Aircraft Make & Model:
Curtiss C-46
No. flown by DL:
5 purchased used from Civil Air Transport of Taiwan
First Delivery:
August 31, 1957
First Scheduled Service:
October 1, 1957
Reason Aquired:
Twice the cargo capacity of Delta's all-cargo Douglas C-47.
Last Retirement:
January 31, 1967
Reason Disposed:
Replaced by the Lockheed L-100.
Narrative:
Curtiss C-46 1957-1966
By 1956 Delta's cargo service had grown 724 percent since launching in 1946 with Douglas C-47 freighters. When the new C-46 fleet went into operation in 1957, Delta increased its all-cargo lift by 600 percent.
Main cabin was eight feet longer than a standard railroad box car.
Extra large doors were "large enough to load a Cadillac automobile without scratching the paint job," according to Delta.
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