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Subject: Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
Date: 13 Apr 2018 04:55:06 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_C-133_Cargomaster
The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster is an American large turboprop cargo aircraft
built between 1956 and 1961 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for use with the
United States Air Force. The C-133 was the USAF's only production
turboprop-powered strategic airlifter, entering service shortly after the
Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which is designated as a tactical airlifter. It
provided airlift services in a wide range of applications, being replaced by the
C-5 Galaxy in the early 1970s.
The C-133 was designed to meet the requirements for the USAF's Logistic Carrier
Support System SS402L for a new strategic transport. The aircraft differed
considerably from the C-74 Globemaster and C-124 Globemaster IIs that had
preceded it. A high-mounted wing, external blister fairings on each side for the
landing gear, and rear-loading and side-loading doors ensured that access to,
and the volume of, the large cargo compartment were not compromised by these
structures. The cargo compartment (90 ft/27 m in length and 12 ft/3.7 m high)
was pressurized, heated, and ventilated.
The Cargomasters went directly into production as C-133A; no prototypes were
built. The first Cargomaster flew on 23 April 1956. The first C-133As were
delivered to the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) in August 1957 and began
flying MATS air routes throughout the world. Two C-133s established
transatlantic speed records for transport aircraft on their first flights to
Europe. The fleet of 50 aircraft proved itself invaluable during the Vietnam
War. The Cargomaster soldiered on until the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy entered service
in the early 1970s. The C-133 was then retired and most airplanes were cut up
within months of being delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson,
Arizona, after their final flights in 1971.
Fifty aircraft (35 C-133A and 15 C-133B) were constructed and put into service
with the USAF. A single C-133A and a C-133B were built and kept at Douglas Long
Beach as "test articles". They had no construction numbers or USAF tail numbers.
The C-133 had large tail doors and side doors and a large, open cargo area. The
C-133A carried many large and heavy loads, including Atlas and Titan. While the
C-133 was not designed specifically to transport ICBMs. It may, indeed, have
been the reverse. The C-133 design was frozen by 1955 in order to build the
airplanes that first flew in April 1956. The designs of both the Atlas and Titan
were not firm until after 1955, when their contracts were signed. With the
C-133B, the rear cargo doors were modified to open to the side (petal doors),
making ICBM loading much easier. Transporting the ballistic missiles such as the
Atlas, Titan and Minuteman was much less expensive, safer and faster than road
transport. Several hundred Minuteman and other ICBMs were airlifted to and from
their operational bases by C-133s. The C-133 also transported Atlas, Saturn and
Titan rockets to Cape Canaveral for use as launch boosters in the Gemini,
Mercury and Apollo space programs. After the Apollo capsules splashed down, they
were airlifted in C-133s from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia or Hickam AFB,
Hawaii to Ellington AFB, Texas, or to California.
Role
Military transport aircraft
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
Douglas Aircraft Company
First flight
23 April 1956
Retired
1971 (USAF)
Primary users
United States Air Force
NASA
Produced
Number built
50
The C-133 was for many years the only USAF aircraft capable of hauling very
large or very heavy cargo. Despite the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II's
capabilities, there was much cargo that it could not carry because of its
configuration with a cargo deck 13 ft (4 m) off the ground and its lower, though
substantial, engine power. The C-133 continued in service after the formation of
the USAFs Military Airlift Command on 1 January 1966.
By 1971, shortly before the introduction of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, the
Cargomaster was obsolete as well as being worn out, and all were withdrawn from
service in 1971. The C-133 was originally a 10,000-hour airframe that had been
life-extended to 19,000 hours. Severe vibration had caused critical stress
corrosion of the airframes to the point that the aircraft were beyond economical
operation any longer. The Air Force managed to keep as many of the C-133 fleet
in service as possible until the C-5 finally entered squadron service.
Specifications (C-133B)
General characteristics
Crew: five (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster)
Capacity: 200 pax or 110,000 lb (50,000 kg)
Length: 154 ft 3 in (47.01 m)
Wingspan: 179 ft 9 in (54.78 m)
Height: 48 ft 3 in (14.7 m)
Wing area: 2,673 sq ft (248.3 m2)
Empty weight: 120,263 lb (54,550 kg)
Gross weight: 275,000 lb (124,738 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 286,000 lb (129,727 kg)
each with water injection
Propellers: 3-bladed Curtiss Electric fully feathering, reversible-pitch
propellers.
Performance
Maximum speed: 312 kn (359 mph; 578 km/h) at 8,700 ft (2,700 m)
Cruise speed: 281 kn (323 mph; 520 km/h)
Range: 3,560 nmi (4,097 mi; 6,593 km) with 52,000 lb (24,000 kg) payload
Service ceiling: 29,950 ft (9,130 m) service ceiling
Rate of climb: 1,280 ft/min (6.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 102.9 lb/sq ft (502 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.1087 hp/lb (0.1787 kW/kg)
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