Fairchild XC-120
| Fairchild XC-120 packing tarpaulin | |
|---|---|
 Composition image of the only XC-120 on the ground & in the air. |
|
| Type: | Transport plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 11, 1950 |
| Production time: |
1950 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Fairchild XC-120 Packplane was an American experimental transport aircraft that first flew in 1950. Developed from the company's C-119 Flying Boxcar , it was unique in its unconventional use of a detachable cargo container that was attached below the fuselage instead of a cargo hold.
construction and development
The XC-120 was based on the airframe of a C-119B ( USAF serial number 48-330, serial number 10312), which was cut off just below the cockpit . The wings were angled upward between the engines and the fuselage, raising the fuselage a few feet and giving the aircraft an inverted seagull wing appearance. Smaller diameter "twin" wheels were installed in front of each of the main landing gear struts to serve as nose wheels while the main struts were extended rearward.
All four landing gear units, in matching “bow” and “main” landing gear cladding, could be raised and lowered like a scissor. This allowed the aircraft to be lowered and the distance to a large number of different transport containers that were planned to be attached below the fuselage to be adjusted. The goal was to pre-load the cargo into the containers, thus speeding up the loading and unloading of cargo.
use
Only one XC-120 was built. Although the aircraft was extensively tested in the early 1950s and made numerous airshow appearances, the project did not go any further. It was tested by Air Proving Ground Command at Eglin Air Force Base , Fla. In 1951 before the project was abandoned in 1952. The only prototype was eventually scrapped.
The designation C-128 was intended for the series aircraft .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 5 (pilot, copilot, flight engineer, two load masters) |
| Payload | 9,072 kg (20,000 lb) (2,700 cu.ft) |
| length | 25.25 m (82 ft 10 in) |
| span | 32.46 m (106 ft 6 in) |
| height | 7.65 m (25 ft 1 in) |
| Wing area | 134.4 m² (1,447 sq ft) |
| Engines | 2 × radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-4360 -20W each with 3,549 PS (2,610 kW) starting power |
| Top speed | 450 km / h (243 kts) |
| Range | 2,832 km (1,529 NM) |
| Service ceiling | 7,286 m (23,900 ft) |
| Rate of climb | 308 m / min (1,010 ft / min) |
See also
In the helicopter sector, similar concepts with exchangeable underfloor payloads or exchangeable cabins were implemented on the Kamow Ka-26 and Mil Mi-10 types in the Soviet Union and on the Sikorsky S-60 in the USA.
Web links
- Video about the XC-120
- The XC-120 on Global Security
Individual evidence
- ↑ Michael O'Leary: Those Fabulous Flops . In: air progress . November 1978.
- ↑ Staff, "XC -120 Goes to Eglin for Tests" , "Aviation Week", June 11, 1951, Vol. 54, No. 24, p. 15th
- ↑ 1946–1948 USAAF-USAF serial numbers . In: joebaugher.com . Retrieved August 7, 2017.
- ↑ "Cargo Carrier Concept"