Ultra-Large Aircraft, 1940-1970 : The Development of Guppy and Expanded Fuselage Transports
Overview
In 1962, a unique transport aircraft was built from the parts of 27 Boeing B-377 airliners to provide NASA a means of transporting rocket boosters. With an interior the size of a gymnasium, "The Pregnant Guppy" was the first of six enormous cargo planes built by Aero Spacelines and two built by Union de Transport Aeriens. More than half a century later, the last Super Guppy is still in active service with NASA and the design concept has been applied to next-generation transports.
This comprehensive history of expanded fuselage aircraft begins in the 1940s with the military's need for a long-range transport. The author examines the development of competing designs by Boeing, Convair and Douglas, and the many challenges and catastrophic failures. Behind-the-scenes maneuvers of financiers, corporate raiders, mobsters and other nefarious characters provide an inside look at aviation development from the drawing board to the scrap yard.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781476665030
- ISBN-10: 1476665036
- Publisher: McFarland & Company
- Publish Date: April 2018
- Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.65 pounds
- Page Count: 312
- Reading Level: Ages 18-UP
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