Boeing C-97G Stratofreighter- Pima ASM,Tucson, AZ - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long range heavy military cargo aircraft based on the B-29 bomber. Design work began in 1942, with the prototype's first flight being on 9 November 1944, and the first production aircraft entered service in 1947. Between 1947 and 1958, 888 C-97s in several variants were built-816 of them KC-97 tankers. C-97s served in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Some aircraft served as flying command posts for the Strategic Air Command (SAC), while others were modified for use in Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadrons (ARRS).

The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was developed towards the end of WW 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. It was built before the death of Boeing president, Philip G Johnson. It can be easily distinguished from the 377 Stratocruiser airliner by the radar "beak" radome beneath the nose, and by the flying boom and jets on later tanker models.

The prototype XC-97 was powered by the 2,200hp/1,640kW Wright R-3350 engine, the same as the B-29. This aircraft and the other pre-production examples were fitted with a shorter fin and rudder than used subsequently. The C-97 had clamshell doors under the tail so a retractable ramp could be used to drive in equipment. It also 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. But unlike the later Lockheed C-130 Hercules, it was not designed as a combat transport which could deliver directly to primitive forward bases using relatively short takeoffs and landings. The rear ramp could not be used in flight for air drops.

On 9 January 1945, the first prototype, piloted by Maj Curtin L Reinhardt, flew from Seattle to Washington, DC, in 6 hours 4 minutes, an average speed of 383mph/616kph with 20,000lb of cargo, which was for its time rather impressive for such a large aircraft. Production models featured the 3,500hp/2,610kW Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major engine, the same engine as the B-50.

The C-97 had a useful payload of 35,000lb/16t and could carry two normal trucks, towed artillery or light tracked vehicles such as the M56 Scorpion. 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.

One YC-97A (45-9595) was used in the Berlin Airlift during April 1949 operating for the 1st Strategic Support Squadron. It suffered a landing gear accident at Rhein Main Air Base and by the time it was repaired, the Soviet Blockade was lifted.

C-97s evacuated casualties during the Korean War. C-97s also participated in the airlift of relief materials to Uli airstrip (Biafra) during the Nigerian Civil War. Flying under the cover of darkness and at treetop level to evade radar, at least two C-97s were lost. The USAF SAC operated C-97 Stratofreighters from 1949 through 1978. Early in its service life, it served as an airborne alternative SAC command post. While only 60 C-97 transports were built, 816 were built as KC-97 Stratotankers for inflight refueling. The civilian derivative of the C-97 was the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, a very luxurious transoceanic air liner which featured a lower deck lounge and could be fitted with sleeper cabins.

Two C-97s are still airworthy at the present day, one, s/n 52-2718, named "Angel of Deliverance", operated as a privately-owned warbird, the other operated as a fire bomber in the United States.

The Israelis turned to Stratocruisers and KC-97s when they could not buy the highly regarded C-130. The Israelis adapted Boeing 377 Stratocruiser airliners into transports, many included the C-97 tail sections and loading ramp.Others were adapted with swiveling tails and refueling pods. One Israeli C-97 was downed by an Egyptian SA-2 Guideline missile in the early 1970s, while flying as an electronic counter-measures platform some 12 miles from the Suez Canal.

Source: Wikipedia

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Boeing C-97G Stratofreighter Tail Number: (S/N): s/n 52-2626 r/n HB-ILY Construction:: original aircraft Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Located at Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ inside / outside: outside Other Information:: Pima Air & Space Museum 6000 E Valencia Rd Tucson, Arizona 85756 Phone 520-574-0462 Open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Daily Last admittance at 4:00 PM $15.50-Adults $12.50-Pima Co Residents $12.75-Seniors $ 9.00-Children FREE---Children 6 & under $ 7.00-AMARG $13.50-Group Rate Access restrictions: None

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/11/2015 NW_history_buff visited it