Cow 42-107451 which wasn't converted until 1945.

I can't find the serial of the first C-54 but it's quite possible it ended up with Capital in which case the plaque is correct, sort of. FDR did fly in it but it's not the Sacred Cow.
(I also don't know how he was loaded onto the standard C-54. Fork lift? No wonder he wanted a better way!)

According to the Capital Airlines pilots I've interviewed, this particular plane did have a lift installed, although I wonder if that was done after Casablanca to make it compatible with Sacred Cow.

I do know that the C-54 Capital acquired was purchased surplus from a WAC field in Georgia in February 1946. I don't recall the number of C-54s purchased, but there was also one C-47 purchased from this group: 42-100985, which was a D-Day veteran with the 437th TCG, 86th Squadron. It was lost in a training accident as N88835 on June 22, 1957 in Clarksburg, Maryland and was the original subject of my research that started me down this whole path with Capital.

The C-54s in Capital's service that were purchased surplus all had serials that started N888xx. I'm not sure which one was the Casablanca C-54

[JohnB]

Anyone else know more?

According to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave the C-87 was deemed unsafe for POTUS!
http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/special/AF1/
Why nobody said anything before conversion I don't know. Wait, this was Washington .

I love it...it's okay for GIs to fly...but not for politicians. Something is wrong there.
Rather like the Marine One fleet reportedly using their transmissions only to the half life point...then they were shipped out to the fleet for regular fleet use.

[WallyB]

According to the Capital Airlines pilots I've interviewed, this particular plane did have a lift installed, although I wonder if that was done after Casablanca to make it compatible with Sacred Cow.

I think it's more likely that was an assumption based on the belief that the plane was the genuine Sacred Cow.

Capital had 27 C-54/DC-4s all entering service in 1946. Given the time of Casablanca (Jan 43) it would have to be one of these:
N86554 C-54 3051/DO3 01/46 04/48 C/L WASHINGTON
N86555 C-54 3062/DO6 /46 04/48 C/L CAVALIER
N86556 C-54 3115/DO5 /46 /46
N86557 C-54 3119/DO9 /46 04/48 C/L HARRISBURG
N88745 C-54 3052/DO4 /46 04/48 C/L CHARLESTON
N88746 C-54 3063/DO9 07/46 04/48 C/L KNOXVILLE
N88747 DC-4 3116/DO6 07/46 04/48 C/L NEWARK; cvtd C-54
N88748 DC-4 3124/DO14 /46 04/48 C/L AKRON; cvtd C-54
N88767 DC-4 3125/DO15 /46 04/48 C/L PITTSBURGH; cvtd C-54
N88839 DC-4 3060/DO2 /46 04/48 C/L CLEVELAND; cvtd C-54
N88840 C-54 3061/DO5 /46 04/48 C/L MILWAUKEE
N88841 DC-4 3111/DO1 /46 04/48 C/L BUFFALO; cvtd C-54
N88842 C-54 3112/DO2 /46 06/13/47 WO Lookout Rock, WV
N88843 DC-4 3113/DO3 /46 04/48 C/L NORFOLK; cvtd C-54
N88851 DC-4 3121/DO11 /46 04/48 C/L DETROIT; cvtd C-54
N88852 C-54 3123/DO13 /46 04/48
N88863 DC-4 3120/DO10 /46 04/48 C/L ATLANTA; cvtd C-54
N88864 DC-4 3122/DO12 /46 04/48 C/L BIRMINGHAM; cvtd C-54.

I did find what (I think) is FDR's C-54 at Casablanca - photo is in the FDR archives

If any Photoshop genius can pick out the serial that would help.

I also stumbled across this interesting page - one of the 3 planes bound for Africa was MAYBE sabotaged or shot down: http://www.lassiecomehome.info/id8.html

I love it...it's okay for GIs to fly...but not for politicians.

Wives are expendable too apparently. Eleanor Roosevelt flew in the C-87 during her S/American tour .

[JohnB]

About that photo of the C-54....note the wheelchair ramp.
That would probably mean that aircraft did not have a wheelchair lift. . Also, I've read where thay changed serial #s of the C-54 as a security measure so looking at the photo would not necessarily be proof.

[WallyB]

About that photo of the C-54....note the wheelchair ramp.
That would probably mean that aircraft did not have a wheelchair lift. . Also, I've read where thay changed serial #s of the C-54 as a security measure so looking at the photo would not necessarily be proof.

I don't think there's any hope of getting serial from that particular photo, so unless anyone can find a better one we're stuck. It was the real Sacred Cow (42-107451) which was given a spoof serial (42-72252) for the trip to Yalta not Casablanca. No idea why that particular alias was chosen, the actual 42-72252 was lost over the Pacific the previous year (1944).

I find it hard to believe that nobody saved the plaque from the Capital presidential plane. Maybe it'll turn upon American Pickers .