Final flight of the Super Guppy

That thing is pretty crazy! A friend of mine owns the Mini Guppy, although he has it in a museum now.

He told me that the flight to the museum was the only flight they did where everything worked and nothing broke.

 

I saw a Super Guppy fly once, and it was the craziest-looking flying machine I think that I ever witnessed in person - sort of like a Zeppelin that had swallowed a Stratocruiser.

I wonder what the men at Boeing who designed the original YC-97 would have thought of what became of their creation.

 

When you said a good vantage point for this last in a lifetime opportunity, you weren't kidding!

 

I'd be interested in how they manage to handle the controls from cockpit given the whole front nearly detaches to load http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LoadingSuperGuppy.jpg

I'm assuming this is a very mechanical era plane with no "fly by wire" so where and how do all the controls and cables(?) get managed?

Just asking.. no idea.. wondering if anyone has something insightful or clever they know about..

 

I should know that but I don't, BUT I WILL FIND OUT.

 

The engines and props look like the same T56 installation as in the Lockheed P-3, and I suppose they got their spare engines from the same source.

 

Awesome! thank you..

 

Some good pics here
http://photorecon.net/respect-the-airplane-or-the-guppy-will-bite-you

 

Looks like the landing gear was retracted in a hurry! Or is that typical?

 

Looks like the old prop bird procedure. get the landing gear up quick to eliminate drag.

 

They are worried about landing gear drag on that thing?

Looks like it comes standard with enough drag to stop the Saturn Five.

 

It might be that the big body is lower in drag than three dirty two-wheel trucks. Drag is drag.

 

On the mini Guppy the entire tail swings open. I believe they unhook the control cables and then hook them up again when they close it, but I'll have to take a look next time I'm down there-- there is a checklist for opening and closing the door attached to the side wall.

 

True. (it was said in jest)

I actually have a book that claims the drag was surprisingly low for the big body.

Airbus made a few of these as well - but the opening nose did not have the cockpit swivel. The access hatch was above the cockpit nose and was loaded by a conveyor belt on stilts.

 

The drag on the Super Guppy (wheels up) is surprisingly not bad.



Cruise speeds of the iterations from the B-29 onward (from wiki):

B-29 --------- 250 mph
B-50 --------- 244 mph
Boeing 377 --- 301 mph
Super Guppy - 252 mph

Bombers have guns, turrets, etc. that create drag.

 

LOTS of it.

Something people don't take into account is the "closure" of hole punched in the air after an airplane goes through it, and how much drag is created if the design of the airplane doesn't allow this in the best possible way.

Look at the taper down to the tail...

It is just as critical as how the airplane "opens" the hole. Note that although the front of the Guppy is rather blunt it creates a high pressure area out front.

 

It all has to do with viscous flow, I guess. If that big bulb flies at a speed that allows smooth attached flow and gentle closure at the end, it works. If it was rammed through the air too fast THEN you would have separation, drag, and big problems at the back end. In this configuration the bigger problem would be whetted area and associated drag but it appears that it doesn't seem to be a problem.

 

There was just a recent show on this plane. The cables for the controls get hooked and unhooked everytime the plane gets opened to load cargo, then checked and rechecked. The think I remember most is that when they open for loading they need to have a very good idea of where the wind direction will be and remain. The wind hitting the open nose can rip it off in a hurry if it's hitting the inside.

fascinating plane.

 

I think I found the crew....
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This makes me think of these big boys.
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This guy casts his shadow on our house at least twice a week. It's a real window rattler.

 

Dana,

Too bad you don't join us for more fun at Paine Field, WA at Ga-zillionaire Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection free flying days. Just 2+ months ago the Super Guppy departed as a precursor to the Mitsubishi Zero and P-51 Pacific Theatre flying days.
Video:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9affLcRIDro[/ame]

 

Great video, but it reminds me how much I really want a Mustang...