02-17-2012, 09:39 PM
cbelt3 wrote:
One amazing plane was FDR's plane "Sacred Cow". With an elevator in the back so he could get in and out in his wheelchair without anyone seeing.
I don't think the design of the elevator was to prevent FDR from being seen. It was the simplest and most practical way to lift a wheelchair into the airplane regardless of available airfield facilities. To get FDR in through the side would require an elaborate ramp, or a lot of manhandling, or an even more complicated elevator.
Douglas (the builder of the C-54) later incorporated cargo-loading elevator in the C-74 Globemaster I which was large enough to hoist vehicles into the fuselage. Much simpler than trying to shove a truck in through a side door.
Ok ok enough of my geeky airplane trivia.