About the C-74 Globemaster(the first one)

[Nathan]

While reading Wiki about the C-74 was surprised how much it was used. Fourteen where built but 11 saw service. One was used for the Berlin Airlift. But can't remember anyone ever posting pictures of them. The last example survived up till 1972! It seems in 1956 the majority were flown to the boneyard in Davis-Monthan and most where scrapped in 1965. My point here is: I have seen a good deal of boneyard pictures and have yet to see any pictures of the C-74's there. Any idea why?

The C-74 developed into the C-124 Globemaster II.

[jdvoss]

I too have never seen any photo documentation of C-74's lined up at D-M AFB. Perhaps Bill Larkins may have something in his files. I do recall seeing one (possibly two?) surplus C-74's at the Long Beach (CA) airport. The last I heard of any suvivior was one with Panamaian civil registry. Is it still down there derelcit on some remote airstrip?

[T J Johansen]

Get the book "Flying Cowboys". It's about a group of pilots flying cattle in a civilian cargo C-74 from Denmark to the middle east during the 60s. Interesting tale of a little known operation.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flying-Cowboys- ... 1418422770

T J

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

This isn't exactly a C-74, but it used to be. This is a prototype YC-124 that was built from a C-74. The photo was taken at the Air Force Museum in 1968. Apparently the museum turned this one over to the base fire department, which presumably destroyed it in training. The C-124 currently in the museum is a production model.

For an organization that claims to be in favor of preserving historic aircraft, it seems strange that they would destroy a historically significant aircraft like this and end up displaying an airplane that isn't particularly notable.

This one is YC-124 48-795 which was converted from C-74 42-65406. It still carries that number.

Are those MK 82 Big Blues lined up for loading ?

[Chris Brame]

Hi Nathan,

No D-M pics but this thread has some screenshots of a "Chinese" C-74:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9598&hilit=italian

[Cubs]

Somewhere I have a photo of C-74's at D-M. I think there are 4 in the picture. Also, I have a photo of the first C-74 with it's bug-eye cockpit layout.


As far as the USAF as a fighting entity, there are few on par with it. As for the USAF as an aircraft preservation organization.... I too am mystified by some of their actions or inactions.

[viking73]

For an organization that claims to be in favor of preserving historic aircraft, it seems strange that they would destroy a historically significant aircraft like this and end up displaying an airplane that isn't particularly notable.

Sort of like when they turned over the last B-47E ever built to the fire department too to be destroyed... Why?!

-Derek

[Greg_in_Ohio]

The USAF Museum elected to scrap a number of planes at the old museum site on Patterson Field as the move to the current Wright Field facility was taking shape. These included the RB-36E (formerly YB-36), the YC-124 (formerly C-74), the YB-52, an F-89A, an XB-45, off the top of my head. I was a young kid living in Fairborn, Ohio, adjacent to Wright Patterson, in the late 60's and early 70's. My father was employed at the base at the time, so we spent a lot of time over there, and I remember the YC-124 being slowly consumed in the base's fire pit over the years. Some remains of the XB-52 and YB-52 were visible there as well. The second YF-102 and a B-66 alse met their fate at WPAFB in the 70's.

The last B-47E is another story. When the museum moved around 1970, the B-47 was towed to the gate on the north side of the base close to where the 17th Bomb Wing had their B-52s and put on permanent display. After the mid 70's tornado damaged the B-47 at the Bradley Air Museum in CT, crews from there came to cannibalize WPAFB's B-47, and at that point the B-47 was torched in the fire pit. I took these pictures of the B-47 after it was cannibalized, and after the torching had begun.

[b29flteng]

Grrrrrrr!

[viking73]

Oh wow Greg, that is one sad looking Stratojet... A fate worse than the boneyard it looks like to me.

Thanks for the posting these (I think)...

-Derek

[jdvoss]

According to the book "Aircraft of the Military Air Transport Service" by N. Williams the C-74's were all based at Brookley AFB, Alabama and were placed in "flyable storage" at that location in June of 1955. He goes on to say that by March of 1956 all C-74's had been flown to D-M AFB for retirement as they were being replaced by the C-124.

As a point of interest Pan American World Airways (aka PanAm) placed an order with Douglas for some C-74's ( the quantity escapes me now...it may have been about 12) and it was to have been known as the DC-7. The order was cancelled before production commenced and of course the designation of DC-7 was later reassigned to another airframe...an upgrade of the highly successful DC-6.

[mustangdriver]

I must be the only one that the C-124 thing makes sense to. If I wanted a C-124 to honorr the men that flew, serviced, and worked on, then I would want an off the line C-124, not the YC-124. It is a shame that it or the others weren't saved. The times have changed. This was 40 years ago when the museum was trying to really set up. Today the museum has turned into a facility that would work to save these. I think the XC-99 is a perfect example of this. I'm sure if we went back 40 years we'd see a lot of things we would not be happy about, and not just from the USAFM.
Cubs as far as the preservation work at the museum I can tell you that they are doing work that very few are able to meet.

[Greg_in_Ohio]

Mustangdriver is correct that the NMUSAF is currently doing a commendable job to preserve some one of a kind aircraft. In recent years they have restored and displayed such items as the P-75A, XF-84H, XF-92, RF-84K, RB-57D. Walking through the museum often, you'll see many small details being added to the existing aircraft as they work towards having an authentic type specimen of each aircraft. Tail guns have been added to the B-36 recently, for example. The Lockheed XF-90 was even recovered and brought to Dayton. So I have much praise for their recent efforts. However, some of what they do leaves me scratching my head. Why don't they have a B-52G that was a combat veteran of Vietnam and the Gulf War? There were any number of those sent to the boneyard. Ditto for KC-135A, why do we need two C-135 test beds and nothing that represents the operational variant when so many were available? Why couldn't they have gotten a C-9, or a C-21 or a C-27 as they were being sent to AMARG? So it's a mixed bag, I'll praise them when it's warranted, and temper it with constructive criticism occasionally. I love living here in the Dayton area and being able to wander over to the museum whenever I want, and when the relatives come to town, I happily give them guided tours of the museum when they ask.

[Chief]

I agree with Mustangdriver. I still enjoy going to visit all the C-124's that are still in existance. However, when I get to visit and touch one of the actual C-124 that I crewed and/or maintained, I get a lump in my throat, a tear in the eye and a special feeling inside. These C-124's are 52-1072, 52-1066 and 53-0050. I only wish I would have gotten to Las Vegas to see 53-0044 before she recently met her demise.

Here is a photo I took of her during the Congo Airlift. Yes, that is a flight of three C-124's in the distance above her tail.