U.S. Navy "Blue Angels" Support Douglas R5D Skymaster (1:200) by Hobby Master Diecast Airplanes
Item Number: HL2009
Known as the Douglas R5D by the USN or the C-54 by the USAF; both are military versions of the DC-4 airliner. Due to the outbreak of WWII and before production had started on the DC-4 the U.S. Government took priority and had the production lines set up for the necessary conversion of the DC-4 to the R5D and C-54. The first flight of these aircraft took place on February 14, 1942. The last Navy Skymaster, an R5D-3 operated by the Navy Test Pilot School, was retired in 1974.
As the Blue Angels gained in popularity the number of shows increased and so did the flight crews and aircraft. This meant an increase in the number of mechanics and spare parts needed for all aircraft involved. They first acquired a Douglas R4D-5 (DC-3) Skytrain and a C-46 Curtiss Commando. In 1956 the team started using variants of the R5D Skymaster until 1968 when it was replaced by the C-121J Constellation. The first support aircraft to wear the blue and yellow paint scheme was R5D-3 BuNo 50868 and it did so until May 9, 1963.
Manufacturer - Douglas Aircraft Company
Designation - R5D-3 (USN) C-54Q (USAF)
Nickname ' Skymaster
Type - Cargo/Transport
Specifications
Length - 93 ft 10 in
Height - 27 ft 6 in
Wingspan - 117 ft 6 in
Flight Crew - 3
Gross Weight
Empty - 43,300 lb
Maximum takeoff - 73,000 lb
Engines
4 X Pratt & Whitney R-2000-11, 1350 hp/engine
Performance
Range - 3,100 miles
Cruise Speed - 203 mph
Maximum Speed - 275 mph
Ceiling - 22,300 ft