Cute nosed C-46

[Michel Lemieux]

Curtis XC-46B...I guess you do learn something new every day.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=3346

In 1944, the Army accepted a modified version of the C-46A and designated it as XC-46B. The aircraft was converted from the first C-46A built at the Curtiss plant in St. Louis, Mo. (S/N 43-46953). The plane featured two major changes.

First, the nose section was redesigned. The windshield was changed from a streamlined version to a stepped design. The stepped windshield was tested because it was the standard design used on most cargo and bomber aircraft and it was thought the plane might be easier to fly for pilot trainees. After flight tests, it was determined that the windshield posed no significant problems for pilots, and visibility was essentially the same as the original design. The stepped windshield design was incorporated into the C-46E design but only 17 aircraft were completed at the Curtiss St. Louis plant. The nose section design of the XC-46B increased the plane's overall length to 77 feet, 8 inches more than the -A model.

The second major design change was the installation of water injected Pratt & Whitney "Double Wasp" engines. The water-injected version of the engine had 100 horsepower more than the model used on the C-46A and was installed primarily to improve take-off performance with larger loads. The -B model had a gross weight of 51,000 pounds -- 1,400 pounds more than the -A model.

The performance of the XB-46B was basically the same as the C-46A and the design changes were not adopted for production aircraft.

[jdvoss]

Are there any C-46E survivors?? If so, where?

[tom d. friedman]

i doubt there are survivors of this prototype, but it is interesting to note that the biggest gripe with c-46 pilots was the stream lined cockpit windshield design in the regular model as flying toward the sun caused vision distortion.

[Steve Nelson]

Beautiful pics, but I never liked the looks of the "step nose" variant. I always thought the streamlined windshield was what gave the C-46 such a unique look (visual distortion aside.)

SN

[RareBear]

That stepped windscreen design makes it look like a C-47 on steroids.

Walt

[Joe Scheil]

The Broken Nose Commando is profiled in the Juptner series as well as an AAHS article a few years ago.

None survive.

[Second Air Force]

I have a book with a photo of a C-46E in Nationalist Chinese markings somewhere. The airplane had Hamilton Standard three-blade props and was in natural metal finish. I believe it was in short term storage at Chino?

Scott

[jdvoss]

In Bill Larkins book "Surplus WWII Aircraft" there is a photo of the subject C-46E in Nationalist Chinese Markings (pg 62) and indeed does have 3 bladed props. The caption states that it eventaully was registered as NC30019 and then went to Mexico as XB-LIU. Originally USAAF 43-47419

[Second Air Force]

That's the airplane!

Scott

[sledge39]

.
...N30019.....at Hawthorne, CA (HHR).....1964...




.

[tom d. friedman]

wow!!!! if it survived that long..... is it still around??

[sledge39]

.

It's not in the registry but......found this info...


http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1943_2.html

43-47419 (c/n 2945/CK467) delivered to USAAF Jul 28, 1945 for Chinese government but NTU.

TO RFC Nov 14, 1945.

Bought by Seeley G. Mudd Nov 26, 1945 as N30019.

Leased 1948 to Ibex Corp, returned in 1967.

Bought Aug 1968 by A. J. Levin Co.

Sold Sep 1968 to Cooperative de la Industria Pesquera as XB-LIU.

WFU 1977 and stored Ensenada, Mexico
.