Aero Spacelines
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Aero Spacelines, Inc. was a US aircraft manufacturer that made a name for itself by converting Boeing B-377 Stratocruisers into the famous Guppy line of aircraft.
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[edit] Company history
Aero Spacelines was formed with only one customer in mind. NASA was having difficulty transporting Saturn V rocket boosters from California to Florida. The boosters were too large to be shipped by rail, and shipping by sea was time-consuming and expensive, not to mention damaging to the boosters. The only other viable means of transporting them was by air, but due to their immense diameter no existing aircraft was capable of accomplishing the task.
Jack Conroy, an ex-United States Air Force pilot, and Lee Mansdorf, an aircraft salesman and entrepreneur, formulated the Guppy concept one evening over dinner.
Aero Spacelines was taken over by Unexcelled Corporation in 1967, which later was taken over by Tracor Aviation, and ultimately went out of business.
[edit] List of Aircraft
Aero Spacelines produced eight Guppy aircraft while it was in business.
- Pregnant Guppy (1962). The first aircraft built by Aero Spacelines, wholly designed to ferry rocket boosters for the Apollo program. Used original piston engines. One built; scrapped in 1979.
- Super Guppy (1965). A turboprop-powered version of the Pregnant Guppy, with greater cargo capacity and range. Produced in two variations, the Super Guppy and the Super Guppy Turbine (although both variations used turboprop engines). In all, five Super Guppies were produced: one Super Guppy, and four Super Guppy Turbines.
- Mini Guppy (1967). A smaller version of the Super Guppy, produced in two variations: the Mini Guppy (which used the original piston engines), and the Mini Guppy Turbine. One of each was built. Of the two, only the Mini Guppy remains, mothballed at the Tillamook Air Museum in Tillamook, Oregon. The Mini Guppy Turbine was lost in an accident during testing, which tragically killed the entire flight crew.
[edit] Aero Spacelines' legacy
While Aero Spacelines is no longer in business, the effect they had on the aircraft industry can still be felt today.
Aero Spacelines proved that outsize cargo aircraft were a viable and economical alternative to other methods of transporting outsize cargo. Other aircraft companies have been inspired to follow suit. Airbus Industrie, which previously used four Super Guppies to ferry aircraft parts, created a wide-bodied cargo aircraft based on Airbus A300, the A300-600ST Beluga. On October 13, 2003, Boeing announced that parts for the new 787 would be ferried by air. The press release also stated that the parts would be ferried in "at least three modified 747-400s", and displayed photos of a concept cargo 747-400 with a greatly expanded fuselage.
Jack Conroy left, and set up his own company, Conroy Aircraft. This company made several new conversions, including one based on the Canadair CL-44, the Skymonster, which resembled the Mini-Guppy.
And, as is fitting, one Super Guppy is still in active service with NASA.
[edit] See also
- Pregnant Guppy, the original Guppy.
- Super Guppy, an improved Guppy.
- Mini Guppy, smaller version of the Guppy.
[edit] External links
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