Aero Spacelines Super Guppy

B-377-SG/SGT Super Guppy
Super Guppy Turbine used by NASA
Role Outsize cargo freight aircraft
Manufacturer Aero Spacelines
First flight August 31, 1965[1]
Status Active, operated by NASA
Primary users Aero Spacelines[1]
NASA, Airbus, Aeromaritime[1]
Number built 1 SG, 4 SGT[1]
Developed from C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser[1]
377 Stratocruiser[2] Pregnant Guppy (fourth one built with cannibalized pieces from Pregnant Guppy)

The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft that is used for hauling outsize cargo components. It was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, the first of the Guppy aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines, which in turn was named for its resemblance to a pregnant guppy. Five were built in two variants, both of which were colloquially referred to as the "Super Guppy".

Design and development

The first, the Super Guppy, or "SG", was built directly from the fuselage of a C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser, the military version of the 1950s Boeing 377 "Stratocruiser" passenger plane. The fuselage was lengthened to 141 feet (43 m), and ballooned out to a maximum inside diameter of 25 ft (7.6 m), the length of the cargo compartment being 94 ft 6 in (28.8 m). The floor of the cargo compartment was still only 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m) wide, as necessitated by the use of the Stratocruiser fuselage.[1]

In addition to the fuselage modifications, the Super Guppy used Pratt & Whitney T-34-P-7 turboprop engines for increased power and range, and modified wing and tail surfaces. It could carry a load of 54,000 pounds (24,494 kg) and cruise at 300 mph (480 km/h).

Super Guppy Turbine F-BPPA at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in 1981

The second version was officially known as the Super Guppy Turbine (SGT), although it used turboprop engines like the first Super Guppy. This variant used Allison 501-D22C turboprops. Unlike the previous Guppy, the main portion of its fuselage was constructed from scratch. By building from scratch, Aero Spacelines was able to widen the floor of the cargo compartment to 13 ft (4.0 m). The overall cargo compartment length was increased to 111 ft 6 in (34.0 m), and the improved fuselage and engines allowed for a maximum load of 52,500 lb (23,800 kg).[3] These design improvements, combined with a pressurized crew cabin that allowed for higher-altitude cruising, allowed the SGT to transport more cargo than its predecessors.[1]

Super Guppy Turbine being unloaded

The SGT retained only the cockpit, wings, tail, and main landing gear of the 377. The nose gear was taken from a Boeing 707 and rotated 180 degrees. This dropped the front of the aircraft slightly, leveling the cargo bay floor and simplifying loading operations.

In the early 1970s, the two Super Guppies were used by Airbus to transport aeroplane parts from decentralised production facilities to the final assembly plant in Toulouse. In 1982 and 1983, two additional Super Guppies were built by Union de Transports Aériens Industries in France after Airbus bought the right to produce the aircraft. The four Super Guppies have since been replaced by the Airbus Beluga, capable of carrying twice as much cargo by weight.

Variants

Survivors

NASA Super Guppy on display at Pima Air & Space Museum

All Super Guppies remain either in service, mothballed, or on display.

Operators

Specifications (Super Guppy Turbine)

Orthographic diagram of the 377-SGT

Data from Encyclopedia of The World's Commercial and Private Aircraft[6] and NASA.gov[3]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Super Guppy Turbine F-GDSG at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in 1984
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989) [1980]. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Crown. ISBN 0-517-69186-8.
  2. ↑ "All About Guppies". Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Johnson Space Center Super Guppy". NASA.gov. April 7, 2002. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Super Guppy". Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Gray, Robert (August 4, 2011). "After shuttle, NASA's plans for El Paso". El Paso Inc. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  6. ↑ Mondey, David (1981). Encyclopedia of The World's Commercial and Private Aircraft. New York: Crescent Books. p. 9. ISBN 0517362856.

External links

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