петък, 15 февруари 2013 г.
Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pregnant Guppy | |
|---|---|
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"]  The Pregnant Guppy heavy lifter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] | |
| The Pregnant Guppy heavy lifter | |
| Role | Outsize cargo freight aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Aero Spacelines |
| First flight | September 19, 1962[1] |
| Primary users | Aero Spacelines NASA |
| Produced | 1 |
| Developed from | Boeing 377 |
| Developed into | Aero Spacelines Super Guppy |
The Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy was a large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft built in the United States and used for ferrying outsized cargo items, most notably NASA's components of the Apollo moon program.[1] The Pregnant Guppy was the first of the Guppy line of aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines.[1] The design also inspired similar designs such as the jet-powered Airbus Beluga, and the Boeing 747 LCF designed to deliver Boeing 787 parts.
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[edit]Development
In 1960, U.S. airlines were disposing of their obsolete piston-engined Boeing 377 Stratocruisers in favor of the newer jet-engined airliners. NASA was finding that barge transport of their increasingly large space program components from manufacturers on the West Coast to test and launch sites on the East Coast was slow and expensive. Aircraft broker Leo Mansdorf was stockpiling surplus Stratocruisers atVan Nuys prior to resale, and ex-USAF pilot John M. Conroy realized the potential of these aircraft to transport the large but relatively light rocket components.[1]
Conroy presented his plans for an extensively modified Stratocruiser to NASA, where an official commented that the bloated aircraft resembled a pregnant guppy. Although NASA was lukewarm on the concept, Conroy mortgaged his house and founded Aero Spacelines International in order to build and operate the concept aircraft.[1]
Conversion work was undertaken by On Mark Engineering. The Pregnant Guppy (registered N1024V) was built from an ex-Pan Amairframe with a five-meter section from an ex-BOAC aircraft (G-AKGJ) added immediately behind the wing. T
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