The name Globemaster has been used for three USAF transport aircraft. Bob Archer looks back at the lesser-known first Globemaster, which had a short air force career and a colourful civilian afterlife.
Airlift in the 21st century is an everyday feature of military life, performed by transport aircraft such as the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, routinely crossing the Atlantic Ocean non-stop. Seventy-five years ago, US intercontinental airlift was carried out by aircraft such as the Douglas C-54 Skymaster and to a lesser degree the C-47 Skytrain, both requiring multiple refuelling stops en route.
