Aero Spacelines Super Guppy

infobox Aircraft
name = B-377-SG/SGT Super Guppy
type = Outsize cargo freight aircraft
manufacturer =Aero Spacelines



caption =The present version of the Super Guppy used by NASA
designer = Leo Mansdorf/John M. Conroy
first flight =August 31, 1965
introduced =
produced =
retired =
status =Airworthy
primary user = Aero Spacelines (3)
more users = NASA (2)
Airbus (4)
Aeromaritime (2)
number built =1 SG, 4 SGT
unit cost =
developed from = C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser
variants with their own articles =

The Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied US cargo aircraft used for ferrying outsized cargo components. It was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, the first of the Guppy aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines, Inc. Five were built in two variants, both of which were colloquially referred to as the "Super Guppy."

uper Guppy versions

The first, the Super Guppy, or "SG", was built directly from the fuselage of a C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser, the military version of the Boeing 377. 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.

In addition to the fuselage modifications, the Super Guppy used upgraded Pratt & Whitney T-34P7 turboprops for increased power and range, and modified wing and tail surfaces. It could carry a load of 40,000 pounds (18,000 kg) and cruise at 300 mph (480 km/h).

The second version was officially known as the Super Guppy Turbine (SGT) because the original 377 engines had been replaced with high-performance Allison 501-D22C turboprops. Unlike previous Guppies, the 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 m). The overall cargo compartment length was increased to 111 ft (33.8 m), and the improved fuselage and engines allowed for a maximum load of 54,500 pounds (24,700 kg). 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.

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

In the early 1970s, four Super Guppies were used by Airbus Industrie to transport aeroplane parts from decentralised production facilities to the final assembly plant in Toulouse. The running joke was "Every Airbus is delivered on the wings of a Boeing". The super Guppies have since been replaced by the Airbus Beluga, capable of carrying twice as much cargo.

Only one Super Guppy remains in service: an SGT flown by NASA. The other four are mothballed; the SG at Pima Air and Space Museum, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, United States, the first SGT at Bruntingthorpe, UK, the second outside Airbus' factories at Blagnac Airport, Toulouse, France, and the third at Finkenwerder, Germany.

pecifications (Super Guppy Turbine)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref={name of first source}
crew= Four
capacity=
length main= 143 ft 10 in
length alt= 43.84 m
span main= 156 ft 3 in
span alt= 47.625 m
height main= 46 ft 5 in
height alt= 14.148 m
area main=
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main= 101,500 lb
empty weight alt= 46,039 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main= 54,500 lb
useful load alt= 24,720 kg
max takeoff weight main= 170,000 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 77,110 kg
more general=
* Cargo bay dimensions: 111 ft x 25 ft x 25 ft (33.8 m x 7.62 m x 7.62 m)
engine (prop)=Allison 501-D22C
type of prop= turboprops
number of props=4
power main= 4,680 hp
power alt= 3,491 kW
power original=
max speed main=
max speed alt=
cruise speed main= 252 knots
cruise speed alt= 288 mph, 467 km/h
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 1,734 nm
range alt= 1,986 mi, 3,219 km
ceiling main= 32,000 ft
ceiling alt= 9,753.6 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* B-29 Superfortress
* Boeing 377
* Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy
* Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy

similar aircraft=
* Airbus Beluga
* Antonov An-225
* Boeing 377
* Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter
* Conroy Skymonster
* Myasishchev VM-T

sequence=
lists=

see also=
* Aero Spacelines

External links

* [http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/guppy/index.html NASA Super Guppy home page]
* [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/superguppy/index.html Johnson Space Center's Super Guppy page]
* [http://www.boeing.com/history/boeing/m377.html Page about the Boeing B-377, the plane all Guppies were based on]
* [http://www.allaboutguppys.com "All About Guppys"] - Extensive information on all of the Guppy Aircraft, including many photographs and drawings.