The Air Force's long-range airlifter that performed yeoman service through two wars and nearly 25 years, the C-124 was a major redesign of the C-74 that was developed at the end of World War II. The C-124 used the same wings, tail, and engines as the C-74 but had a deeper fuselage that featured clamshell doors in the nose that allowed for driving vehicles on and off under their own power. The C-124 retained the C-74's electrically operated elevator in the rear of the aircraft for loading of bulk cargo. The first operational aircraft were delivered in May 1950, and production ran through May 1955 (204 C- 124As and 243 C-124Cs). The improved C-124C featured more-powerful engines, as well as wingtip-mounted combustion heaters that provided cabin heating and wing and tail surface deicing, and an APS-42 weather radar in a distinctive nose "thimble." These latter improvements were eventually retrofitted to the C-124As. Shortly after entering service with Military Air Transport Service and Troop Carrier Command, the C-124 suffered two isolated accidents (December 20, 1952 and June 18, 1953), each resulting in what was then the largest number of people killed in a single aircraft accident (87 and 129, respectively). The C-124 went on to provide a much-needed airlift capability in the Korean War, as it was the only aircraft that could carry many of the Army's vehicles. Nicknamed "Old Shaky," the C-124 saw service all over the world, from Antarctic resupply flights, to refugee evacuation in the Congo, to mercy flights in Chile and elsewhere. C-124s were used to deliver supplies to the French in Indochina in 195455 and then were regularly flown to Vietnam through the US buildup in the 1960s. While reliable, the C-124s were slow (97 hours from Travis AFB, Calif., to Tan Son Nhut AB, South Vietnam, and back), and they were all the Air Force had until the C-133, and later C-141 and C-5, came along. Most C-124s were transferred to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve by 1970. The type was phased out of service in mid-1974.
| Contractors: | Douglas Aircraft Co. |
| Locations Built: | Long Beach, Calif. |
| Number Built: (USAF) | 448 (448) |
| First Flight: | November 27, 1949 |
| First Flight Model: | YC-124 |
| First Flight Location: | Long Beach, Calif. |
| First Flight Pilot: | Unconfirmed |
| Models/Variants: | C-124A, C |
| Powerplant: | Four Pratt & Whitney R-4360-63A Wasp Major four-row, 28-cylinder radials of 3,800 hp each |
| Wingspan: | 174 ft 2 in |
| Length: | 130 ft 0 in. |
| Height: | 48 ft 4 in. |
| Weight: | 194,500 lb gross |
| Armament: | None |
| Accommodation: | Crew of eight plus 68,500 lb of cargo or 200 passengers or 127 litters and 15 attendants |
| Cost: | $1.65 million |
| Max. Speed: | 304 mph |
| Range: | 4,030 mi. |
| Ceiling: | 21,800 ft. |
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