Army & Navy And Civilian Defense: Air Freighter

Curtiss-Wright in Buffalo last week opened its enormous overhead doors all the way, proudly wheeled out the first of a long line of new Army transports (C-46). Ace Designer George A. Page Jr. planned it for huge capacity (50 or more troops, more than 9½ tons of freight), long range, economy—only two super-powerful engines—and safety. With the Douglas C-54s and Lockheed Constellations, C46 will share the job of quickly shifting United Nations men & machines all over the world (TIME, March 2, April 20). The company figures that 21 of these freighters, each making three trips a day, could replace the 4,500 trucks that used to ply the Burma Road—one plane replacing 218 trucks.