C-82 Packet
Encyclopedia
The C-82 Packet was a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft
designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces
and United States Navy
following World War II
.
and Douglas C-47 Dakota. The aircraft was designed for a number of roles, including cargo carrier, troop transport, ambulance airplane and glider tow. The single prototype first flew on 10 September 1944. The aircraft were built at the Fairchild factory in Hagerstown, Maryland
, with deliveries beginning in late 1945 and ending in September 1948
Problems surfaced almost immediately as the aircraft was found to be underpowered and its airframe inadequate for the heavy lifting it was designed to perform. As a result the Air Force turned to Fairchild for a solution to the C-82's shortcomings. A redesign was quickly performed under the designation XC-82B, which would overcome all of the C-82A's initial problems.
. In the end only 223 C-82A would be built, a very small number for a production cargo aircraft of that era. Most were used for cargo and troop transport, although a few were used for paratroop
operations or towing military glider
s. During its brief operational life several C-82 Packets were utilized during the Berlin Airlift, primarily bringing large disassembled vehicles into the city.
In 1946 the US Postal Service explored the concept of flying post offices using highly modified C-82s which would operate similar to those on trains where mail would be sorted by clerks and put in bags and then transferred to trucks on landing.
Though itself unsuccessful, the C-82A is best considered as an early development stage of the C-119B Flying Boxcar. The C-82A saw limited production before replaced by the Flying Boxcar.
A total of 53 C-82As were procured by the United States Navy as the Fairchild R2Q-1, though they too were quickly replaced by the Navy version of the C-119B Flying Boxcar.
C-82A Packet
EC-82A
XC-82B
C-82N
R2Q-1 (?)
Steward-Davis Jet-Packet 1600
Steward-Davis Jet-Packet 3200
Jet-Packet 3400
Steward-Davis Jet-Packet II
Steward-Davis Skytruck I
Steward-Davis Skypallet
http://www.indianairforce.nic.in
, and Robert Aldrich
's original 1965 film version
. Based on the novel by Elleston Trevor
, the story centers around a C-82 that crashes in a desert, is rebuilt using one tail boom, and flown to safety. Three Fairchild C-82s (one flying and two derelict) were based at Long Beach Airport in California
during the filming. They were operated by Steward-Davis Inc. The flying aircraft was N6887C while the two derelicts were N4833V and N53228. The other aircraft used was an R4Q-1 Navy Packet BuNo.126580.
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Design and development
Developed by Fairchild, the C-82 was designed as a heavy-lift cargo aircraft to succeed pre-war designs like the Curtiss C-46 CommandoC-46 Commando
The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
and Douglas C-47 Dakota. The aircraft was designed for a number of roles, including cargo carrier, troop transport, ambulance airplane and glider tow. The single prototype first flew on 10 September 1944. The aircraft were built at the Fairchild factory in Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
, with deliveries beginning in late 1945 and ending in September 1948
Problems surfaced almost immediately as the aircraft was found to be underpowered and its airframe inadequate for the heavy lifting it was designed to perform. As a result the Air Force turned to Fairchild for a solution to the C-82's shortcomings. A redesign was quickly performed under the designation XC-82B, which would overcome all of the C-82A's initial problems.
Operational history
First flown in 1947, the XC-82B would go into production as the C-119B Flying BoxcarC-119 Flying Boxcar
The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
. In the end only 223 C-82A would be built, a very small number for a production cargo aircraft of that era. Most were used for cargo and troop transport, although a few were used for paratroop
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
operations or towing military glider
Military glider
Military gliders have been used by the military of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g...
s. During its brief operational life several C-82 Packets were utilized during the Berlin Airlift, primarily bringing large disassembled vehicles into the city.
In 1946 the US Postal Service explored the concept of flying post offices using highly modified C-82s which would operate similar to those on trains where mail would be sorted by clerks and put in bags and then transferred to trucks on landing.
Though itself unsuccessful, the C-82A is best considered as an early development stage of the C-119B Flying Boxcar. The C-82A saw limited production before replaced by the Flying Boxcar.
A total of 53 C-82As were procured by the United States Navy as the Fairchild R2Q-1, though they too were quickly replaced by the Navy version of the C-119B Flying Boxcar.
Variants
XC-82- Prototype, one built [43-13202].
C-82A Packet
- Initial production version, 220 built [44-22959/23058, 45-57733/57832, 48-568/587].
EC-82A
- 1948, fitted with Firestone-designed tracked landing gear. 13 aircraft allocated for conversion from C-82A, but only one completed .
XC-82B
- 1947, fitted with 2650hp Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines as a precursor to the C-119 series. One converted from C-82A [45-57769].
C-82N
- 1946, Production aircraft built by North American AviationNorth American AviationNorth American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
. Only 3 were completed, [45-25436/25438], before the remaining 997 were cancelled.
R2Q-1 (?)
- 53 aircraft for use by the US Navy. (Confusion with the J2Q / Fairchild 71 I suspect)
Steward-Davis Jet-Packet 1600
- 1956, civil conversion of Fairchild C-82A with jet-pod added to upper fuselage. two 2100hp P&W R-2800-85 and 1600# Westinghouse J30-W jet-pak. Max take-off wt: 54,000#. At least 3 were converted.
Steward-Davis Jet-Packet 3200
- 1957, a single 1600 converted with two 3200 lbf (14.2 kN) thrust Westinghouse J30Westinghouse J30-See also:...
-W engines in a single upper fuselage jet-pak, [N5095V].
Jet-Packet 3400
- 1962, at least four 1600's fitted with single 3250 lbf (14,456.7 N) thrust Westinghouse J34Westinghouse J34-See also:-External links:* http://www.arkairmuseum.org/engines/engine-westinghouse.php* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/systems/j34.htm...
-WE-34 or 3400 lbf (15.1 kN) thrust J34-WE-36 jet-paks.
Steward-Davis Jet-Packet II
- Airframe weight reduction programme to increase cargo weights and increased power from Pratt & Whitney R-2800Pratt & Whitney R-2800The Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp is a two-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial aircraft engine with a displacement of 2,804 in³ , and is part of the long-lived Wasp family....
CB-16 engines. Application applied to at least three Jet-Packet 1600 or 3400, including the TWATwaThe Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
C-82A Ontos [N9701F].
Steward-Davis Skytruck I
- 1964, C-82A aircraft with 60,000 take-off weight, improved performance and a hot-air de-icing system. One converted, [N74127]. The Skytruck brand-name was allegedly the inspiration for Elleston TrevorElleston TrevorElleston Trevor was the pseudonym, and eventually legal name, of the British novelist Trevor Dudley-Smith , who also wrote as Adam Hall, Simon Rattray, Howard North, Roger Fitzalan, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith and Lesley Stone...
's Skytruck in the 1964 novel, The Flight of the PhoenixThe Flight of the PhoenixThe Flight of the Phoenix is a 1964 novel by Elleston Trevor. The plot involves the crash of a transport aircraft in the middle of a desert and the survivors' desperate attempt to save themselves...
.
Steward-Davis Skypallet
- 1965 A C-82A re-design with the fuselage floor separating from the aircraft from nose to tail for large cargoes and the installation of an internal hoist. Only one aircraft was converted - [N4828V].
Operators
- Brazilian Air Force - the Primeiro Grupo de Transporte de Tropa (1st Troop Transport Group) operated C-82s until 1969.
- Honduras Air Force
- United States Army Air Force
- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
- Trans World AirlinesTrans World AirlinesTrans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
- Used for transporting replacement engines.
- Indian Air ForceIndian Air ForceThe Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
http://www.indianairforce.nic.in
Survivors
- The last flyable C-82A had been owned and operated by Hawkins & Powers Aviation, an aerial firefightingAerial firefightingAerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
company located in Greybull, WyomingGreybull, WyomingGreybull is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Greybull is located at ....
. This plane was purchased at auction by the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland. The aircraft was flown to the Hagerstown Regional AirportHagerstown Regional AirportHagerstown Regional Airport , also known as Richard A. Henson Field, is a county-owned public-use airport in Washington County, Maryland, United States. It is located four nautical miles north of the central business district of Hagerstown, about a half mile from the Maryland/Pennsylvania border....
on October 15, 2006. This marks the last flight of a C-82. The aircraft will remain on display at the HRA until a dedicated space for it is made available in a future museum building to be built near the original Fairchild Manufacturing Facility. Two incomplete C-82As remain at the Greybull site. One of them (civil registration N5102B) was also recently obtained by the Hagerstown Aviation Museum, and is currently waiting to be transported to the museum where it will be used in a "Building the Boxcar" exhibit. The fate of the other incomplete C-82A (civil registration N8009E) is uncertain. - One C-82 operated by the Brazilian Air Force rests outside the Museu AeroespacialMuseu AeroespacialMuseu Aeroespacial is a national aviation museum located 25 km west of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.-History:The Museu Aeroespacial was inaugurated on 18 October 1976 at the installations of the old Escola de Aeronáutica , at Afonsos Air Force Base - the "Cradle of Military...
in Rio de Janeiro city, waiting for restoration at the museum's shop.
Aircraft on display
- C-82A serial numberUnited States military aircraft serialsIn the United States, all military aircraft display a serial number to identify individual aircraft. Because these numbers are located on the aircraft tail, they are sometimes referred to unofficially as "tail numbers"...
48-0581 is at the National Museum of the United States Air ForceNational Museum of the United States Air ForceThe National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...
near Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. This aircraft is currently undergoing an extensive restoration of its fabric control surfaces and has been moved near the Museum's restoration facility. - C-82A serial number 48-0574 is on display at the McChord Air Museum in Tacoma, WashingtonTacoma, WashingtonTacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
- C-82A serial number 44-22991 is in the Walter Soplata Collection in Newbury, Ohio. The aircraft is incomplete and stored outside.
- C-82A serial number 44-23006 is on display at the Pima Air & Space MuseumPima Air & Space MuseumThe Pima Air & Space Museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres on a campus occupying 127 acres . Located in Tucson, Arizona, it is one of the world's largest, non-government funded aerospace museums...
in Tucson, ArizonaTucson, ArizonaTucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200... - C-82A civil registration N6887C is located in a playground in Hermosillo, Mexico
- C-82A civil registration PP-CEL is located in Manaus, Brazil. The aircraft is in poor condition.
- C-82A civil registration 2202 is stored at Campo dos AfonsosAfonsos Air Force BaseAfonsos Air Force Base – BAAF is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The official name of the Base is Campo Délio Jardim de Matos after a former commander of the base and Minister of the Air Force.-History:...
, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is an ex Brazilian Air Force aircraft. - C-82A civil registration HK-426 is located at Bogota El Dorado Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. The aircraft is incomplete and in very poor condition.
Specifications (C-82A)
Popular culture
The C-82 is perhaps best known for its role in the 1964 novel, The Flight of the PhoenixThe Flight of the Phoenix
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1964 novel by Elleston Trevor. The plot involves the crash of a transport aircraft in the middle of a desert and the survivors' desperate attempt to save themselves...
, and Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
's original 1965 film version
The Flight of the Phoenix (1965 film)
The Flight of the Phoenix is a 1965 American film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich and based on the 1964 novel The Flight of the Phoenix by Elleston Trevor...
. Based on the novel by Elleston Trevor
Elleston Trevor
Elleston Trevor was the pseudonym, and eventually legal name, of the British novelist Trevor Dudley-Smith , who also wrote as Adam Hall, Simon Rattray, Howard North, Roger Fitzalan, Mansell Black, Trevor Burgess, Warwick Scott, Caesar Smith and Lesley Stone...
, the story centers around a C-82 that crashes in a desert, is rebuilt using one tail boom, and flown to safety. Three Fairchild C-82s (one flying and two derelict) were based at Long Beach Airport in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
during the filming. They were operated by Steward-Davis Inc. The flying aircraft was N6887C while the two derelicts were N4833V and N53228. The other aircraft used was an R4Q-1 Navy Packet BuNo.126580.