Curtiss C-46 Commando PDF eBook + Flight Manuals

General Characteristics

• Crew: 4 or 5
• Capacity:
  • 40 troops or
  • 30 stretcher patients or
  • 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) cargo
• Length: 76 ft 4 in (23.27 m)
• Wingspan: 108 ft 0 in (32.92 m)
• Height: 21 ft 9 in (6.63 m)
• Wing area: 1,360 sq ft (126 m²)
• Airfoil: root: NACA 23017; tip: NACA 4410.5
• Empty weight: 30,669 lb (13,911 kg)
• Gross weight: 45,000 lb (20,412 kg)
• Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) each
• Propellers: 4-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed propellers

Performance

• Maximum speed: 270 mph (430 km/h, 230 kn) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
• Cruise speed: 173 mph (278 km/h, 150 kn)
• Range: 3,150 mi (5,070 km, 2,740 nmi) at 173 mph (150 kn; 278 km/h) ; 1,000 mi (870 nmi; 1,600 km) at 237 mph (206 kn; 381 km/h)
• Service ceiling: 24,500 ft (7,500 m)
• Time to altitude: 10,000 ft (3,000 m) in 17 minutes 24 seconds

• CW-20 – Original passenger airliner design.
• CW-20T – The original passenger airliner prototype, fitted with a dihedralled tailplane and endplate vertical tail fins, powered by two 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone radial piston engines.
• CW-20A – Company designation of the C-55.
• CW-20B – Company designation of the C-46A.
• CW-20B-1 – Company designation of the XC-46B.
• CW-20B-2 – Company designation of the C-46D.
• CW-20B-3 – Company designation of the C-46E.
• CW-20B-4 – Company designation of the C-46F.
• CW-20B-5 – Company designation of the C-46G.
• CW-20E – Company designation of the AC-46K.
• CW-20G – Company designation of the XC-46C.
• CW-20H – Company designation of the XC-46L.
• C-55 – Modification to the original CW-20T prototype, tail redesigned with a large single vertical tail-fin and rudder, and a horizontal tailplane with no dihedral and other improvements, including a change to Pratt & Whitney R-2800-5 radial engine. It was used as a C-46 military transport prototype aircraft, also designated XC-46. Later sold to BOAC
• C-46 Commando – Twin engined military transport aircraft, powered by two 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 radial piston engines.
• C-46A Commando – Twin-engined military transport aircraft, powered by two 2,000 hp (1,419 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 radial piston engines, fitted with a large cargo door on the port side of the fuselage, equipped with strengthened cargo floor, a hydraulic winch and folding seats for up to 40 troops.
• TC-46A – Three C-46As converted to crew trainers.
• XC-46A – A C-46A used for development tests; converted back to C-46 after tests were completed.
• XC-46B Commando – One C-46A was converted into a test aircraft to evaluate a stepped windscreen design, it was powered by two 2,100 hp (1,567 kW) R-2800-34W radial piston engines with water injection.
• XC-46C Commando – Redesignated from C-46G, later redesignated XC-113.
• C-46D Commando – Twin-engined personnel, paratroop transport aircraft, fitted with an extra door on the port side; 1,610 built.
• TC-46D – 15 C-46Ds converted to crew trainers.
• C-46E Commando – 17 C-46Ds modified with a large single cargo door on the port side of the fuselage, fitted with a stepped windscreen and 2,000 hp R-2800-75 engines with 3-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers.
• ZC-46E – Redesignation of C-46Es in 1946.
• C-46F Commando – Twin-engined cargo transport aircraft, equipped with single cargo doors on both sides of the fuselage, fitted with square cut wingtips; 234 built.
• C-46G Commando – This one-off aircraft was fitted with a stepped windscreen and square wingtips, one built.
• C-46H – More powerful version of C-46F, equipped with twin tail wheels, 300 ordered but later cancelled. One C-46A was modified to C-46H standard after WWII.
• C-46J – Planned update for C-46E with stepped windscreen; never ordered.
• AC-46K Commando – Unbuilt version, intended to be powered by two 2,500 hp (1865-kW) Wright R-3350-BD radial piston engines.
• XC-46K – Conversion project for C-46F with two 2,500 hp Wright R-3350-BD engines.
• XC-46L – In 1945 three C-46As were fitted with Wright R-3350 radial piston engines.
• XC-113 – Engine change: One C-46G, s/n 44-78945, was converted into an engine testbed, the aircraft was fitted with a General Electric T31 turboprop in place of right hand side R-2800. The aircraft handled so poorly on the ground that it was never flown.
• R5C-1 – Twin-engined military transport aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps. Similar to the C-46A Commando; 160 built.
• C-46R – Riddle Airlines, of USA, conversion, with modification kit (mid-1950s) which added 40mph (64kmh) to cruising speed and 2,204 Ib (1,000 kg) to the payload. Riddle subsequently converted its own fleet of 32 to have 2,100 hp Pratt & Whitney engines. This conversion was also referred to as the Super 46C.

Argentina

• 42-96729 – C-46A on static display in Loreto. It was donated to the Loreto municipality originally in 1980 to become part of an Argentina Air Force theme park. Re-located to a Public Square at Loreto (Santiago del Estero) representing the City of Loreto.

Bolivia

• 42-3638 – C-46A stored with Lineas Aereas Canedo at El Alto Airport in La Paz.
• 42-107410 – C-46A stored at El Alto Airport in La Paz.
• 44-77545 – C-46D stored with Lineas Aereas Canedo in Cochabamba.
• 44-77898 – C-46D stored with Eco Express Charter Services at El Alto Airport in La Paz.

Brazil

As of January 2016, the Brazilian Register lists PP-BTP PP-BTZ PP-ITE PP-NAO PP-NMH PP-VCE PT-AYA PT-LBP All show cancelled airworthiness certificates. PP-VCE & PT-LBP are confirmed preserved, PP-NMH exists derelict, however it is not known if any of the other 5 listed still survive.

• 41-12381 – C-46A stored with Serviços Aéreos do Vale Amazônico in Itacoatiara.
• 42-101201 – C-46A on display at the Museu Eduardo André Matarazzo, Bebedouro, São Paulo.
• 43-47084 – C-46A on display at the Museu Aeroespacial in Campo dos Afonsos, Rio de Janeiro.

Canada

According to the Transport Canada database there are four C-46’s currently registered. Two are active, one is stored and one was recently withdrawn from use after crash landing in 2015.

• 44-78028 – C-46D airworthy with Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife, North West Territories.
• 44-78649 – C-46F stored with SASCO Ltd (First Nations Transportation) in Gimli, Manitoba.
• 44-78733 – C-46F airworthy with Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife, North West Territories.

China

• 4?-????? – Lushan Air Pavilion, Luyang Ranghe Zhen Airbase – Dark green with medium blue undersides, massive yellow white lightning stripe, bold yellow leading edges and red Chinese lettering on the nose.  – Display
• 4?-????? – Lushan Air Pavilion, Luyang Ranghe Zhen Airbase – Grey finish.  – Display
• 4?-????? – Chinese Air Force – China Aviation Museum, Xiaotangshanzhen, Changping, Beijing – White with light grey undersides, code faded – One of two displayed as a pair with below.
• 4?-????? – Chinese Air Force – China Aviation Museum, Xiaotangshanzhen, Changping, Beijing – White with light grey undersides, code faded – Two of two displayed as a pair with above.
• 4?-????? – China Civil Aviation Museum, Xie Dao, Beijing – White with light grey undersides, code faded C46A – Display

Haiti

• 41-12369 – C-46A stored at Port-au-Prince.
• 42-96792 – C-46A stored at Port-au-Prince.

Honduras

• 44-78447 – C-46D fuselage stored at Tegucigalpa, Toncontin Airport.
• 44-78708 – C-46F fuselage stored at Museo del Aire de Honduras.

India

• Unknown ID – C-46 on static display outdoors at Sarsawa Air Force Station.

Israel

• 44-78628 – C-46F on static display at Atlit detainee camp Museum.

Japan

• 91-1141 – C-46D on static display at Gifu Air Field in Kakamigahara, Gifu Prefecture.
• 91-1138 – C-46D on static display at Hamamatsu Air Base in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture.
• 91-1139 – C-46D on static display at Miho Air Base in Tottori Prefecture.
• 91-1143 – EC-46D on static display at Tokorozawa Aviation Museum in Tokorozawa in Saitama Prefecture.
• 91-1144 – C-46D nose and parts on static display at Hijiri Aviation Museum in Omi, Nagano Prefecture.
• 91-1145 – EC-46D on static display at Iruma Air Base in Saitama Prefecture.
• 61-1127 – C-46D on static display at Kawaguchiko Motor Museum in Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture.
• 44-78480 – C-46D nose in storage with a private collection in Tokyo Prefecture.

Mexico

• 42-101231 – C-46D on display at the Explora Museum in Leon, Guanajuato.

Philippines 

• 44-78748 – C-46F cockpit only on display at Cagayan de Oro. Cut up for scrap with the wings and cockpit/nose salvaged and preserved as part of restaurant theme.

South Korea

• 44-77592 – C-46D on static display at the Korean War Memorial in Pusan.
• 44-78053 – C-46D on static display at the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy in Cheongju.
• 44-78541 – C-46D on static display at the War Memorial Museum in Seoul.

Taiwan

• 4?-???? – Republic of China Air Force Museum,  Gangshan, Kaohsiung. Tail has the numbers stenciled C46-045  – Display

Thailand

• 44-78738 – C-46F stored at Chonburi, Thailand. Formerly located at Lad Phrao, Bangkok and set up as ‘Apichart’ coffee shop in 1985; moved to Chonburi 2001.
• 4?-????? – C-46 stored at the Police Training Camp on Highway 22, Udon Thani, Thailand.

United States

Airworthy

C-46D Commando

• 44-77889 Maid in Japan – operated by Everts Air Cargo in Fairbanks, Alaska.

C-46F Commando

• 44-78774 Tinker Belle – based at the Warriors and Warbirds Museum in Monroe, North Carolina.
• 44-78663 China Doll – based at the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force in Camarillo, California.

On Display

C-46A Commando

• 43-47350 – National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

C-46D Commando

• 42-101198 – Museum of Aviation adjacent to Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia.
• 44-77424 – Air Commando Park at Hurlburt Field near Mary Esther, Florida.
• 44-77575 Honey Gal – Castle Air Museum in Atwater, California.
• 44-77635 Syracuse Shackrat – Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
• 44-78018 – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.
• 44-78019 – Joe Davies Heritage Airpark in Palmdale, California.

C-46F Commando

• 44-78573 – 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum at Fort Bragg near Fayetteville, North Carolina.
• 44-78772 – Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York. It is on loan from the National Air and Space Museum.

Under restoration or in storage

C-46A Commando

• 43-47201 Dumbo – in storage by Everts Air Cargo in Fairbanks, Alaska.

C-46D Commando

• 44-77559 – in storage at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California.

C-46F Commando

• 43-47218 – in storage at the Yanks Air Museum in Chino, California.
• 44-78495 – in storage by Everts Air Cargo in Fairbanks, Alaska.
• 44-78565 Hot Stuff – in storage by Everts Air Cargo in Fairbanks, Alaska.
• 44-78698 Salmon Ella – in storage by Everts Air Cargo in Fairbanks, Alaska.