Ad: Magic Carpet (Jan, 1953)

The plane that helped win the war now helps win the peace
—the Douglas C-54
Last August nearly 4,000 Moslem pilgrims bound for Mecca were stranded in Beirut 800 miles from the holy city.

In one of the finest demonstrations of international good will, the Department of Defense provided a “magic carpet” in the form of the Military Air Transport Service to speed these pilgrims on their way.

Fourteen U.S. Air Force Douglas C-54s roared into Beirut from Europe and Tripoli and then flew the 12-hour shuttle to Jidda (near Mecca). Four days later the last pilgrim arrived at Jidda with two hours to spare.

The performance of the rugged C-54 on this occasion was in keeping with the history of this great airplane. For it was the C-54 which flew billions of transport miles during the war and performed so nobly on the “Berlin Airlift!’

Again the C-54 proves Douglas leadership in aviation. Planes which can be produced swiftly and in quantity, to fly farther and faster with a bigger pay load, are a basic Douglas concept.

Depend on DOUGLAS - First in Aviation