Douglas C - 124 Globemaster II The Douglas C - 124 Globemaster II , nicknamed " Old Shaky " , was a heavy - lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach , California . The C - 124 was the primary heavy - lift transport for United States Air Force Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) during the 1950s and early 1960s , until the C - 141 Starlifter entered service . It served in MATS - gained , later Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) - gained , units of the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard until 1974 . Design and development . Douglas Aircraft developed the C - 124 from 1947 to 1949 , from a prototype they created from a World War II – design Douglas C - 74 Globemaster , and based on lessons learned during the Berlin Airlift . The aircraft was powered by four large Pratt & Whitney R - 4360 piston engines producing each . The C - 124 ' s design featured two large clamshell doors and a hydraulically actuated ramp in the nose as well as a cargo elevator under the aft fuselage . The C - 124 was capable of carrying of cargo , and the cargo bay featured two overhead hoists , each capable of lifting . As a cargo hauler , it could carry tanks , guns , trucks and other heavy equipment , while in its passenger - carrying role it could carry 200 fully equipped troops on its double decks or 127 litter patients and their attendants . It was the only aircraft of its time capable of transporting heavy equipment such as tanks and bulldozers without disassembly . The C - 124 first flew on 27 November 1949 , with the C - 124A being delivered from May 1950 . The C - 124C was next , featuring more powerful engines , and an APS - 42 weather radar fitted in a " thimble " - like structure on the nose . Wingtip - mounted combustion heaters were added to heat the cabin , and enable wing and tail surface deicing . The C - 124As were later equipped with these improvements . One C - 124C , " 52 - 1069 " , c / n 43978 , was used as a JC - 124C , for testing the Pratt & Whitney XT57 ( PT5 ) turboprop , which was installed in the nose . Operational history . First deliveries of the 448 production aircraft began in May 1950 and continued until 1955 . The C - 124 was operational during the Korean War , and was also used to assist supply operations for Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctica . They performed heavy lift cargo operations for the US military worldwide , including flights to Southeast Asia , Africa and elsewhere . From 1959 to 1961 they transported Thor missiles across the Atlantic to England . The C - 124 was also used extensively during the Vietnam War transporting materiel from the U . S . to Vietnam . Until the C - 5A became operational , the C - 124 , and its sister C - 133 were the only aircraft available that could transport very large loads . The United States Air Force ' s Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) was the initial operator of the C - 124 Globemaster , with 50 in service from 1950 through 1962 . Four squadrons operated the type , consisting of the 1st , 2nd , 3rd and 4th Strategic Support Squadrons . Their primary duty was to transport nuclear weapons between air bases and to provide airlift of SAC personnel and equipment during exercises and overseas deployments . The Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) was the primary operator until January 1966 , when the organization was retitled Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) . Within a few years following the formation of MAC , the last remaining examples were transferred to the Air Force Reserve ( AFRES ) and the Air National Guard ( ANG ) , said transfers being complete by 1970 . The first ANG unit to receive the C - 124C , the 165th Tactical Airlift Group ( now known as the 165th Airlift Wing ) of the Georgia Air National Guard was the last Air Force unit to retire their aircraft ( AF Serial No . " 52 - 1066 " and " 53 - 0044 " ) in September 1974 .