Good Goshamighty
Boeing has flown the damndest aircraft you’ve ever seen from Taipei to Seattle. Called the Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), the airplane looks like somebody stuck a 747 into a giant hot dog bun. That’s logical enough since it’s an adaptation of the 747-400. It will be used to carry the wings of the new Boeing Dreamliner—expected out in 2008—from the Orient to the USA.
Could anybody over 50 possibly look at this behemoth without thinking of the Guppy airplanes of yore? I doubt it. In fact, can anyone who ever saw a Guppy ever forget that unbelievable first impression? I can’t.
The Guppy was largely the brainchild of John Conroy and Lee Mansdorf. An extensive modification of another Boeing, the 377 Stratocruiser, the Guppy was built for the sole purpose of transporting booster rockets from California to Florida for one customer, NASA.
The Guppy didn’t look like it could possibly fly. For the initial test flight the guvmint evacuated buildings along the planned route and forbade any deviation from that route. It took off, flew, and landed to much amazement and awe. When a reporter asked Conroy if he was relieved, he said. “Oh no. We weren’t worried about this one. It’s the big one we’re worried about.”
There are a few Guppies still around—I saw one at a recent Oshkosh Airventure—and they don’t look a bit more believable today than they did 40 years ago.
Now cometh the Boeing Large Cargo Freighter. It is certainly not as unwieldy looking as the Guppy, but it is huge. Boeing says it will carry more than three times the cargo of a 747-400 by volume. Whereas the Guppy was loaded through a swingaway nose, the LCF is loaded through a swingaway tail. You can find a picture of the LCF and related story here on Airport Business, so you can look for yourself. It is awesome.
You can also link to Boeing’s Press Release and further photos by clicking here.
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Ms. Seymour–
Great story! I had not heard it before. Von Braun learned to fly at my old alma mater, Huntsville Aviation in Huntsville, AL. (By the way, I think you meant to say Marshall, rather than Goddard.) To my great regret, I never met von Braun, as I got here in 1978, years after he died. I did, however, do much of the writing of his bio when he was inducted into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame. I still consider that a great honor.
Thanks for writing,
Ralph Hood
Thanks for the Guppy story. The Guppy at Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson is one of the “older” models. Favorite story I was told when doing an article about it: seems that Conroy and friends had run out of money but had to take Guppy to Goddard Space Center for final acceptance and approval by Werner von Braun. They landed at Bartlesville, OK but didn’t have money enough to pay for fuel. Phillips 66 gassed the machine and sent them on their way. When they landed in Alabama, nobody was willing to fly with them except von Braun and he was told flatly, “Don’t do it.” But he managed to sneak aboard the aircraft, actually flew it, and demanded that it be accepted. So the airplane that was too big to fly and landed nosewheel first because of its length, was part of the space Program for 25 years.
Miriam Seymour
Capt Randy–
I yield to your knowledge, sir, and wonder if there is any part of aviation in the last 70+ years that you missed out on.
Thanks for the comment,
Ralph Hood
Sir Ralfus - Just remember that that NASA Guppy you saw at Oshkosh was a much later and improved version of that converted PAA B-377 that Clay and Jack first flew off of Van Nuys. That first one had the original piston engines (P&W R-4360s) while the later ones all have the turboprop engines, lotta difference.
Some on the Guppy and Joe here:
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/Algranti-OralHist.pdf
Best, Randy