Story and photos by Scott Jankowski with additional photos courtesy of Mr. Del Laughery
EAA AirVenture always brings together a wide array and variety of unique aircraft, 2026 had several first-time visitors that fit into this category. One of these first-time visitors to Oshkosh, and its first ever visit to the United States was the Salzburg Austria based Flying Bulls which made Oshkosh its only public air show appearance in the United States. The Flying Bulls brought two iconic aircraft to AirVenture, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the classic Douglas DC-6B. This DC-6B is the only operational passenger configured DC-6 in the world out of a total of seven hundred and four airframes produced during its production run from 1946-1958.
**Please note some of these are scans of postcards or of file photos**
The Douglas DC-6 also known as the “Cloudmaster” is a piston powered transcontinental passenger and cargo aircraft manufactured at Santa Monica and Long Beach California. The DC-6 was operated by several major U.S. and foreign airlines and included United Airlines, American Airlines, Braniff Airlines, Pan Am, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and SAS. Fairbanks Alaska based Everts Air still flies the DC-6 in a cargo configuration with 4 aircraft in its fleet. The United States Air Force version was designated the C-118 Liftmaster with the United States Navy version originally designated the R6D before adopting the same designation in 1962 as the United States Air Force. The Air Force and the Navy used the C-118/R6D extensively as a strategic airlifter, troop transport, and medical evacuation aircraft during the Korean War. The DC-6 was produced in several different variants including the initial production version of the DC-6, the DC-6A was a passenger/freighter variant that had a cargo door, the DC-6B which did not have a cargo door, the DC-6C was a convertible cargo/passenger variant, along with the C-118/R6D produced for the U.S. military, and the special one off VC-118 “Independence” the presidential transport of Harry S. Truman from 1947 to 1953.
**Please note some of these are scans of postcards or of file photos**
The DC-6 could carry anywhere from 42-89 passengers depending on the configuration, can carry up to 28,000 pounds of cargo, and has a maximum range of 3.900 nautical miles depending on the payload and fuel load. The DC-6 is powered by four Pratt&Whitney R-2800 “Double Wasp” piston engines each generating between 2,400 to 2,500 horsepower with water injection. This gives the DC-6 a top speed of 315 miles per hour with a maximum service ceiling of 25,000 feet. The DC-6 is 105 feet 7 inches long and has a wingspan of 117 feet 6 inches.
The DC-6 was born out of the XC-112 project which was a United States Army Air Forces request for a modernized, lengthened fuselage, and pressurized version of the DC-4 based C-54 Skymaster. The prototype XC-112A first flew on February 15th, 1946, but by that time World War II was over, the United States Army Air Forces terminated its request. Douglas Aircraft would modify the YC-112A into a civilian aircraft and would designate the aircraft as the DC-6 which first flew on June 29th, 1946. The first airframes would be delivered to American and United Airlines on November 24th, 1946.
**Please note some of these are scans of postcards or of file photos**
The Flying Bulls Douglas DC-6B was built in 1958 at the Douglas Plant located in Santa Monica California as construction number 45563 and delivered to Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) on October 29th, 1958. In 1961 the aircraft was converted to a VIP transport for Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito until 1975. In 1975 the aircraft was sold to the Zambian Air Force and acted as the VIP Transport of Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda until 1994. The aircraft was abandoned at Lusaka International Airport when the manager of a small company based out of Windhoek Zambia, Namibia Commercial Aviation acquired it with the intent of restoring it along with another DC-6. Due to circumstances out of Commercial Aviation’s control this particular airframe needed to be sold. This is where the Flying Bulls came on to the scene when the Chief Pilot of the Flying Bulls spotted the aircraft for sale and proceeded to purchase the aircraft in 2000. It would depart Windhoek on July 7th, 2000, and after a flawless 28 hours in the air and 4 stops later they would touch down at the Flying Bulls base at Salzburg Austria. In 2001 the aircraft was reregistered N996DM with restoration work beginning in April of that year.
After three years of meticulous restoration work the aircraft rolled out of the hanger. It would carry the N996DM registration for a total of 13 years before receiving its Austrian registration OE-LDM, making it the first and only DC-6 to ever carry an Austrian registration. This aircraft underwent an entire zero hour restoration from new engines, avionics, a custom interior, and a custom-made bar. This aircraft is in pristine condition with polished wood paneling and accents. The interior comprises blue leather seats with a “U” shaped couch in the rear of the cabin. The cockpit is a mixture of vintage and modern instrumentation. The Flying Bulls use this beautiful aircraft as a luxury transport, for sightseeing flights, promotional flights, and for display at airshows all from its base at Hanger 7 at the Salzburg International Airport.
The Flying Bulls/Red Bull comprises over 40 aircraft which includes World War II Warbirds, helicopters, aerobatic aircraft and much more. The Flying Bulls collection was started in the late 1980’s by Sigi Angerer a pilot with Tyrolean Airlines started restoring historic aircraft like the North American T-28 Trojan and the Chance Vought F4U-4 Corsair. In 1999 Angerer met Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, with the rise in popularity of the Red Bull Energy Drink (whose advertising slogan is quite appropriate “Red Bull gives you wings”) a partnership was born and the Flying Bulls were officially founded with Mateschitz’ s backing.
In December of 2025 it was announced that the DC-6B would make the 4,4545-mile journey from Salzburg to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2026. This would be a perfect journey for this Douglas classic to stretch its wings as it was built for Transcontinental trips like this. Pan Am used the DC-6B to start transatlantic flights from the United States to Europe in 1952. The DC-6B would not make this journey alone. A 1944 vintage Lockheed P-38L-5LO Lightning construction number 422-8509 and carried United States Army Air Force serial number 44-53254 accompanied the DC-6B. This P-38 was converted into an F-5G Photo Reconnaissance platform before it was sold in 1946 for $1,500. It received the registration it still carries today of N25Y. The aircraft would be modified into an air racer, and once its racing career was over the Commemorative Air Force took possession of the aircraft in 1963 and would operate it for decades. In 2001 it suffered significant damage in a forced landing incident in Mississippi. The aircraft would be restored by Ezell Aviation out of Breckenridge Texas; it would take to the skies again in 2008. The aircraft was acquired by the Flying Bulls in 2004 and was shipped to Germany to in 2009 before it was flown to the Salzburg Austria base in 2009 making it the only P-38 in Europe.
A total of 10,037 P-38’s were built and was designed by the fabled Lockheed “Skunk Works” out of Burbank California as a high-altitude interceptor, bomber escort, and fighter bomber. The first prototype P-38 flew on June 27th, 1939, with the United States Army Air Force introducing the P-38 into service in July of 1941. The P-38 is powered by a pair of super turbocharged 12-cylinder Allison V-1710 engines fitted with counter rotating propellers making it the first military aircraft to fly faster than 400 miles per hour in level flight. The P-38 has a combat range of 1,300 miles and carries a combination of bombs ranging from 250 pounds up to 2,000 pounds, rockets, drop tanks, along with a 20mm cannon and four 12.7-millimeter machine guns fitted in the nose. Several notable United States Army Air Force pilots flew the P-38 and included Brigadier General Robin Olds (with five confirmed kills), Major Thomas McGuire (with 38 confirmed kills), and Major Dick Bong (with 40 confirmed kills) making him America’s top ace. P-38’s were also responsible for the shoot down of the Mitsubishi G4M Betty that was carrying the mastermind of the Pearl Harbor Attack Admiral Isoruko Yamamoto, over the jungles of Bougainville Island codenamed “Operation Vengeance”. The United States Army Air Force/United States Air Force would operate the P-38 until 1949 and flew with the Honduran Air Force until 1965.
The Flying Bulls journey to Oshkosh included enroute stops in the United Kingdom, Iceland, Newfoundland, New York and Illinois and arrived at Oshkosh on Sunday July 19th. The team flew in the airshows several times and would remain in Oshkosh until departing for Minnesota on Sunday July 26th. Both of these aircraft spent the majority of their time displayed on Boeing Plaza, which is show center during their time at AirVenture 2026. The DC-6B shared ramp space with another Douglas classic, the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundations Douglas C-54D Skymaster named the “Spirit of Freedom”.
It took months and months of planning on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean to bring these beautiful aircraft to the United States. It is incredible to think that this DC-6B has not graced the skies over North America since it left the Santa Monica California production line some 68 years ago. It took a considerable amount of determination and teamwork to bring these aircraft to Oshkosh as well as preserving, maintaining, and operating them. The fact that these aircraft made it to Oshkosh with no concerns or problems is a testimony to everyone that plays a part in keeping these aircraft in our skies. The Flying Bulls visit to AirVenture was definitely an “Oshkosh Only” moment. Until next time, “Blue Skies To All!”
I would like to personally thank everyone with the Flying Bulls for their help in making this article possible. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Steph Stricklin for everything.
