C-124 Globemaster II
Despite its problems, the C-124 demonstrated that it was the cheapest air transport per ton-mile in the Air Force inventory. To facilitate cargo handling, the C-124, or "Old Shakey" as it was affectionately known, featured "clamshell" loading doors and hydraulic ramps in the nose and an elevator under the aft fuselage. It was capable of handling such bulky cargo as tanks, field guns, bull dozers, and trucks. It could also be converted into a transport capable of carrying 200 fully-equipped soldiers in its double-decked cabin or 127 litter patients and their attendants.
The redesign of the Douglas C-74 Globemaster was initiated in 1947, but the new Douglas C-124 Globemaster II did not make its first flight until Nov. 27, 1949. The C-124 used the same wings, tail, and engines as the C-74, but featured a new and enlarged fuselage, as well as stronger landing gear to handle higher weights. Deliveries of C-124As began in May 1950. The USAF bought 448 C-124s before production ended in 1955. The huge aircraft could carry a maximum load of 74,000 pounds, including 200 troops or 127 patient litters. Its primary advantage was its combat radius of 1,000 miles, which allowed it to transport cargo or troops to a remote base and return without refueling. The new aircraft had cabin heat, clam-style nose loading doors, hydraulically operated ramps, and an electrically operated elevator. It also sported power augmentation, in the form of a 60-gallon water/alcohol fluid injection system, for takeoffs.
The Globemaster IIs provided airlift support in the Far East and Southeast Asia, went on resupply missions to Antarctica, evacuated refugees from the Congo, and made mercy flights to Morocco, Chile and elsewhere throughout the world, following floods and other natural disasters.
On 27 September 1951, a C-124A began FEAF-hosted service tests labeled Operation PELICAN. In a little over one month, the aircraft flew 26 missions between Japan and Korea, carrying an average load of 34,000 pounds, double the amount carried on the C-54. In one mission in 1951, a C-124 airlifted a record 167 patients from Pusan in South Korea. The first operational C-124 arrived in the Far East in May of the following year, at which time the 315th Air Division began to convert from C-54s to the new transport.
The Globemaster conducted its first operational FEAF mission on 3 July 1952 and was scheduled for one flight daily between Japan and Korea. In addition to transporting troops and equipment, the C-124 also participated in medical evacuations in Korea. Unfortunately, because of the weight of the aircraft, it was limited to only four airstrips in Korea. A heavy-duty runway was constructed at Seoul Municipal Airport in October 1952, but logistical difficulties kept the C-124 from fulfilling its airlift potential.
The C-124 had a variety of problems associated with its anti-icing equipment, autopilot, brakes, and instrument visibility. Until WADC engineers could devise a solution to ice formation, pilots were simply told to avoid icy conditions. At the end of 1952, all C-124s of the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron were grounded because of fuel tank leaks. Early in February, after fuel cell modifications, the big planes returned to the skies. In July 1953, a number of C-124s were grounded again pending inspection of their engines after a number of engine fires. On 18 June 1953, the worst air disaster up to that time occurred at Tachikawa Air Base in Japan when an engine fire caused the crash of a C-124 shortly after takeoff, killing all 129 passengers aboard. Some of the planes were returned to service the following month, but many remained grounded at the war’s end, awaiting new generators. Despite its problems, the C-124 had demonstrated that it was the cheapest air transport per ton-mile in the Air Force inventory.
On Wednesday, 23 May 1951, a C-124 Globemaster crashed in a field near New Castle, Indiana, during an experimental flight originating from Wright-Patterson AFB. One hour after leaving the base, the propellers on the huge aircraft reversed pitch, causing it to lose altitude. As the pilot attempted an emergency landing, the C-124 clipped several trees, which “caused the plane to hit the earth with such violence that parts of the plane were strewn over a charred and churned path several hundred feet long before it finally came to rest right side up.” The plane burst into flames, and firefighters were stationed at the scene throughout the night attempting to keep an intact fuel tank from exploding. The twelve personnel on board were assigned to the Air Development Force at Wright-Patterson. Five survivors included Captain William C. Snell, an observer from Kentucky; M/Sgt. Cassius C. Zedarker, a flight mechanic technician from Pennsylvania; M/Sgt. Jack R. Sowers, a flight engineer from North Carolina; James C. Stelyn, a civilian physicist with the Equipment Laboratory at WADC; and John M. Christenson, an instructor pilot from New York. Seven persons died in the crash: Captain Francis M. Blair, a test observer from Indiana; M/Sgt. Donald S. Shady, a flight engineer from Indiana; Captain Richard B. Varnum, a pilot from Ohio; Robert L. Hellmuth, a civilian technician from Ohio; John Robert Say, a sound technician with the Motion Picture Branch from Ohio; Harold R. Holm, Jr., an equipment engineer from Ohio; and Vivien P. Baughn, a motion picture sound technician from Ohio. The tragedy of this experimental flight was underscored by the main headline over a photograph of the crash on the front page of the New Castle Courier: “Allies Smash Across 38th.” The crash of an experimental aircraft was a reminder that the dangers of war were not just in combat. Many men and women gave their lives for the cause at home as well.
The C-124 had a variety of problems associated with its anti-icing equipment, autopilot, brakes, and instrument visibility. Until Wright Air Development Center [WADC] engineers could devise a solution to ice formation, pilots were simply told to avoid icy conditions. At the end of 1952, all C-124s of the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron were grounded because of fuel tank leaks. Early in February, after fuel cell modifications, the big planes returned to the skies. In July 1953, a number of C-124s were grounded again pending inspection of their engines after a number of engine fires.
On 18 June 1953, the worst air disaster up to that time occurred at Tachikawa Air Base in Japan when an engine fire caused the crash of a C-124 shortly after takeoff, killing all 129 passengers aboard. Some of the planes were returned to service the following month, but many remained grounded at the war’s end, awaiting new generators.
The USAF bought 448 C-124s before production ended in 1955. A total of 204 C-124As were built, to be followed by 243 C-124Cs. A turboprop-powered KC-124B tanker variant was considered, which emerged as a single YC-124B transport prototype that flew in 1954. These planes performed such missions as airlift support in the Far East and Southeast Asia, resupply missions to Antarctica, refugee evacuation in the Congo and mercy flights to Morocco, Chile and elsewhere throughout the world following floods and other natural disasters.
By 1970, most C-124s were transferred to the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard. Although in production for only five years, the C-124s had a long and useful service life. The last C-124 was phased out in 1974.
