How Did The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar Improve On The C-82? (2024)

The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was a military transport aircraft designed to carry cargo, merchandise, and troops. Its design was derived from the Fairchild C-82 Packet, a World War II-era transport aircraft. The aircraft performed its first flight in November 1947 and entered service in December 1949. More than 1,180 examples of the C-119 were built between 1949 and 1955, when production was suspended.

The development of Fairchild C-119 Boxcar

Photo:USAF | Wikimedia Commons

The United States Air Force (USAF) C-119 was initially designed to improve on the C-82 Packet, which lacked usability and performance for the Air Force in many ways. The C-82 Packet was a twin-engine, twin-boom military troop aircraft designed to succeed pre-war aircraft. Designed to carry cargo and troops and drop medical supplies and parachutes, the C-82 was briefly used by the USAF and its predecessor, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

Fairchild C-82 Packet

• Flight crew: Five
• Length: 77 ft 1 inch
• Height: 26 feet, 4 inches
• Wingspan: 106 ft, 6 in
• Weight: 54,000 lbs loaded
• Maximum speed: 250 mph
• Operational range: 2,140 miles
• Service ceiling: 27,000 feet
• Engines: 2x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-85
• Power per engine: 2,100 horsepower

The design and utility of the C-82 Packet was considered superior at the time. According to the Air Force,

“Named for the packet ships that hauled cargo between coastal seaports, the C-82 included design elements now seen on most modern cargo aircraft. The tricycle landing gear, high wings and high tail booms allowed vehicles to approach the C-82 from any side, unlike the other USAAF transport aircraft that loaded only from the side. Its large rear doors opened like a clamshell, which made loading easier.”

C-82 design problems led to the C-119 Boxcar

The C-82 offered limited support to the Air Forces before serious problems with the design were found. The C-119 Boxcar was introduced to improve the co*ckpit design, aerodynamics, flight performance, and usability of the C-82. The C-119 co*ckpit was moved forward to fit flush with the nose, allowing more space for cargo. As a result, larger and bulkier loads can be accommodated in the cargo hold, including ample space for troops.

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar

Photo:U.S. Air Force

• Crew: Five
• Length: 86 ft 6 in (26.37 m)
• Wingspan: 109 ft 3 in (33.30 m)
• Height: 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
• Wing area: 1,447 sq ft (134.4 m2)
• Maximum speed: 290 mph
• Range: 1,590 NM (1,827 miles)
• Payload: 30,000 lbs of cargo or 62 troops
• Service Ceiling: 29,670 ft
• Engines: 2x Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines
• Power per engine: 3,500 horsepower (2,600 kW)

The C-119 featured 30,000 lbs of cargo capacity or space for 62 fully equipped troops. The new co*ckpit design also improved visibility and safety for pilots while allowing better situational awareness. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-4360 28-cylinder air-cooled radial engines, the aircraft was capable of achieving 1,590 NM (1,827 miles) of unrefueled range. The engines were 60% more powerful than the C-82 engines, with four-bladed propellers and a larger and stronger frame.

Flying Boxcars played an important role in satellite catching within the Air Force Command. Due to its cargo bay area and loading design, the aircraft was used to recover satellite films from various Air Force missions. According to the National Museum of the United States Air Force,

“This C-119J Flying Boxcar made the world’s first mid-air recovery of an object returning from space. In August 1960, it caught the Discoverer XIV satellite using recovery gear lowered from the open rear door. This mechanism snagged the satellite’s parachute, and a winch slowly reeled the film capsule into the aircraft. “Satellite catching” became an important and regular U.S. Air Force operation to recover secret reconnaissance satellite film.”

C-119 production

In 1951, Kaiser-Frazer, an automotive factory located in the former B-24 plant at Willow Run Airport in Michigan, was awarded the initial production of the C-119F. The “F” variant differed from the Fairchild variants by means of the engine.

Photo: Acroterion | Wikimedia Commons

The C-119F was equipped with Wright R-3350 Duplex Cyclone 18-cylinder engines, producing anywhere between 2,200 and 3,700 horsepower (1,640 - 2,160 kW). Kaiser-Frazer built 71 C-119F aircraft between 1952 and 1953 at its facility before the planned suspension of the program at Willow Run Airport.

• Total C-119 built: 1,183
• Kaiser-Frazer Corporation: 71
• Fairchild: 1,112 by Fairchild (including two airframes for static tests)

The US Marine Corps (USMC) received most of the Kaiser-Frazer-built C-119s as R4Qs. Others were exported to the South Vietnamese Air Force, Italy, and Belgium.

According to the Air Force,

“The most important airlift mission in Korea came in the bitter winter of 1950 when USAF C-119Bs air-dropped bridge sections to U.S. troops trapped by communist forces at the Chosin Reservoir. The sections replaced a destroyed bridge across a deep chasm, allowing thousands of Soldiers and Marines to escape. Flying Boxcars also served in the Southeast Asia War as gunships supporting ground forces.”

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