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The Douglas DC-6 is an Aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1959 . Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II , it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range piston transport market. More than 700 were built, and many still fly today in cargo, military, and wildfire control roles. The DC-6 was known as the C-118 Liftmaster in United States Air Force service, and as the '''R6D''' in United States Navy service. HISTORY The United States Army Air Forces commissioned the DC-6 project as the XC-112 in 1944 . The Air Force wanted an expanded version of the popular C-54 transport, with improved engines. By the time the XC-112 flew, the war was over, and the USAAF had rescinded its requirement. Douglas converted its prototype into a civil air transport and delivered the first production DC-6 in March of 1947 . However, a series of mysterious in-flight fires (including the fatal crash of United Airlines Flight 608 ) grounded the DC-6 fleet later that year: the cause was found to be a fuel vent located adjacent to the cabin heater intake. All DC-6's in service were modified to correct the problem, and the fleet was flying again after just four months on the ground. Pan Am used DC-6 aircraft to inaugurate its first trans-Atlantic tourist class flights, starting in 1952 . On November 1st 1955 a time bomb exploded aboard the DC-6 killing 44 people above Longmont, Colorado . Douglas designed three basic variants of the DC-6: the DC-6A was designed for cargo work, while the '''DC-6B''' was designed for passenger work and the '''DC-6C''' was a "convertible" aircraft that could accommodate both. The military renewed its interest in the DC-6 during the Korean War , and commissioned a number of aircraft that later found their way into civilian service. Harry Truman 's first presidential aircraft was an Air Force VC-118 called ''The Independence.'' Many older DC-6 aircraft were replaced by the and Douglas DC-8 aircraft. AIRLINES Historical operators of the DC-6 include Aerolíneas Argentinas , Air Vietnam , Alaska Airlines , American Airlines , Aviateca , Canadian Pacific Air Lines , KLM , LAN Chile , Mexicana , National Airlines , Northwest Orient , Olympic Airways , Pan American World Airways , Philippine Airlines , Sabena , SAS , TEAL , United Airlines , Western Airlines , and Yemen Airlines . Today, most DC-6's in commercial use are based in Alaska . Air Cargo Express , Everts Air Fuel , and Northern Air Cargo operate the type. Several other DC-6's are still in operation for small carriers in South America . Atlantic Airlines , a cargo carrier based in Coventry , England , also uses the type. MILITARY OPERATORS
DC-6 AFTER 60 YEARS 2006 marked the 60th anniversary since the introduction of the DC-6. The March issue of '' Airliner World '' had an article about the aircraft.
Several DC-6 are preserved in museums. The most well known is President Harry S. Truman s ''Independence'', which is preserved at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio SPECIFICATIONS (DC-6B)1
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