North Star CL-2 C-54
Canadair's North Star was designed as a transatlantic and domestic passenger plane. First flown in 1946, it became a world-record holder by 1947 flying at record speed from Montreal to London, Shannon and Vancouver.
24 C-54s were purchased by the RCAF for transport, although some were used for scientific purposes, like researching cloud properties and experimenting with de-icing equipment.
Like the CL-4 Argonaut and C-5 VIP transport, the North Star was part of the DC-4 conversion program. The North Star fleet was often criticized in the media as a "death trap", but compared to the track record of many other planes at that time, it had a great safety record.
The only remaining C-54 in existence belongs to the National Aviation Museum.
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