Aero Spacelines, Inc. was a United States aircraft manufacturer which made a name for itself by converting Boeing 377 Stratocruisers into the famous Guppy line of airplanes re-engineered solely for transporting over-sized cargo.
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Aero Spacelines was formed with only one customer in mind - the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - NASA required a way to transport their out-sized cargo from their manufacturing plants to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Their freight shipments were too large to be safely transported by rail or truck. Shipping by sea would be time consuming, expensive, and there was the ever present danger of damaging the shipments if on turbulent seas. The only viable means of transporting NASA's cargo was by air. However, due to the immense diameter of the componets, no existing aircraft was capable of accomplishing the task.
John M. Conroy, aka Jack, an ex-United States Air Force pilot, and Lee Mansdorf, an aircraft salesman and entrepreneur, formulated the Guppy concept one evening over dinner. It was decided a company needed to be established to manufacturer outsized aircraft. Conroy was successful in hiring Robert W. Lillibridge for the position of Vice President Manufacturing and Engineering. Jack continued assembling a team of talented and dedicated workers for the new project. Financing for the organization was provided by venture capitalist William Ballon, a WWII combat veteran from the Army Air Corps. Once the company was established at Van Nuys Airport, California, Aero Spacelines began engineering the successful transformation of the B377 Stratocruiser into the Pregnant Guppy.
Wernher Von Braun toured the Van Nuys manufacturing facility during the construction of the Pregnant Guppy. He stated he was amazed by the immense size of the airplane. Von Braun said he was thoroughly convinced the aircraft would be able to transport the largest of NASA's cargo.
Among the earliest of NASA'S shipments utilizing the Pregnant Guppy were the first and second stages of the Gemini Program's Titan II GVL from the Martin Co. in Baltimore, Maryland, to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Subsequent versions of the Guppy series transported the S-IVB, the third stage of the Saturn booster from California to Florida. In addition to carrying NASA's varied componets for the space program, Conroy Aircraft personnel took great pride in having transported the Lunar Excursion Module to Cape Kennedy from Bethpage, New York.
For definitive detail and drawings of the Super Guppy, see Wikipedia article Aero Spacelines Super Guppy.
In 1967, Aero Spacelines encountered financial difficulties and was acquired by Unexcelled Inc. That corporation sold to Tracor Aviation.
Jack Conroy organized a new company, Conroy Aircraft, located at the Santa Barbara Airport, California. Bob Lillibridge once more assumed the responsibility of engineering and manufacturing. Conroy Aircraft produced additional aircraft conversions. One program provided another successful airplane for transporting over-sized cargo. It was the modification of the Canadian swingtail aircraft, the Canadair CL-44. It resembled one of the Guppy series planes and became known as the Skymonster. The Skymonster became the property of Trans Meridian Air Cargo and was based at Stansted Airport, Southend on Sea, England.
By November 1968, NASA had paid Aero Spacelines $11,591,633 in contracts.[1]
Aero Spacelines produced three Guppy aircraft models while it was in business.
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