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| The Commando was evolved from the Curtiss-Wright CW-20 which was originally laid out as a 36-passenger pressurised commercial transport in 1937. The prototype CW-20 first flew on 26 March 1940 and, because the US Army was impressed with its possibilities, authorisation was obtained for the purchase of a large number as cargo transports. In the meantime the prototype was bought, modified and given the Army designation C-55. It was later re-converted for civil use and sold to the British government.
The Army production model of the CW-20, designated C-46, was a redesign not only to suit it to the duties of a military cargo or task-force aircraft but to allow easy large-scale production. It was produced in three large manufacturing plants and was put into widespread use by the US Army Air Transport Command, Air Service Command and Troop Carrier Command, and by the US Naval Air Transport Command and Marine Corps. The main compartment of the C-46 could accommodate (in addition to general cargo) 40 fully equipped troops, up to 33 stretchers, five Wright R-3350 engines or their equivalent weight of other goods.
Profiting from the experience of the C-46, the Curtiss company in 1944 prepared designs and a mock-up of a commercial version of the aircraft for immediate post-war production. Interestingly, by the end of that year at least two American airlines had ordered the type as the CW-20E. Several hundred of the 3,000 or so Commandos built survived the war and served in a commercial capacity for many years.
| CREW | 3-5 |
| PASSENGERS | 62 |
| ENGINE | 2 x P+W R-2800-51 M-1, 1495kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 21770 kg | 47995 lb |
| Empty weight | 13562 kg | 29899 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 32.9 m | 108 ft 11 in |
| Length | 23.3 m | 76 ft 5 in |
| Height | 6.6 m | 22 ft 8 in |
| Wing area | 126.3 m2 | 1359.48 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Cruise speed | 370 km/h | 230 mph |
| Ceiling | 6700 m | 22000 ft |
| Range w/max.fuel | 2770 km | 1721 miles |
| Ron Limpach, e-mail, 11.01.2012 18:48 In early 1960 I was medevaced on a stretcher VIA C-46 out of Chitose air field on Hokkaido Island in Japan on my way to Camp Zama hospital. IT GOT ME THERE!!! reply | | John Spencer, e-mail, 08.01.2012 05:51 My father, Lt Frederick Spencer, flew the C-46 "over the hump" in the China-Burma-India theater 1944-45. Kunming, China was one of the places I remember him talking about. He also mentioned Agra, India as his main base. reply | | Warren E. Domke, e-mail, 11.12.2011 08:02 I was stationed in Japan from 1965 to 1967 and made several trips between Tokyo and my home station of Wakkanai in Air America C-46 Commandos. These were fitted out as combination passenger /cargo planes and were more appropriately classified as airliners, but they retained the military window spacing. They were comfortable, reasonably fast, but lacked radar and were phased out in Japan in favor of DC-4 (C-54) aircraft also operated by Air America. reply | | Bruce Walters, e-mail, 30.11.2011 21:01 I worked on C-46 aircraft at Willow Run for Universal Airlines, Ortner Air Service and Span East Airlines. This was between 1968 and 1971. I have fond memories of the piston pounder heydays. The 46 was extemely dependable since it had the PW 2800 engines. Now that they are nearly all gone I watch the National Geographic channel to see Buffalo Air fly them in the North West Territory. reply | |
| | Jorge Marchesini, e-mail, 04.08.2011 23:04 I worked several years ago with this beatiful aircraft, and would like to buy a scale model in order to decorated with this airliner color. If you konw any company that made this model, please let me know.
Thank you, your cooperation reply | | Scott Boyd, e-mail, 27.07.2011 05:21 There are a few still flying in Alaska and Canada. There was a Discovery Channel program a while back about it as well as an old Electra. reply | | J. William Love, Jr., e-mail, 27.07.2011 05:02 I flew the C-46 in Korea and Japan during the Korean War. We used it for everything. It is still my most favorite plane of all the planes I flew while in the USAF. The personalized license plates on my car say "FLY C-46". I have a beautiful model of it in my living room. I spent the summer of 1952 "crop dusting" with a C-46 all over South Korea to kill mosquitos. I landed it once in Tokyo in really rotten weather on one engine, and it did beautifully on one engine even with a full load. Great, solid old airplane. Would love to fly it again, but at age 83, I doubt that I will do it. reply | | I.D. Jones, e-mail, 09.07.2011 23:02 We flew them in the SW Pacific during WW ll in a Combat Cargo outfit. It was a great sturdy ship on instruments when flying through many storms and the Tropical Front when built up between New Guinea and the Philippines, also Peleliu. This great plane would take a lot of punishment. The P&W 2800 engines were always very reliable. The only negative was the big "C" for Curtiss vertical stabalizer in a crosswind. reply | | juan vega, e-mail, 31.05.2011 00:30 HI! I'M LOOKING FOR A C46, SOMEONE KNOWS WHO OWNS ONE FOR SALE?? reply | | John Peter Joyce, e-mail, 04.04.2011 08:35 Adam, do you still have the starter motor??? reply | | Patrick, e-mail, 13.03.2011 00:32 Early in career, on days off I took part time fill in position as C-46F F.O, '65-'66. A /C reg. N240TT. Fresh Pac. Airmotive 2800's, 3 blade Ham. Stand's, airframe refurbed completely, nearly zero problems the whole time I was on it, save for left eng hyd pump failure /leak /fire on short final. Actually, no big deal. Once fluid was gone no fire, uneventful after that.
Loved the airplane, operated in Alaska, lower 48, Central and So. America. Good instrument ship, comfortable flight deck, light years ahead of DC-3. Largest airplane I flew prior to turbine equipment upgrades at career position, jets were nice, but the sounds and feel of the old Curt are remembered fondly.
Retired as Sr. Captain from 34 year career at age 60 in '98, would love to repeat the C-46 experience, but will have to just recall those days. Now I'm old and fly an L.O.D.(Large Oak Desk.) Did get lot's of Curtiss photo's, fun to look through every so often, some viewers say "what the heck is THAT?" How little they understand, not every airplane has to be a Boeing to be good. reply | | Jim Thompson, e-mail, 06.03.2011 08:12 OOps, I mispoke. My fathers airlines operated as Westair Transport-(operating from 1950-1960) and Sky Van Airways (operated from 1960-1965) reply | | Jim Thompson, e-mail, 06.03.2011 08:07 My brother dan has already commented that our dad operated a large number of c-46's from 1950-1956. He also sold two of his C-46's to Air America.
This airplane was my absolute favorie to ride. When it took off it was so loud and shook in such a way as to just scream out "nothing is going to keep me from flying." I always got an ear to ear grin with every take off. reply | | Larry B. Branscomb, e-mail, 03.03.2011 06:33 From November 1965 to April 1966, I flew the C-46 for Zantop Air Transport out of Detroit Metro Airport. After I got qualified in the C-46, I went to Norfolk, VA where I flew Navy Quick Trans out of Navy Norfolk up to PHL, NAS PAX, NAS Quonset Point and BOS. Two inches off the ground the C-46 was a great flying airplane. It had big oleo struts and donut tires and when you landed it was like landing on a trampoline, where if you didn't work to pin it on the Curtis Commando would bounce you back into the air. I have never been as cold in an airplane as I was in a C-46. ZAT must have had C-46's from every former nonsked in the country. I went on to fly for North Central Airlines, Republic Airlines and Northwest Airlines flying CV-440, CV-580, DC-9, MD-80, DC-10, and Boeing 747-400.
There is a model of the Zantop livery at the airport display case in Albuquerque Airport (ABQ).
Larry B. Branscomb
Northwest Airlines Retired reply | |
| | Duke Bailes, e-mail, 27.02.2011 02:14 In 1977 at age 20 I learned to fly the C-46 with my father in Dominican Republic, it was my first airplain to take-off and land. Flying every large radial I could climb into for 17 years ,I look back on the 5000 hours in that airplane as my most memorable. My last trip was in 1994 Fairbanks Alaska. Those were the days! reply | | Clarence Puckett, e-mail, 22.02.2011 22:59 The first commercial airliner I flew in was a C-46 that Reno Airlines used in the midwest. In 1953 we flew from Oklahoma City nonstop to Jacksonville, Fla. I was in the U.S.Navy and had attended Airman (ANP) school in Norman Okla. It was a thrill to fly in a plane that big for my first airliner ride and it was a very smooth flight. Never will I forget it. reply | | Joe McBryan, e-mail, 19.02.2011 21:50 We are looking for C-46 exhaust and parts. Please contact Joe McBryan (867)873-6112 Fax (867)874-3572 reply | | M.G. Seyffert, e-mail, 11.01.2011 06:29 My father worked in 1942-3 as a draftsman for Curtiss-Wright in St. Louis. I have a notebook of his from this time -- evidently his desk reference, as it contains innumerable technical papers from CW & others, as well as saved articles from aeronautical publications. In the front is a ditto-copy piece headed "October 19, 1942 / WT-21 / W. Butterworth / Preliminary Design Procedure and Data," to which my father has pencilled in his own hand "for transports DC-3, CW-20 Class." The first sentence reads: "Designing a new airplane to meet definite requirements of a specification can best be accomplished by a design study." What follows are five pages, broken down into these categories: General Weight Values, General Arrangement, Range Considerations, & General Data. My question is, Is it likely CW would have been working on an entirely new transport in late '42, or would it merely have been a modification of the C-46 ? reply | | Neal Wrinkle, e-mail, 11.12.2010 15:42 There is a static C-46 on pedistals in front of the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY. reply | | Edmund Lacinski, e-mail, 06.12.2010 13:00 In Oct 1950 I arrived in Sydney Australia from Bremen Germany on flight Flying Tiger Aus /163-Sydney /7.
I cannot find any info about this flight anywhere on the internet.I was a 5 yr old refugee or displaced person flown to Australia by Flying Tiger Airlines.
It stopped in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and then landed in Darwin Nth Australia due to engine problems and then on to Sydney.
Can you help with any info? reply |
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