https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_C-131_Samaritan
The Convair C-131 Samaritan was an American twin-engined military transport
produced from 1954 to 1956 by Convair. It was the military version of the
Convair CV-240 family of airliners.
The design began life in a production requirement by American Airlines for a
pressurized airliner to replace the classic Douglas DC-3. Convair's original
design had two engines and 40 seats, and thus it was designated the CV-240. The
first CV-240 flew on March 16, 1947, and production aircraft were first
delivered to American on February 28, 1948. Seventy-five were delivered to
American, with another fifty going to Western Airlines, Continental Airlines,
Pan American Airways, KLM, Sabena, Swissair and Trans Australia Airlines.
Role
Military transport
Manufacturer
Convair
First flight
22 September 1949
Introduction
1950
Retired
1990
Primary users
United States Air Force
United States Navy
Paraguayan Air Force
Number built
512
Developed from
Convair CV-240
The CV-240/340/440 series was used by the United States Air Force (USAF) for
medical evacuation and VIP transport and was designated as C-131 Samaritan. The
first model Samaritan, the C-131A, was derived from the CV-240 model, and was
delivered to the USAF in 1954.
The earlier trainer model, designated the T-29, was also based on the Convair
240 and was used to instruct USAF navigators for all USAF aircraft and those USN
Naval Flight Officers (NFOs) selected to fly land-based naval aircraft. First
deliveries to the USAF were made in 1950 followed by large production quantities
until early 1955. The USAF and the USN operated T-29s in separate units at
separate locations until 1976. In 1974, the USAF T-29s with the 323d Flying
Training Wing (323 FTW) at Mather AFB, California began to be replaced by the
Boeing 737-derived T-43. In 1975, the Navy retired all of its T-29s assigned to
Training Squadron Twenty-Nine (VT-29) at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, deactivated
VT-29, and merged their advanced navigator training program for land-based NFOs
with the Air Force's program at Mather AFB.
Nearly all of the C-131s left the active USAF inventory in the late 1970s, but
the U.S. Coast Guard operated the aircraft until 1983, while the Air National
Guard and U.S. Navy units operated additional C-131 airframes, primarily as
Operational Support Aircraft (OSA) for Air National Guard flying wings and as
naval air station "station aircraft" until 1990. The C-131 was primarily
replaced by the C-9 Nightingale in regular USAF service, with the Air National
Guard replacing their OSA with C-130 Hercules aircraft and the Navy with C-12
Hurons.
Specifications (C-131B)
General characteristics
Crew: four
Capacity: 48 passengers
Length: 79 ft 2 in (24.14 m)
Wingspan: 105 ft 4 in (32.11 m)
Height: 28 ft 2 in (8.59 m)
Empty weight: 29,248 lb (13,294 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 47,000 lb (21,363 kg)
radial engines, 2,500 hp (1,865 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 293 mph (255 knots, 472 km/h)
Cruise speed: 254 mph (221 knots, 409 km/h)
Range: 450 mi (391 nmi, 725 km)
Service ceiling: 24,500 ft (7,470 m)
Rate of climb: 1,410 ft/min (7.2 m/s)
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