The C-118 (designated as R6D by the U.S. Navy) was a military
variation of the Douglas DC-6 commercial airliner. In 1947,
USAAF officials ordered 166 aircraft to support operations of
the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). The 29th production
DC-6 was designated as VC-118 and modified to replace the aging
C-54C "Sacred Cow" Presidential aircraft. It differs from the
standard DC-6 configuration in that the aft fuselage was
converted into a stateroom; the main cabin seated 24 passengers
or could be made into 12 "sleeper" berths. The VC-118 was
formally commissioned into the USAAF on 4 July 1947, and was
nicknamed "Independence" for President Truman's hometown in
Missouri. Probably the plane's most historic flight occurred
when it carried the President to Wake Island in October 1950 to
discuss the Korean situation with Gen. Douglas MacArthur. The
165 C-118A Liftmasters produced were about six feet longer than
the "Independence." C-118As played a key role in "Operation Safe
Haven" during which 14,000 Hungaria