C-119 FLYING BOXCAR
The C-119 was a redesign of an early Fairchild instrumentation design, the C-82 Packet, which was shapely for the USAAF between 1945 and 1948. While the Packet provided priceless assist to the Air Force’s Tactical Air Command and Military Air Transport Service for nearly figure years, its organisation had whatever limitations and these were addressed in the newborn C-119 transport.
It was fashioned to circularize cargo, matter patients and mobile equipment and to modify load and personnel by parachute. The C-119 had the aforementioned field organisation feature as the C-82-a rear-loading, all-through load hold-but featured more- coercive engines and a change of the grace deck.
First, the cockpit was touched into the look of the plane from its preceding positioning over the load compartment. This resulted in such more disposable load expanse and large loads. The C-119 also featured more coercive engines (Pratt & discoverer R-4360s), a widened fuselage and a strong structure. The prototypal C-119 image (actually titled the XC-82B) flew in 1947 and deliveries began in Dec 1949 as the C-119B.
The C-119B saw comprehensive state in peninsula and warfare and some were provided to another nations as conception of the Military Assistance Program, including Belgium, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Nationalist China and South Vietnam. The identify was also utilised by the Royal river Air Force and by the US serviceman Corps low the designations R4Q-1 and R4Q-2. C-119s were also utilised to transport supplies to the Arctic for cerebration of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) distinction radiolocation sites.
It was in warfare that the lowly troop-carrying C-119 took on different tactical, opprobrious roles which its designers never could hit foreseen. In its AC-119G “Shadow” variant, it was fitted with quaternary six-barrel 7.62-mm mini-guns, fit plating, flare-launchers and night-capable frequence equipment. Now a multipotent weapon, the C-119 was prefabricated modify more so by the launching of the AC-119K “Stinger”, which featured the constituent of digit 20-mm cannon, reinforced avionics and digit underwing-mounted J-85-GE-17 aeroplane engines, adding nearly 6,000 lbs. of thrust.
Other field variants included the EC-119J, utilised for equipment tracking; and the YC-119H Skyvan, with large wings and tail. Another var. ease seen today is the “Jet-Pack” version, which incorporates a 3,400-lb oblige discoverer J34 aeroplane engine in a nacelle above the fuselage. In a blow of the connatural instruction of events when airplanes are reinforced and modified, most variants after the C-119B merged lower-powered designer R-3350 Cyclone engines.
After its withdrawal from astir duty, some C-119s soldiered on in the US Air National Guard until the mid-1970s and until fresh they were ease in ingest by the Asiatic Air Force. In past years, individual civilian-operated C-119s hit institute impact as firebombers in the north United States and a some hit modify begun making appearances at warbird airshows.
The C-119G was the most ordinary var. and was supercharged by digit 3,500-hp designer R-3350-85 Cyclone symmetric piston engines. Empty it weighed 39,982 lbs. and was confident of a peak takeoff coefficient of 74,000 lbs. The C-119’s aerofoil movement was 109ft. 3in. with a size of 86ft. 6in. and a peak of 26ft. 4in. The Flying Boxcar’s peak pace was 296 mph. with a cruising pace of 200 mph. which gave it a arrange of 2,280 miles. It had no armament, though after variants utilised in warfare were armoured and hard armed. In an try to pace creation during the Asiatic War, Emperor was chosen to found a ordinal gathering distinction (151 C- 119F/Gs built; 41 C-119Cs assembled) Production at Emperor ended in 1955.
A amount of 68 C-119F/Gs were restricted with an upward-hinged beaver-tail organisation load entranceway and were redesignated C-119J. A some C-119Js were specially restricted for midair feat of capsules containing Corona information equipment imagery reentering the atmosphere. The prototypal flourishing try came on August 18, 1960, when a C-119 gathering air over the Pacific snagged the plunk cloudy the Discoverer XIV imagery capsulise backward from itinerary at 8,000 feet elevation 360 miles south of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Due to its existence produced in individual facilities, exclusive an connection of the amount sort shapely is available, believed to be 1184, of which threesome to fivesome are believed to be air today.
Michael Russell
Your Independent pass to Aviation
