Convair XC-99
| Convair XC-99 | |
|---|---|
 Convair XC-99 |
|
| Type: | Transport plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
November 23, 1947 |
| Commissioning: |
May 26, 1949 |
| Production time: |
Was never mass-produced |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Convair XC-99 was a heavy transport aircraft for military use developed in 1947 by the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation . Only a prototype was built.
history
The USAAF order for the XC-99 was placed in December 1942, but the first flight did not take place until November 23, 1947. Almost two years later, on May 26, 1949, the prototype with the registration number 43-52436 was delivered to the US Air Force . At that time this machine was one of the largest aircraft in the world.
construction
The concept of the XC-99 was essentially that the wings, including the engines, were taken over from the B-36B practically unchanged and connected to a very spacious, newly designed fuselage. The loading volume was so oversized that only half of the space capacity could be used for cargo loading if the payload restriction was observed. The fuselage cross-section was practically twice that of the B-36. The lower deck, which was divided by the thick wing, was to be used exclusively as a cargo hold. For this purpose, large flaps resembling bomb flaps were provided on the lower hull. The freight could be loaded with four electric winches. As standard, 400 soldiers should be able to be transported on the upper deck. The pressure ventilation of such a large cabin was problematic; The system often failed during the test flights.
The planned production version of the C-99 was to be equipped with turboprop engines ( Pratt & Whitney T34 or Allison T56 ), but was ultimately not built.
Convair also designed a civil version of the XC-99, which was supposed to carry 204 passengers on its two decks, and offered it (also with turboprop propulsion) as "Model 37" (the final designation was "CV373") for the Pan Am airline which, however, opted for the much smaller Douglas DC-7 and Boeing 377 Stratocruiser models . A flying boat variant for the Clipper lines only existed on paper.
The only copy of the XC-99 entered service on May 26, 1949 and assigned to Kelly Air Force Base . For the manufacturing plant, the Air Force and the San Antonio material base (Kelly AFB), both test and transport flights were carried out in the following period. Due to the signs of material fatigue, the aircraft was decommissioned after a last flight on March 19, 1957; repairs were not carried out for cost reasons and because of alternatives.
The aircraft was subsequently used as an exhibit before it was acquired by a sponsoring association in 1993 and donated to the USAF Museum . In January 2004, the dismantling into individual parts and the transport to the museum began. After the restoration, the machine will be exhibited there.
Technical specifications
- Length: 55.5 m
- Span: 69 m
- Wing area: 429.3 m 2
- Max. Takeoff weight: 160 t
- Payload : 50.5 t
- Range : ~ 7,600 km
- Service ceiling : ~ 9,000 m
- Engines: 6 × piston engines Pratt & Whitney R-4360 with 2570 kW (3500 HP) each with pusher propellers
- Top speed: 494 km / h (307 mph)
literature
- Bill Gunston: Capacious Convair. In: Airplane Monthly. February 6, 1978, ISSN 0143-7240 , pp. 60-65.
