Flyhistorisk Museum Sola · Civil aircraft
Douglas DC-6B Cloudmaster
The museum’s Douglas DC-6B Cloudmaster was operated by Braathens SAFE from 1962 to 1971, with Sola as its main base. When the aircraft returned to Sola for good on 2 June 2020, it carried a crew of three, along with two passengers, and 24 dogs. The flight departed from Fairbanks in Alaska and flew to Yellowknife in Canada for a technical stop. From there, it flew non-stop for 18 hours to Sola. This was most likely the last time a passenger aircraft with four piston engines crossed the Atlantic.
The Douglas DC-6 was developed in the mid-1940s. Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) introduced the type in 1948, making it the first SAS aircraft with a pressurised cabin. The aircraft later appeared in several improved versions. It was also produced in a military version as the C-118 Liftmaster and as a freight version designated DC-6A.
The B-version was a dedicated passenger aircraft and flew for the first time in 1951. SAS ordered its first six of a total of 14 DC-6B in March 1951. In 1962, Braathens SAFE purchased the aircraft displayed here. It was the first of the company’s total fleet of seven DC-6B. The year before, Braathens SAFE had acquired a DC-6A/C, a combined cargo and passenger version that remained in service until 1965. Braathens SAFE operated the DC-6B until 1973.
Technical maintenance of the aircraft was carried out at Braathens’ technical base here at Sola. Throughout the 1960s, the DC-6B played a vital role in the development of the Norwegian domestic air network, operating flights between Oslo, Stavanger, Trondheim, and Ålesund. The DC-6B was also used for the growing charter traffic to southern destinations and for ad hoc flights to the rest of the world.
THE MUSEUM’S AIRCRAFT
The museum’s DC-6B was built by Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, California, in 1958. Its first owner was Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong. In 1962, the aircraft was purchased by Braathens SAFE. In June 1971, it was sold to Saga Norsk Flytjeneste at Torp. In 1972, the company changed its name to Troll Air and operated, among other missions, humanitarian aid flights for the Norwegian Church Aid to Bangladesh. In 1972, the aircraft was sold to the Belgian airline Delta Air Transport, where it remained in service until 1976. It was then sold to the Canadian company Conair Aviation 47, where it was converted into a firefighting aircraft. In 1996, the aircraft was sold to Everts Air Cargo, based in Fairbanks, Alaska. The company operates a fleet of large and robust cargo aircraft that mainly transport supplies to remote outposts deep in the Alaskan wilderness, many of which can only be reached via gravel runways.
THE AIRCRAFT’S FINAL JOURNEY
At the end of 2019, the aircraft was withdrawn from operational service after 61 years. The same year, Jærmuseet received funding to purchase the aircraft from the foundation Ludv. G. Braathens fond for fremme av norsk luftfart. However, the project proved challenging. The purchase agreement was denominated in US dollars, and during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 the exchange rate rose sharply. The museum no longer had sufficient funds, and the purchase was cancelled. Then, an unusual turn of events saved the project.
Norwegian dog sled driver Thomas Wærner had just won the prestigious Iditarod dog sled race and found himself stuck in Alaska due to corona-related flight restrictions. An agreement was reached whereby Everts Air Cargo reduced the purchase price, and Wærner’s main sponsor contributed additional funds. The condition for the extra funds was that the dogs and one of his dog handlers would be allowed to accompany Wærner home to Norway.
This marked the conclusion of a long procurement project started by pensioners from Braathens SAFE a decade earlier.
Specifications
- Type
- Long-range passenger aircraft
- First flight
- 1951
- Length
- 32,2 m
- Wingspan
- 35,8 m
- Height
- 8,7 m
- Weight, empty and max
- 25 000 / 49 000 kg
- Engine
- 4x Pratt & Whitney R-2800
- Engine power
- 4x 2,500 hp
- Top speed
- 510 km/h
- Range
- 4800 km
- Crew
- 2 pilot, 2 cabin crew
- Passenger capacity
- 99
- Country of origin
- USA
- Museum number
- JÆG2020.115.001
- Project manager
- Ole Johan Berg
