LOGAIR-World Airways Douglas DC-6 Skymaster

Additional Information:

The Douglas DC-6 Skymaster is a piston-engine airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, Douglas reworked it after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range commercial transport market. Douglas built over 700 aircraft and many of them still fly in cargo, military, and wildfire control activities.

Douglas designed four variants of the DC-6 from the basic DC-6 to the longer-fuselage higher-gross-weight capable longer-range versions such as the DC-6A. The DC-6A also had cargo doors forward and aft of the wing on the left side along with a cargo floor. The DC-6B was the passenger version with passenger doors only and a lighter floor. The DC-6C convertible model had two cargo doors and removable passenger seats. The DC-6A was the freighter variant with the fuselage slightly lengthened from the DC-6 and fitted with a cargo door while retaining some cabin windows.

World Airways, Inc. was an American airline headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia in Greater Atlanta when it shut down. The company operated mostly non-scheduled services but did fly scheduled passenger services as well. World Airways was founded on March 29, 1948 by Benjamin Pepper with the introduction of ex-Pan Am Boeing 314 flying boats. However, Edward Daly is considered World’s founder as he bought the airline for $50,000 in 1950 and began acquiring DC-4 aircraft.

World got its first government contract in 1951 and had a substantial amount of government business throughout the rest of its operational history. World became a key military contractor during the Vietnam War and while based at the Oakland International Airport received a contract for the military’s Logistics Air Transportation System (LOGAIR) program. The LOGAIR program was a contracted priority cargo airlift service operated by the United States Air Force which allowed for World to acquire DC-6s and Lockheed Constellations. World entered the jet age in the late 1960s with the acquisition of Boeing 707s and 727s and in the early 1970s World added Douglas DC-8s. World Airways ceased all operations on March 27, 2014.

World Airways, while based in Oakland, operated the air freight (LOGAIR) contract for Kirtland Air Force Base beginning on July 1, 1968 using a DC-6 aircraft number N45507.

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