The Aircraft
The C-118 was the military version of the Douglas DC-6A. Probably the most famous C-118 was President Truman’s VC-118, named “Independence,” which still resides at the Pima Air Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
I am lucky enough to know a crew member from a C-118. Bill Mathay was an Air Force Navigator who served in World War 2, Korea, and even passed through Vietnam during the war there. In the late 1950s, Bill was stationed at PACAF Headquarters, Hickam AFB, Hawaii. Bill told me that he was very impressed by the comfort of the C-118 and the size of the passenger compartment windows compared to the other planes he flew in.