C-97 Stratofreighter

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C-97 Stratofreighter
Type Strategic freighter
Manufacturer Boeing
Designed by Boeing
Maiden flight 1945
Introduced 1947
Retired 1978
Status Retired
Primary user United States Air Force
Produced 60
Developed from B-50 Superfortress
Variants KC-97 Stratotanker
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
Aero Spacelines Super Guppy

The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a militarized Model 377 optimized for long range heavy cargo transport. The C-97 was based on the highly successful B-29 bomber.

Contents

The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was developed towards the end of World War II by fitting an enlarged upper fuselage onto a lower fuselage and wings which were essentially the same as the B-50 Superfortress with the tail, wing, and engine layout being nearly identical.

The prototype XC-97 was powered by the 2,200 hp (1,640 kW) Wright R-3350 engine, and was fitted with a built-in ramp and a hoist to help in the loading and unloading of supplies and personnel through the large clamshell-type doors in the belly. On January 11. 1945 the first prototype flew from Seattle to Washington, DC in 6 hours 4 minutes, an average speed of 383 mph (616 km/h) with 20,000 pounds of cargo, which was for its time rather impressive for such a large aircraft. Production models featured the 3500 hp (2,610 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major engine, the same engine as the B-50.

The C-97 had a useful payload of 35,000 lb (16 t) and could carry two normal trucks or light tanks. The C-97 was also the first mass produced air transport to feature cabin pressurization, which made long range missions somewhat more comfortable for the crew and passengers.

C-97s evacuated casulaties during the Korean War. The USAF Strategic Air Command operated C-97 Stratofreighters from 1949 through 1978. Early in its service life, it served as an airborn alternative SAC command post. Only 60 C-97 transport were built, from which it can be inferred that the design was not highly successful. But the KC-97 Stratotanker, designed for inflight refueling, proved quite popular. The civilian derivative of the C-97 was the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, a highly influential early transoceanic air liner.

Two C-97s are still airworthy at the present day, one operated as a privately-owned warbird, the other operated as a fire bomber in the United States.

The following USAF wing organizations flew the various KC-97 models at some time during their existence:

C-97G at the Milestones of Flight Museum, Fox Field, Lancaster, California
C-97G at the Milestones of Flight Museum, Fox Field, Lancaster, California


  • C-97G serial 52-2718 "Angel of Deliverance" is under restoration to flight status by Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation. [1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 4:
  • Length: 110 ft 4 in (33.7 m)
  • Wingspan: 141 ft 3 in (43.1 m)
  • Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.7 m)
  • Wing area: 1,734 ft² (161.1 m²)
  • Empty weight: 82,500 lb (37,410 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 120,000 lb (54,420 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 175,000 lb (79,370 kg)
  • Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engines, 3,500 hp (2,610 kW) each

Performance

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Designation sequence

Related lists

See also

v • d • e
Boeing military tranport and support aircraft

Piston-engined transports: C-73 · C-75 · C-97 · C-98

Jet transports: C-135 · C-137 · SAM 26000 · SAM 27000 · CC-137 · YC-14 · C-17 · C-22 · VC-25A · C-32 · C-40

Tanker-transports: KB-29 · KB-50 · KC-97 · KC-135 · KC-137 · KC-10 · KC-767

Trainers: PT-13/PT-17/PT-18/PT-27 · T-43 · T-45

Surveillance: EC-135 · EC-18 · E-3 · E-4 · E-6 · E-8 · E-10 · E-767 · 737 AEW&C

Reconnaissance: NC-135 · OC-135B · RC-135 · WC-135

Experimental: X-20 · X-36 · X-37 · X-40 · Bird of Prey · UAVs: X-50 · A160
v • d • e
B-29 Superfortress family
Bombers

B-29 · KB-29 · XB-39 · XB-44 · B-50 · KB-50 · B-54 · Tu-4 · Tu-80 · Tu-85
Tankers/Transports

C-97 · KC-97 · Pregnant Guppy · Super Guppy · Mini Guppy · Tu-75
Airliners
v • d • e
Lists relating to aviation
General Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Military Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable incidents
and accidents		 Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths
Records Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-97_Stratofreighter"
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