WHBM --
I am very glad I was a kid and not an adult back then, and did not know the frightening facts about how dangerous flying was back then. I only learned that fairly recently. Heck, I remember seeing flames coming out of the back of one of the engines at night, every once in a while, and thinking noting of it because it seemed so normal! No big deal -- or so I thought back then. That makes Aramco's perfect record with their aircraft all the more astounding. Finicky and picky to the N th degree -- and that worked! (Boy, am I glad it did!)
Cubs2jets --
Thank you very much for the definition of what an aircraft's Service Ceiling is. I knew it was not anywhere close to the normal cruise altitude, but I didn't know the definition, nor did I know the DC-4's normal cruise altitude.
Love this discussion and these threads on aviation history!