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Fighter / Attack:
   Bell P-39 Airacobra
   Bell P-63 Kingcobra
   Brewster Buffalo
   Chance-Vought F-4U Corsair
   Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
   Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
   Douglas A-1 Skyraider
   Douglas A-26 Invader
   Douglas SBD Dauntless
   Fairey Firefly
   Focke-Wulf Fw 190
   Grumman F4F Wildcat
   Grumman F6F Hellcat
   Grumman F7F Tigercat
   Grumman F8F Bearcat
   Grumman TBF Avenger
   Hawker Hurricane
   Hawker Sea Fury
   Lockheed P-38 Lightning
   Messerschmitt Bf-109
   Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen
   North American P-51 Mustang

   Polikarpov I-16
   Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
   Supermarine Spitfire
   Yakovlev Yak-3
   Yakovlev Yak-9


Trainers:
  
Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan (C-45)
   Beechcraft T-34 Mentor
   Boeing / Stearman PT-17

   Commonwealth CA-25 Winjeel
   Commonwealth CA-1 Wirraway
   DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk
   DeHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth
   Fairchild PT-19 Cornell
   Hunting / Percival Provost
   Meyers OTW
   Nanchang CJ-6
   Naval Aircraft Factory N3N
   N. Am. BT-9 / BT-14 / Yale
   N. Am. T-6 Texan / SNJ / Harvard
   N. American T-28 Trojan

   Piaggio P149
   Ryan PT-22 Recruit

   Scottish Aviation T1 Bulldog
   Vultee BT-13 Valiant
   Yakovlev Yak-11
   Yakovlev Yak-18
   Yakovlev Yak-52


Bombers:
   Avro Lancaster
   Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
   Boeing B-29 Superfortress
   Bristol Blenheim / Bolingbroke
   Consolidated B-24 Liberator
   Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

   Douglas A-3 Skywarrior
   DeHavilland Mosquito
   Fairey Swordfish
   Heinkel He-111 / Casa 2.111

   Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon / Ventura
   Martin B-26 Marauder
   North American B-25 Mitchell


Transports:
   Beechcraft C-45 (AT-11)

   Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter (KC-97)
   Curtiss C-46 Commando
   Douglas C-47 Skytrain / Dakota
   Douglas C-54 Skymaster

   Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
   Fairchild C-123 Provider
   Grumman C-1 Trader (S-2)
   Lockheed C-60 Lodestar
   Lockheed C-69 Constellation


Utility / Observation / Special Duty:
   Aeronca L-3 Grasshopper
   Aeronca L-16 Grasshopper
   Antonov AN-2 Colt
   Auster AOP 6/9
   Avro 652 Anson
   Avro Shackleton
   British Taylorcraft I-V
   Cessna L-19 / O-1 Bird Dog
   Cessna O-2 Super Skymaster
   Cessna T-50 / UC-78 Bobcat
   Consolidated PBY Catalina

   DeHavilland U-6A / L-20 Beaver
   Fairey Gannet
   Fairey Swordfish
   Fieseler Fi156 Storch
   Grumman S-2 Tracker (C-1)
   Grumman HU-16 Albatross
   Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
   Junkers Ju 52/3m

   Lockheed P2V Neptune
   Max Holste M.H.1521 Broussard
   Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun

   Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman
   North American L-17 Navion
   N. Am./ Rockwell OV-10 Bronco
   Piper L-4 Grasshopper
   Stinson L-5 Sentinel
   Taylorcraft L-2 Grasshopper
   Westland Lysander


Jets:
   Aero L-29 Delfin
   Aero L-39 Albatros
   Aermacchi MB-326
   Avro Vulcan
   BAC Strikemaster
   Blackburn (BAC) Buccaneer
   Canadair Tutor
   Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
   DeHavilland Vampire
   DeHavilland Venom
   English Electric Canberra
   English Electric Lightning
   Folland Gnat
   Fouga CM-170 Magister
   Gloster Meteor
   Grumman F9F Panther
   Hawker Hunter
   Hispano HA-200 Saeta
   Hunting Jet Provost
   Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
   Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
   McDonnell-Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
   McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom
   Messerschmitt Me-262
   Mikoyan MiG-15
   Mikoyan MiG-17
   Mikoyan MiG-21
   N. Am. F-86 Sabre / FJ-4 Fury
   N. Am. F-100 Super Sabre
   N. Am. / Rockwell T-2 Buckeye
   Northrop T-38 Talon / F-5
   PZL / WSK TS-11 Iskra
   Saab J35 Draken
   Soko G-2A Galeb
   Temco Pinto & Super Pinto


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Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar

(Variants/Other Names: See History below)


Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar
Fairchild C-119 "Jet-Pack" version, N5216R, operated by
Hawkins and Powers Aviation, Greybull, Wyoming, USA.

(Photo source unknown. Please contact us if you deserve credit.)

History: The C-119 was a redesign of an earlier Fairchild transport design, the C-82 Packet, which was built for the USAAF between 1945 and 1948. While the Packet provided valuable service to the Air Force's Tactical Air Command and Military Air Transport Service for nearly nine years, its design had some limitations, and these were addressed in the new C-119 transport.

First, the cockpit was moved into the nose of the airplane from its previous location over the cargo compartment. This resulted in much more usable cargo space and larger loads. The C-119 also featured more powerful engines (Pratt & Whitney R-4360s), a widened fuselage, and a strengthened structure. The first C-119 prototype (actually called the XC-82B) flew in 1947, and deliveries began in December 1949 as the C-119B.

The C-119B saw extensive action in Korea and Vietnam, and many were provided to other nations as part of the Military Assistance Program, including Belgium, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Nationalist China, and South Vietnam. The type was also used by the Royal Canadian Air Force, and by the US Marine Corps under the designations R4Q-1 and R4Q-2.

It was in Vietnam that the lowly troop-carrying C-119 took on various tactical, offensive roles which its designers never could have foreseen. In its AC-119G "Shadow" variant, it was fitted with four six-barrel 7.62-mm mini-guns, armor plating, flare-launchers, and night-capable infrared equipment. Now a potent weapon, the C-119 was made even more so by the introduction of the AC-119K "Stinger," which featured the addition of two 20-mm cannon, improved avionics, and two underwing-mounted J-85-GE-17 turbojet engines, adding nearly 6,000 lbs. of thrust.

Other major variants included the EC-119J, used for satellite tracking; and the YC-119H Skyvan, with larger wings and tail. Another variant still seen today is the "Jet-Pack" version, which incorporates a 3,400-lb thrust Westinghouse J34 turbojet engine in a nacelle above the fuselage. In a reversal of the normal course of events when airplanes are improved and modified, most variants after the C-119B incorporated lower-powered Wright R-3350 Cyclone engines.

After its retirement from active duty, many C-119s soldiered on in the US Air National Guard until the mid-1970s, and until recently they were still in use by the Taiwanese Air Force. In recent years, several civilian-operated C-119s have found work as firebombers in the northwest United States, and a few have even begun making appearances at warbird airshows.    

Nicknames: Crowd Killer; Dollar-19; Shadow (AC-119G gunship); Stinger (AC-119K gunship).

Specifications (C-119G):
        Engines: Two 3,500-hp Wright R-3350-85 Cyclone radial piston engines.
        Weight: Empty 39,982 lbs., Max Takeoff 74,000 lbs.
        Wing Span: 109ft. 3in.
        Length: 86ft. 6in.
        Height: 26ft. 4in.
        Performance:
            Maximum Speed: 296 mph.
            Cruising Speed: 200 mph.
            Range: 2,280 miles
        Armament: None (For gunship armament see History above.)

Number Built: Approximately 1184.

Number Still Airworthy: ~3.

Links:
12th Troop Carrier (T.C.) Squadron -- Harry Dunn's history of the C-119.
FlyingBoxcar.com -- A tribute to the last C-119s flying in Alaska.
OldProps C-119 Page -- A tribute and photo essay on the C-119, including a list of surviving C-119s.
Ruud Leeuw's C-119 History pages -- An extensive collection of photos, histories and stories.

 

C-119 Flying Boxcar book from Amazon.com:
 

 

 

 


Fairchild AC-119K Stinger
By Peter Michas



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All text and photos Copyright 2016 The Doublestar Group, unless otherwise noted.
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