In Australian Service – DC-6

Douglas DC-6

Part Two in a Series Examining the Airliners That Established Civil Aviation in Australia.

The Douglas DC-6 series has gained a reputation as having been the finest piston-engined commercial transport ever produced. Although at times overshadowed by its more glamorous competitor, the Lockheed Constellation/Super Constellation family, the DC-6 has stood the test of time. Whereas the Super Constellation has virtually disappeared from service the DC-6 is still in evidence in various parts of the world.

The ancestry of the DC-6 is largely based on the DC-4. Douglas realised the need for a new aircraft to compete with the Constellation and decided to develop further on the proven DC-4 design. The basic wing design of the DC-4 was retained and the span was unchanged at 117ft 6in. However, the fuselage length was extended by 6ft 9in to 100ft and the height of the tail from 27ft 6in to 29ft 1in. The gross weight increased from 73,000lb to 97,200Ib. The two other main changes were the fitting of Pratt and Whitney R-2800 engines developing 2,100hp and the introduction of cabin pressurisation.

The development work was enhanced by the granting of a US Army contract for the building of a military transport aircraft. In this guise and known as the XC-112 the first flight was on February 15, 1946. Drawing on the experience from this project Douglas went ahead refining the civil DC-6 and the first flight took place on June 29, 1946. The DC-6 eventually entered airline service on April 27, 1947.

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