Aircraft Type in the first 'The Italian Job' film?
 

I watched the above film today and wondered if someone could please tell me what the aircraft type was in the above film. 4 Piston engines, fin was huge and its leading edge was near vertical with the top almost squared off. Multiple panelled glazing flight deck. The fuslage looks like it could have had two decks. Plus the Flap Screw Jacks had Fairings.

Thanks,


Temps

C-74 Globemaster. (Not to be confused with the C-124 Globemaster)

http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes...globemaster.pl

That's the one. Thanks Halcyon. If you are ex Court Line, time with them were indeed Halcyon Days......

Many thanks

Temps

Also see http://www.air-and-space.com/Douglas%20C-74.htm

This gives more specific information about 42-65409 (aka HP-379), the C-74 which appeared in the movie.

The C-124 was really a Globemaster II, the C-17 a Globemaster III.

I met an old Irish chap who actually was a pax in a C-74 Globemaster. He had been in the Irish army in the early 1950s and they had a United Nations task in Cyprus. As there were no suitable charter aircraft in Ireland the USAF supplied a Globemaster from Dublin to Nicosia. It seems not much use was actually made of them. The powerplants were the same as in the Boeing Stratocruiser, just too complex for reliability.

WHBM

Suspect that would have been early sixties. Cyprus was still under UK administaration through the fifties. UN deployed there in 1964 and I recall an Irish UN contingent at a camp between Larnaca and Limassol when I was there 1970-73.

Microlight :

Unlikely as the Globemaster 1 didn't last long in service, and they were all gone by the mid 1950s.

However I have just looked around and the C-124 Globemaster did have the same powerplants (and there were many more of them) so now I am wondering. The old Irishman was my regular taxi driver in Dublin many years ago, and also an aircraft buff (hence my confidence in his description) but could have just mixed the two types up. Unfortunately I hear he has now moved on to where nobody will be able to ask him .....

HP379 used to frequent Heathrow in the sixties.