Page 11 - Aerotech News and Review, July 6 2018

MOJAVE, from 10
airplane. The MSFC director crawled in the air- plane and took off, to the consternation of those still dubious about the airworthiness of the fuel- heavy airplane, braced on the inside by a wooden framework. The flight was uneventful, and infor- mal contract talks began the same day.”
In his book, Lucky Me, Clay recalls that Wer- nher von Braun, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and leader of the U.S. rocket development program, visited V an Nuys Airport twice to check on the aircraft’s progress and credited the Pregnant Guppy as “the single most important piece of equipment to put man on the moon in that decade.” Conroy’s engineers went on to develop the next generation of oversized aircraft, including the Super Guppy, a modified KC-97 Stratotanker with an outside diameter of twenty-six feet.
A young machinist, Eber West, who formerly worked at XCOR Aerospace in Mojave, put to- gether a collage of photos that hangs in the Voy- ager Restaurant and stirred memories in my mind of the many firsts that happened here at Mojave Air & Spaceport, back when it was simply — Mojave Airport.
After the East Kern Airport District was formed in 1972, this significant and historical location, inspired and launched many aeronauti- cal firsts.
Eber’s collection of photos are actually shots of the Super Guppy of which his grandfather, Paul West, was the flight test engineer.
It was interesting to hear Eber relay a story of when his grandfather visited the hangar where XCOR was located (one of the original Marine Air Corps hangars from 1942). Paul West said, “I think the Guppy was parked right outside this hangar when we came to Mojave.”
Eber had numerous photos and an original Su- per Guppy sales brochure from his grandfather that he allowed me to copy.
The Super Guppy had a total length of 141-feet 3-inches. Sections from four Stratocruiser’s, plus extensive new manufacturing, made up this larger aircraft. A 300-inch section was installed aft of the wing and a 70-inch section was installed in front of the wing, lengthening the basic Boeing Stratocruiser 30-feet, 10-inches.
The top of the upper cargo compartment was raised from 8-feet, 10-inches to 25-feet, 6-inches above the floor. Ground height of the fuselage was increased from 19-feet, 1-inch to 36-feet, 6-inches.
Diameter of the fuselage was expanded to cre- ate an inside diameter of 25-feet and an outside diameter of 26-feet along a constant section 31- feet in length, decreasing to a diameter of 10-feet, 8-inches at the aft bulkhead. Overall length of the cargo compartment was 94-feet, 6-inches.
The vertical stabilizer with the rudder and dorsal fin was raised 58-inches and the verti- cal and horizontal stabilizer tips were extended 40-inches.
The total wing span was 156-feet 3-inches and a new center section was manufactured, increas- ing the wing span by 15-feet.
The R-4360 reciprocating engines were re- placed with Pratt & Whitney T-34 turbo prop engines, each capable of producing 7,000 total equivalent horsepower.
The empty operating weight was approximate- ly 105,000 pounds and gross takeoff weight was 175,000 pounds.
The entire forward part of the aircraft, includ- ing the cockpit, opened 120 degrees, unlike the Pregnant Guppy that opened at the rear of the aircraft. Two massive hinges, each weighing al-
most 600 pounds, were actuated hydraulically for opening and closing.
Aero Spacelines, Inc. was formed in November 1961 for the purpose of developing specialized cargo-carrying aircraft to transport outsize cargo, particularly space components.
In July 1965, Aero Spacelines became a sub- sidiary of Unexcelled Chemical Corp., New York. John ‘Jack’ M. Conroy, who originally organized Aero Spacelines, remained as president
and operating head of the wholly-owned subsid- iary of Unexcelled.
There are so many other first flight to remem- ber at Mojave and exciting first flights will be taking place in the near future. The Pregnant Guppy was billed as The Largest Airplane in the World. Stay tuned for first flight of today’s Largest Airplane in the World at Mojave Air and Spaceport!
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The Super Guppy on the flightline at Mojave.
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July 6, 2018 Aerotech News and Review 11 www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview
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