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The Also Rans, Part II
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What makes one commercial airliner a success while its rival drifts into obscurity? This, is the second of a three-part series. John Vogel examines the aircraft that were … The Also-Rans
When dealing with the marketing disasters of civil aviation it is not always the aircraft itself which is at fault, but a combination of time and circumstance which prevents an outstanding design from becoming an all-time favourite. In particular on the other side of the Atlantic, in both Canada and the US, several outstanding aircraft from both a pilot’s point of view and a passenger’s opinion failed to make the grade.
One of aviation’s greats was the Douglas DC4. Today, there are still 64 of the type flying in the world. One type not flying, however, is the Canadair Four. Based on the DC4 the Canadair Four differed primarily in the power plants, which were liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce Merlins, the reason being that Trans Canada Airlines had extensive experience with the engine on trans-Atlantic services during the 1940s. The regular Pratt & Whitney engines were easier to maintain and had far greater usage in other types so using the Merlin engine “orphaned” the Canadair Four from the outset.
Pressurised versions followed and were designated DC-4 M2, DC-4 M4 and C4. They were really DC-6 aircraft with shortened fuselages and DC-4 tails and rear fuselages. They served with Trans Canada Airlines, and Canadian Pacific Airlines on trans-Pacific routes and BOAC operated the type as the Argonaut from 1949 until 1960. The Queen travelled from Entebbe in Uganda to London in a Canadair Four on the day of her accession to the throne… A very good-looking aircraft, the Canadair was used by no other airlines at the time; today they are only of historical interest, although as recently as 1976 one of the type was reported still working in Canada on government work.
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