Douglas C-133 Cargomaster

History of the Douglas C-133 Cargomaster

The Douglas Aircraft Company was founded in 1921 and grew into a major aircraft manufacturer before and during World War II (1939-1945). This continued into the Cold War, when the company released other successful aircraft, including the A-1 Skyraider, the A-4 Skyhawk, and a variety of impressive experimental/ Type of Study. Another part of the Douglas Stables became the transport department where the DC series performed so well during World War II.

Douglas continued this tradition after the war by selling its C-133 Cargo Master turboprop heavy-duty truck to the U.S. Air Force - building 50 examples of this type from 1956 to 1961, which served until 1970 Early years.

The C-133 was born out of the USAF's need for a new type of strategic transport primarily for heavy transport roles. Douglas' approach was to use a high-wing monoplane setup to achieve strong self-lift, with two engine nacelles mounted on each wing.

The stern was raised to allow access to the cargo hold at the stern, and the overall hull shape was fairly simple - sloping and rounded. The rear wing has a large, tall single vertical fin and low mounted horizontal plane. A multi-wheeled tricycle is ground-friendly, with short legs for easy access to the cargo compartment.

The flight deck is located at the very forward end of the aircraft, giving the pilot a good view of the short nose assembly, which includes a prominent protrusion.

Interestingly, no prototypes were ordered for the C-133 program, which was quickly put into service by the C-133A production model. One of the planes made its maiden flight on April 23, 1956, and entered service as early as August 1957.

The entire production run of the C-133 was only 50, and the series was not exported to U.S. allies. Thirty-five of these were production C-133As and the remaining 15 were follow-on C-133Bs.

The C-133s were in service during the Vietnam War (1955-1975), where their heavy-lift capabilities were tested (no other American transport could match its heavy-lift capabilities). The line was in use until the massive Lockheed C-5 Galaxy heavy jet-powered transporter followed. The C-5 was introduced in June 1970 and the C-133 was retired in 1971. During the flight, the C-133 achieved multiple flight records (official and unofficial) for aircraft in its class.

Some aftermarket aircraft have extended life under the banners of the Cargomaster Corporation and the Air Rescue Foundation.

When completed, the C-133 had a crew of six, including two pilots, two flight engineers, a loading supervisor and a navigator. The fuselage is 157.5 feet long and has a wingspan of 179.7 feet. The tail gives the large aircraft a range of 48.2 feet. Curb weight is 109,415 lbs and MTOW is 286,000 lbs.

Power comes from 4 Pratt & Whitney T34-P-9W turboprop engines, 7,500 hp each. This gives a top speed of 360 mph, a cruising speed of 322 mph, a range of up to 3,560 nautical miles, and a service ceiling of up to 32,300 feet.

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