CURTISS C-46 COMMANDO, LIQUIDOMETER

The largest and heaviest twin-engine, USAAF transport of WWII, the Curtiss C-46 Commando was used to great effect in transporting troops, weapons armament and critical war supplies to the Nationalst Chinese Army in their desperate fight against the invading Japanese.

Flying from Allied bases in India and Asia the C-46 flew the treacherous Himalayan ‘Hump’ in some of the most adverse weather conditions.

A significant part of success was the aircraft’s powerful Pratt & Whitney 2,000 hp R-2800s Double Wasp engines and its wide, reinforced airframe which gave it one of the largest cargo carrying capacities of any Allied aircraft of the time.

The Commando’s R-2800 engines with their two-stage superchargers, gave the aircraft a high-altitude ceiling of 27,600ft making it the only viable heavy transport/cargo aircraft for such a challenging route.

With a fuel capacity of 3000 gallons, carried in its wing tanks and twin, side-by-side fuselage tanks, the C-46 had a range of over 2,256 miles at cruising speed 175 mph and a maximum speed of 245 mph.

The C-46 was equipped with six fuel tanks mounted between the main spars of the aircraft’s wings just outboard of its engines. 

Each wing contained three non-sealing metal fuel tanks comprising a Forward, Central and Aft Wing Tank (marked in red) with a corresponding Fuel Indicator mounted in a line just forward of the pilot's control column. A  fourth Fuel Indicator gauge, mounted to the right of these, monitored the fuel levels in the twin long-range auxiliary tanks mounted on their reinforced fuselage cradles between the cockpit and the aircraft’s cargo area. 

This is the Aft Wing Tank Fuel Indicator which monitored the fuel levels in both Aft Wing tanks.     

One of three fuel gauges, this Liquidometer Corp, EA124-26 Fuel Indicator enabled the Commando’s flight crew to monitor the fuel status in their Aft wing tanks and was mounted in a line next to the ‘Forward’ and ‘Central’ Wing Tank gauges. To its immediate right, was installed another Fuel Indicator which monitored to two 1000 gal fuselage tanks sitting behind the the flight deck bulkhead. 

Unlike most USAAF aircraft of the time, the C-46 fuel tanks were not self sealing which posed a significant combat risk when the aircraft was exposed to anti aircraft fire and enemy fighters and was one of the main reasons the C-46 was rarely used in the European Theatre of War.

This left the smaller, Douglas C47 Skytrain as the primary front-line combat transport which did have self sealing fuel tanks although the C-46 was used once in a major Allied offensive in late March 1945.

In a push to cross the Rhine River into Germany, 72 C-46 Commandos were paired with hundreds of C-47 Skytrains to drop combat parachutists and supplies ahead of the Allied armoured offensive. During the assault, 19 of the 72 Commandos were shot down leading the US commander Maj. Gen Matthew Ridgeway to decree the C-46s were never again allowed to carry an 82nd Airborne trooper.

The C-46 did see action in the Pacific campaign however, as it supported the Allied 'island-hopping’ campaign with medical evacuations and troop supply but was rarely used in front line operations.

Mounted in its 100yr old, hand-crafted Mango Wood display stand with engraved plaque and highly detailed scale model of a Curtiss C-46 Commando perched atop its magnetic display arm, plus a detailed laminated Fact Sheet featuring a photo of the instrument in the Commando cockpit, this Recovery Curios Aircraft Collectable would make a perfect gift for the pilot or aviation enthusiast in your life.

This Curtiss C-46 Commando Collectable comes complete with detailed Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instrument in aircraft cockpit

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