Small · ICAO M404

Martin 404

The Martin 4-0-4 was an American short-haul airliner built after the Second World War to replace older DC-3s on domestic routes. It had a pressurised cabin and a distinctive nose-wheel layout, but it faced fierce competition from Convair and eventually from turboprops. Many later flew as commuter aircraft and freighters after the major airlines retired them. Its last significant passenger service in the United States ended only in the 1980s, long after its 1950 debut.

Martin 404, example photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Richard Vandervord · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Did you know?

The Martin 404 was a postwar pressurised airliner built to replace the DC-3, though most ended their careers as commuter and freight aircraft.

Specifications

Length21.5 m (71 ft)
Wingspan28.4 m (93 ft)
Height8.1 m (27 ft)
Maximum passengers50
Persons on board40
Crew3
Maximum take-off weight21 t
Range1,600 NM (2,963 km)
Maximum speed280 kt (519 km/h)
Stall speed70 kt (130 km/h)
Service ceiling25,000 ft (7,620 m)
Optimum ceiling14,500 ft (4,420 m)
Rate of climb1,905 ft/min (9.7 m/s)
Take-off distance600 m (1,969 ft)
Engines2x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-CB16
Units built103

Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.

In CatchFlights

In CatchFlights the Martin 404 starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.

A catch counts for the manufacturer Martin, the 404 family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.

Catch it yourself.CatchFlights shows the aircraft flying near you on a radar, so a type like this one is only a catch away when it passes overhead. Explore CatchFlights.

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