AeroClassics 200 AC219753

AeroClassics AC219753 is a 1/200 scale diecast model of the Curtiss C-46D, s/n 44-78019 of the 3499th Mobil Training Wing, Air Training Command (ATC), USAF. While stationed at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, USA, circa 1954.

Air Training Command

Air Training Command (ATC) was the primary training organisation of the United States Air Force from 1947 until it merged with Air University (AU) and, in July 1993, was re-designated as Air Education and Training Command (AETC). It provided pilot and aircrew training and basic training for both enlisted and officers.

Curtiss C-46 Commando

The Curtiss C-46 Commando is an American twin-engine transport aircraft that first flew on March 26, 1940, and entered service later that same year with the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC), designated the R5C by the US Navy and Marine Corps.

During World War II, it operated in most theatres of operation. It gained fame for its flights over “The Hump” (the Himalayan Mountains), where it transported supplies from India to China.

At the time of its production, the C-46 was the largest twin-engine aircraft in the world, boasting a cargo capacity twice the volume and three times the weight of the C-47. The aircraft remained in service with the United States Air Force (USAF) until 1968 and was also utilised during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. After the war, it saw limited use as a commercial airliner due to its high operating costs. Production of the C-46 ended in 1945, with 3,181 airframes completed.

The C-46 has a flight crew of two pilots, a navigator, and an optional loadmaster. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, which drive either four-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed propellers or, later, three-blade Hamilton-Standard propellers.