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Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar" (Navy designation R4Q) was a U.S. military transport aircraft developed from the World War II Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute. The first C-119 made its initial flight in November 1947, and by the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1,100 C-119s had been built. Its cargo hauling ability earned it the nickname "Flying Boxcar." The Air Force C-119 and Navy R4Q was initially a redesign of the earlier Fairchild C-82 Packet, built between 1945 and 1948. The Packet provided service to the Air Force's Tactical Air Command and Military Air Transport Service for nearly nine years during which time its design was found to have several serious problems. All of these were to be addressed in the C-119. In contrast to the C-82, the cockpit was moved forward to fit flush with the nose rather than its previous location over the cargo compartment. This resulted in more usable cargo space and larger loads than the C-82 could accommodate. The C-119 also featured more powerful engines, and a wider and stronger airframe. The first C-119 prototype (called the XC-82B) first flew in November 1947, with deliveries of C-119B's from Fairchild's Hagerstown, Maryland factory beginning in December 1949. In 1951 Henry J. Kaiser was awarded a contract to assemble additional C-119's at the Kaiser-Fraiser automotive factory located in the former B-24 Liberator plant at Willow Run Airport in Romulus, Michigan. Initially, the Kaiser-built C-119F would differ from the Fairchild aircraft by the use of Wright R-3350-85 Cyclone engines in place of Fairchild's use of the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engine. The Wright engine was a proven design used previously on the B-29, and though it lacked the R-4360's superchargers it proved to be virtually identical in performance, and possibly superior at higher altitudes. Kaiser would build 71 C-119's at Willow Run in 1952 and 1953 (s/n 51-8098 to 51-8168) before converting the factory for a planned production of the Chase C-123 that would never occur. The Kaiser sub-contract was frowned upon by Fairchild, and efforts were made through political channels to stop Kaiser's production, which may have proven successful. Following Kaiser's termination of C-119 production the contract for the C-123 was instead awarded to Fairchild. Most Kaiser-built aircraft were eventually turned over to the South Vietnamese Air Force. number of aircraft were acquired by companies who were contracted by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management to provide airtankers for fighting wildfires. Others were pressed into civilian cargo service. After a series of crashes, the age and safety of the aircraft being used as airtankers became a serious concern, and the U.S. C-119 airtanker fleet was permanently grounded in 1987. Many of these aircraft wound up being provided to museums across the U.S. in a complicated - and ultimately illegal - scheme where stored USAF Lockheed C-130A Hercules transports and Navy P-3 Orion anti-submarine patrol aircraft were provided to the contractors in exchange for the C-119s. General characteristics Crew: 5 Capacity: 62 troops or 35 stretchers Payload: 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) of cargo Length: 86 ft 6 in (26.37 m) Wingspan: 109 ft 3 in (33.30 m) Height: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) Wing area: 1,447 ft² (134.4 m²) Empty weight: 40,000 lb (18,000 kg) Loaded weight: 64,000 lb (29,000 kg) Max takeoff weight: 74,000 lb (34,000 kg) Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-4360-20 radial engines, 3,500 hp (2,611 kW each) each Alternate powerplant: 2× Wright R-3350-85 "Cyclone" radials, 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) each Maximum speed: 296 mph (257 knots, 450 km/h) Range: 2,280 mi (1,980 nm, 3,670 km) Service ceiling: 23,900 ft (7,290 m) Rate of climb: 1,010 ft/min (5.1 m/s) Wing loading: 44 lb/ft² (216 kg/m²) Power/mass: 0.11 hp/lb (180 W/kg) USN 92 René Hieronymus Scale 1:72 Building time 26 hrs.
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