Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando

Twin Piston

The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine, twin-radial piston transport that earned its reputation flying the Hump over the Himalayas during World War II, where its pressurized fuselage and powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines allowed it to carry heavier loads at higher altitudes than its contemporary, the Douglas C-47. Designed in the late 1930s as a high-altitude airliner, the C-46 was quickly pressed into military service after Pearl Harbor and became the workhorse of the China-Burma-India theater, hauling fuel, ammunition, and supplies over some of the most treacherous terrain on Earth. More than 3,100 were built between 1940 and 1945, and while most were scrapped after the war, a handful found second lives in Alaska and remote regions where their rugged construction, large cargo doors, and ability to operate from short, unpaved strips made them invaluable. The Commando's double-lobe fuselage gives it a distinctive humpbacked profile and exceptional cargo volume for its era, and its 56,000-pound maximum takeoff weight made it one of the heaviest twin-engine piston transports ever produced. Today, the C-46 is among the rarest of still-operational WWII-era aircraft, with only a few airworthy examples remaining in commercial service, primarily in Alaska hauling fuel and freight to villages inaccessible by road. Its 2,000-horsepower radials, though thirsty and maintenance-intensive, deliver the raw power needed for short-field performance and heavy payloads in extreme cold. SkyMeter has tracked 5 flights across 2 airframes and 2 operators, with EVERTS AIR FUEL INC the largest observed operator.