Aero Spacelines Super Guppy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_S...es_Super_Guppy

The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft that is
used for hauling outsize cargo components. It was the successor to the Pregnant
Guppy, the first of the Guppy aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines. Five were
built in two variants, both of which were colloquially referred to as the "Super
Guppy".

The Super Guppy is "the only airplane in the world capable of carrying a
complete S-IVB stage", the third stage of the Saturn V rocket. The Super Guppy
performed this role several times during the Apollo program.

The first, the Super Guppy, or "SG", was built directly from the fuselage of a
C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser, the military version of the 1950s Boeing 377
Stratocruiser passenger plane. The fuselage was lengthened to 141 feet (43 m),
and ballooned out to a maximum inside diameter of 25 ft (7.6 m), the length of
the cargo compartment being 94 ft 6 in (28.8 m). The floor of the cargo
compartment was still only 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m) wide, as necessitated by the use of
the Stratocruiser fuselage.

In addition to the fuselage modifications, the Super Guppy used Pratt & Whitney
T-34-P-7WA turboprop engines for increased power and range, and modified wing
and tail surfaces. It could carry a load of 54,000 pounds (24,000 kg) and cruise
at 300 mph (480 km/h).

The second version was officially known as the Super Guppy Turbine (SGT),
although it used turboprop engines like the first Super Guppy. This variant used
Allison 501-D22C turboprops. Unlike the previous Guppy, the main portion of its
fuselage was constructed from scratch. By building from scratch, Aero Spacelines
was able to widen the floor of the cargo compartment to 13 ft (4.0 m). The
overall cargo-compartment length was increased to 111 ft 6 in (34.0 m), and the
improved fuselage and engines allowed for a maximum load of 52,500 lb (23,800
kg). These design improvements, combined with a pressurized crew cabin that
allowed for higher-altitude cruising, allowed the SGT to transport more cargo
than its predecessors.

The SGT retained only the cockpit, wings, tail, and main landing gear of the
377. The nose gear was taken from a Boeing 707 and rotated 180 degrees. This
dropped the front of the aircraft slightly, leveling the cargo-bay floor and
simplifying loading operations.

In the early 1970s, the two Super Guppy Turbines were used by Airbus to
transport aeroplane parts from decentralised production facilities to the final
assembly plant in Toulouse. In 1982 and 1983, two additional Super Guppy
Turbines were built by Union de Transports Aériens Industries in France after
Airbus bought the right to produce the aircraft. The four Super Guppies have
since been replaced by the Airbus Beluga, capable of carrying twice as much
cargo by weight.

Variants

Aero Spacelines B-377-SG Super Guppy, prototype of a much enlarged version of
the Guppy using C-97J components, powered by four Pratt & Whitney T-34-P-7WA
turbo-prop engines.

Aero Spacelines B-377-SGT Super Guppy Turbine (Guppy 201), production version
powered by Allison 501-D22C turbo-prop engines, using an enlarged cargo section
built from scratch instead of being converted from original C-97J components.


Role
Outsize cargo aircraft

Manufacturer
Aero Spacelines / Airbus

First flight
August 31, 1965

Status
Active, operated by NASA

Primary users
Aero Spacelines
NASA, Airbus, Aeromaritime

Number built
1 SG, 4 SGT

Developed from
C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser
377 Stratocruiser
Pregnant Guppy (fourth SGT built with cannibalized pieces from PG)

Specifications (Super Guppy Turbine)

General characteristics
Crew: Four
Length: 143 ft 10 in (43.84 m)
Wingspan: 156 ft 3 in (47.625 m)
Height: 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m)
Wing area: 1,964.6 ft2 (182.51 m2)
Empty weight: 101,500 lb (46,039 kg)
Useful load: 54,500 lb (24,720 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 170,000 lb (77,110 kg)
Cargo bay dimensions: 111 ft × 25 ft × 25 ft (33.8 m × 7.62 m × 7.62 m)
Powerplant: 4 × Allison 501-D22C turboprops, 4,680 hp (3,491 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 250 knots (288 mph, 463 km/h)
Cruise speed: 220 knots (253 mph, 407 km/h (economical cruise at 20,000 feet
MSL))
Range: 1,734 nm (1,986 mi, 3,219 km)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (certificated ceiling) (7620 m)
Wing loading: 86.5 lb/ft2 (422.5 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 9.08 lb/hp (5.52 kg/kW)




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