Operational History
Of the 14 Globemasters built, 11 actually saw operational service. All were used by the United States Army Air Force Air Transport Command (ATC), and later to the United States Air Force Military Air Transport Service (MATS).
The C-74 had a crew of five, including copilot, pilot, radio operator, navigator, and flight engineer. Crew rest quarters were included for long-duration missions. Passageways were provided in the wing to permit the flight engineer to perform servicing and repairs while in flight. It could carry 125 fully equipped troops, 115 litter patients with their medical attendants, or up to 50,000 pounds (22,000 kilograms) of cargo. The cargo bay had twin hoists that could be moved on a rail up and down the bay. They could be used to drop a removable belly section to ease loading of cargoes, reducing the need for specialized cargo handling equipment.
The small numbers of C-74s built meant that the aircraft's service was limited, but it gave the Air Force experience with the operation and usefulness of large transport aircraft.
Read more about this topic: Douglas C-74 Globemaster
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