Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: earl1937 on December 24, 2013, 09:29:33 AM
-
:airplane: One of the truly great transports of the 40's and 50's was the Convair C-99. This aircraft flew first in 1947 and was delivered to the USAF in 1949. It was huge by any standard of measurement, based on the B-36 "Peace Maker", it was actually 28 feet longer, but still powered by the same R-4360 P&W engines. The wing length was the same, 230 feet, but J-47 jet engines were never installed on this aircraft.
(http://i1346.photobucket.com/albums/p684/earl1937/800px-1700_ATG_Convair_XC-99_1954_zps46dec310.jpg)
In July 1950 the XC-99 flew its first cargo mission, "Operation Elephant." It transported 101,266 pounds (45,933 kg) of cargo, including engines and propellers for the B-36, from San Diego to Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, a record it would later break when it lifted 104,000 lb (47,200 kg) from an airfield at 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation. In August 1953, the XC-99 would make its longest flight, 12,000 mi (19,000 km), to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, by way of Bermuda and the Azores. It carried more than 60,000 lb (27,000 kg) each way. It attracted much attention everywhere it flew.
The US Air Force determined that it had no need for such a large, long-range transport at that time, and no more were ordered. The sole XC-99 served until 1957, including much use during the Korean War. It made twice weekly trips from Kelly AFB to the aircraft depot at McClellan AFB, California, transporting supplies and parts for the B-36 bomber while returning by way of other bases or depots making pick-ups and deliveries along the way. During its operational life the XC-99 logged over 7,400 hours total time, and transported more than 60,000,000 lbs of cargo. The aircraft made its last flight on 19 March 1957, landing at Kelly Air Force Base, where it would remain for the next 47 years. The then-United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio, requested that the aircraft be flown there for display, but the Air Force refused due to the $7,400 cost of the flight.
(http://i1346.photobucket.com/albums/p684/earl1937/ramppicofmodel37_zps3646ca95.png)
while this not a good picture of the Model 37, It was to be the civilian version of the C-99 and created enough interest that Pam Am airways ordered 15 of these, but the promised Gas turbine engines were never developed,, the order was canceled.
While the C-99 could carry 400 troops, the model 37 was designed to carry only 200 passengers and with the pencil pushers of the air line finally starting to figure operating cost in the per seat method, even with 200 paying customers on each flight, it couldn't break even with the big R-4360 engines, drinking 60 gal per hour per engine, 360 gal per hour total,
and so another protenial mass transit aircraft never flew.
For those of you who would like more info on the C-99, and read a interesting article written in 1950 by an unnamed reporter, refere to :
http://www.air-and-space.com/xc99.htm
-
:aok
-
Wow. What a plane
-
1964-66 the O'l man got stationed at Kelly. They had one of those parked for walk on exhibit just off the main runway on the public road that ran there. Private property and donations. It was like walking inside of a cathedral for a small boy. Sitting in the cabin we watched B-52 and Phantoms come and go across the road on the main runway.
-
1964-66 the O'l man got stationed at Kelly. They had one of those parked for walk on exhibit just off the main runway on the public road that ran there. Private property and donations. It was like walking inside of a cathedral for a small boy. Sitting in the cabin we watched B-52 and Phantoms come and go across the road on the main runway.
:airplane: the one time I walked around in one at Biggs AFB in El Paso, was this:
(http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac10/townendejt/FEStationonc99_zpseb56666c.jpg) Can you imagine how many hours it would take to remember all of this stuff?