Kiltonge
Greetings Earthling
- Joined
- 24 January 2013
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1963 Steward-Davis conversion of a C-119 which involved cutting-off the main fuselage floor and widening the cargo hold by eight inches. The detached floor then became a pallet onto which various loads such as road-shipping containers could be placed. A 40,000lb capacity hydraulic hoist was installed in the cargo hold roof to lift the palletised load into position. Maximum payload 30,000lb and up to 11ft high.
What's not clear is how the floor was then secured into the fuselage. If the floor didn't sit flush the resulting gap could be sealed with "a roll of heavy-duty plastic"...
The nosewheel was modified to be steerable, motorised and reversible so that the aircraft could taxi backwards over the pallet and load it without the crew leaving the cockpit and without ground support equipment. To facilitate this a hydraulically-actuated rear cargo door would swing up as the aircraft reversed.
Only one press photo seems to have been issued. This example is from Flight, 11 Feb 1965.
Thunderbirds didn't air until September 1965 or I'd say this was inspired by TB2.
What's not clear is how the floor was then secured into the fuselage. If the floor didn't sit flush the resulting gap could be sealed with "a roll of heavy-duty plastic"...
The nosewheel was modified to be steerable, motorised and reversible so that the aircraft could taxi backwards over the pallet and load it without the crew leaving the cockpit and without ground support equipment. To facilitate this a hydraulically-actuated rear cargo door would swing up as the aircraft reversed.
Only one press photo seems to have been issued. This example is from Flight, 11 Feb 1965.
Thunderbirds didn't air until September 1965 or I'd say this was inspired by TB2.
