RAf Museum, Cosford.
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44-42914 (N31356) Douglas DC-4 nose section preserved at RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre, UK 5/10/24
Burtonwood Heritage Centre, UK 5/10/24
44-42914 (N31356) Douglas DC-4 nose section preserved at RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre, UK 5/10/24
44-42914 (N31356) Douglas DC-4 nose section preserved at RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre, UK 5/10/24
While touring the Harry S. Truman Presidential Museum in Independence, MO, I became enraptured with these little model airplanes hanging from the ceiling, representative of the Berlin Airlift in 1948.
he Handley Page HP.67 Hastings was a British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and built by Handley Page for the Royal Air Force. Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, the Hastings was the largest transport plane ever designed for the service. A fleet of 32 Hastings were used during the Berlin Airlift and delivered a combined total of 55,000 tons (49,900 tonnes) of supplies to the city.
A total of 141 were built and left RAF service in 1977 (which came as a surprise to me)
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical, as well as the Roll-Royce Merlin engines. It arrived too late to take part in WW2 by just a few months but was made extensive use of during the Berlin airlift. The Yorks saw service with the RAF, and many Civilian operators. The civilian airlines flew all over the world and it was even equipped with sleeping births for flights to South Africa. When the American were constructed their Distant Early Warning Line of radar stations across North America and Canada the Yorks were used extensively to fly parts and crews around.
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical, as well as the Roll-Royce Merlin engines. It arrived too late to take part in WW2 by just a few months but was made extensive use of during the Berlin airlift. The Yorks saw service with the RAF, and many Civilian operators. The civilian airlines flew all over the world and it was even equipped with sleeping births for flights to South Africa. When the American were constructed their Distant Early Warning Line of radar stations across North America and Canada the Yorks were used extensively to fly parts and crews around.
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical, as well as the Roll-Royce Merlin engines. It arrived too late to take part in WW2 by just a few months but was made extensive use of during the Berlin airlift. The Yorks saw service with the RAF, and many Civilian operators. The civilian airlines flew all over the world and it was even equipped with sleeping births for flights to South Africa. When the American were constructed their Distant Early Warning Line of radar stations across North America and Canada the Yorks were used extensively to fly parts and crews around.
The Avro York was a British transport aircraft developed by Avro during the Second World War. The design was derived from the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, several sections of the York and Lancaster being identical, as well as the Roll-Royce Merlin engines. It arrived too late to take part in WW2 by just a few months but was made extensive use of during the Berlin airlift. The Yorks saw service with the RAF, and many Civilian operators. The civilian airlines flew all over the world and it was even equipped with sleeping births for flights to South Africa. When the American were constructed their Distant Early Warning Line of radar stations across North America and Canada the Yorks were used extensively to fly parts and crews around.
The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation operates this Douglas C-54D Skymaster, named “Spirit of Freedom”, to preserve the memory and legacy of the Berlin Airlift. Spirit of Freedom shares the story of the airlift in two ways.
First, Spirit of Freedom is a flying museum. Visitors can walk through the Spirit of Freedom and view exhibits and artifacts that explain the Soviet Union’s 1948-1949 blockade of West Berlin and how the residents of the city, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries responded. Soviet leadership expected the blockade to force West Berlin, the U.S., the U.K., and France to capitulate to Soviet demands, but after 10 months the success of the airlift in providing food, fuel, and hope to West Berlin helped convince the Soviet Union to end its blockade. During the airlift’s 15 months of operation, it made 277,569 flights into Berlin and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo.
Second, visitors see one of the main types of aircraft in the airlift. C-54s were essential to moving enough cargo to meet the needs of Berliners, and this aircraft was one of those C-54s. A C-54 could carry three times as much as a C-47 Skytrain while being able to be loaded and unloaded in the same amount of time—due to the level floor the C-54 provided with its tricycle landing gear.
I had previously seen the Spirit of Freedom in 2009. When I saw the plane again in 2024 I was surprised to learn that today’s Spirit of Freedom is not the same aircraft I had visited in 2009. The previous Spirit of Freedom was severely damaged by a tornado in 2020. The Foundation was able to acquire another C-54 that had flown in the airlift and worked for a couple years to make it airworthy.
Douglas Aircraft Company delivered this C-54D (serial number 22178) to the U.S. Army Air Corps in September 1945. During 1948 and 1949 it was assigned to three units based in Germany that participated in the airlift: the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron (TCS) based in Rhein Main, the 317th TCS in Celle, and the 313th TCS in Fassberg. After decades in the U.S. Air Force, this aircraft was flown for commercial operations including firefighting and cargo hauling before being acquired by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation.
Seen at the 2024 Thunder Over Michigan airshow. #ThunderOverMI #BAHFvittles
An adjacent photo contains a close-up of Bear-Lyn.
The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation operates this Douglas C-54D Skymaster, named “Spirit of Freedom”, to preserve the memory and legacy of the Berlin Airlift. Spirit of Freedom shares the story of the airlift in two ways.
First, Spirit of Freedom is a flying museum. Visitors can walk through the Spirit of Freedom and view exhibits and artifacts that explain the Soviet Union’s 1948-1949 blockade of West Berlin and how the residents of the city, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries responded. Soviet leadership expected the blockade to force West Berlin, the U.S., the U.K., and France to capitulate to Soviet demands, but after 10 months the success of the airlift in providing food, fuel, and hope to West Berlin helped convince the Soviet Union to end its blockade. During the airlift’s 15 months of operation, it made 277,569 flights into Berlin and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo.
Second, visitors see one of the main types of aircraft in the airlift. C-54s were essential to moving enough cargo to meet the needs of Berliners, and this aircraft was one of those C-54s. A C-54 could carry three times as much as a C-47 Skytrain while being able to be loaded and unloaded in the same amount of time—due to the level floor the C-54 provided with its tricycle landing gear.
I had previously seen the Spirit of Freedom in 2009. When I saw the plane again in 2024 I was surprised to learn that today’s Spirit of Freedom is not the same aircraft I had visited in 2009. The previous Spirit of Freedom was severely damaged by a tornado in 2020. The Foundation was able to acquire another C-54 that had flown in the airlift and worked for a couple years to make it airworthy.
Douglas Aircraft Company delivered this C-54D (serial number 22178) to the U.S. Army Air Corps in September 1945. During 1948 and 1949 it was assigned to three units based in Germany that participated in the airlift: the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron (TCS) based in Rhein Main, the 317th TCS in Celle, and the 313th TCS in Fassberg. After decades in the U.S. Air Force, this aircraft was flown for commercial operations including firefighting and cargo hauling before being acquired by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation.
Seen at the 2024 Thunder Over Michigan airshow. #ThunderOverMI #BAHFvittles
The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation operates this Douglas C-54D Skymaster, named “Spirit of Freedom”, to preserve the memory and legacy of the Berlin Airlift. Spirit of Freedom shares the story of the airlift in two ways.
First, Spirit of Freedom is a flying museum. Visitors can walk through the Spirit of Freedom and view exhibits and artifacts that explain the Soviet Union’s 1948-1949 blockade of West Berlin and how the residents of the city, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries responded. Soviet leadership expected the blockade to force West Berlin, the U.S., the U.K., and France to capitulate to Soviet demands, but after 10 months the success of the airlift in providing food, fuel, and hope to West Berlin helped convince the Soviet Union to end its blockade. During the airlift’s 15 months of operation, it made 277,569 flights into Berlin and carried more than 2.3 million tons of cargo.
Second, visitors see one of the main types of aircraft in the airlift. C-54s were essential to moving enough cargo to meet the needs of Berliners, and this aircraft was one of those C-54s. A C-54 could carry three times as much as a C-47 Skytrain while being able to be loaded and unloaded in the same amount of time—due to the level floor the C-54 provided with its tricycle landing gear.
I had previously seen the Spirit of Freedom in 2009. When I saw the plane again in 2024 I was surprised to learn that today’s Spirit of Freedom is not the same aircraft I had visited in 2009. The previous Spirit of Freedom was severely damaged by a tornado in 2020. The Foundation was able to acquire another C-54 that had flown in the airlift and worked for a couple years to make it airworthy.
Douglas Aircraft Company delivered this C-54D (serial number 22178) to the U.S. Army Air Corps in September 1945. During 1948 and 1949 it was assigned to three units based in Germany that participated in the airlift: the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron (TCS) based in Rhein Main, the 317th TCS in Celle, and the 313th TCS in Fassberg. After decades in the U.S. Air Force, this aircraft was flown for commercial operations including firefighting and cargo hauling before being acquired by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation.
Seen at the 2024 Thunder Over Michigan airshow. #ThunderOverMI #BAHFvittles
Berlin - Tempelhof
Die Berliner Luftbrücke diente der Versorgung des Westteils der Stadt Berlin durch Flugzeuge der Westalliierten, nachdem die sowjetische Besatzungsmacht die Land- und Wasserwege von der Trizone zu den West-Sektoren Berlins vom 24. Juni 1948 bis 12. Mai 1949 durch die Berlin-Blockade gesperrt hatte. Am 30. September 1949 wurde die Luftbrücke offiziell beendet. WIKIPEDIA
The Berlin Airlift served to supply the western part of the city of Berlin with aircraft from the Western Allies after the Soviet occupying power closed the land and water routes from the Trizone to the western sectors of Berlin from June 24, 1948 to May 12, 1949 through the Berlin Blockade. On September 30, 1949, the airlift was officially ended. WIKIPEDIA
Berlin Museum of technology
Berlin Museum of technology
Berlin Museum of technology
Berlin Museum of technology
