Something you may never see

We used to call it 'Butt Nose' as kids....got pics on bubblegum cards. Consolidated?? (mfr)

....or expansion on the C-47 airframe(?)

Fab pics though........hmmmmmmmmm 

Great photos, I love No3 with the Phat Custom car infront. You yanks used to build em wild, way back then.

...Guy

Wow, that's big!  Never seen it before this post.  I'm sure y'all have seen the write-up on this site then. http://www.air-and-space.com/xc99.htm 

Interesting drawing of it as an airliner concept.

Amazing! Those shots are simply amazing! What a rare look, inside a rare bird!

Great info/pics on that link, too. Can you imagine that thing loaded up with 400 troops! 400!? 

That monster must have rattled more than a few windows when it took off at Max Power!!!

Some interesting tidbits abouot this bird.

This plane used to fly a route between SMALC and Lackland. When the program was killed, the plane was grounded at wichever base it was at. Fortunatley it was at Lackland at the time as they had the space there to store it. If it had been at McClellan, it would've been scrapped because it took up so much room. I was told this by one of the guys I worked with at the museum at McClellan AFB iin the early 80s.

This airframe is the only one ever built and was a conversion of a B-36. When I went to Lackland in the mid-90s it wasn't available for public viewing as it had been moved to "the far side of the base". I asked while I was there becasue it was one I really wanted to see.

The airframe is now undergoing restoration at the USAF Museum and hopefully will be on display soon, I'm waiting to go up there when it is. I suppose it'll have to be an outdoor display item though.

Nice pictures of that ol' bird.  I remember seeing it when I went through USAF basic training at Lackland in 1963.  I sure hope the USAF museum gets it decent shape and the general public can tour the inside of it.  I doubt that will happen because there is always a few blithering idiots who would vandalize it or rip parts out for souveniers.

Darwin, O.F. 

The xc-99 was a successful program for the very same reason that the B-36 succeeded. It was the final version, excepting later failures like the XF-12 and XB-35, of large winged piston engine powered a/c.

Turbo props took over transports.

Over 7500 hours which is not bad.

But notice and pay attention people. All big military transport projects that are approved carry a civilian market promise. As was noted earlier, the C-99 was proposed as the Convair 37.

The C-141 was proposed as the SuperStarLifter.

But at a cost ratio of 5 to 10 to 1, these are usually moot points.

Now that brings back some memories. Fat Willy was what it was called as I remember. I was at Lackland at this time as well, only I was in grade school. Lived at 134 Ferson Loop. My dad was a C130 pilot doing a tour as squadron commander at OCS at Medina annex and flying T33´s out of Kelly. "Does this mean your a fighter pilot now Papa? No son it means I have to fly with somebody who thinks they are." He also told me he liked being able to stand up, stretch, go for a walk, use the toilet, and have a coffee and cig while he was flying. There was also a B29 crashed on the side of the hill above where Willy was parked at the end of the runway that was one of our favorite playgrounds. We also knew how to get into the B17 that was parked on the parade ground and we used to play "12 o´clock High!" every day after school. I remember the base commander of Lackland said "I`m the only General in the Air Force that has all his planes bolted to the ground!" Sorry, not trying to hijack your thred, you just woke up a whole lot of memories. Thanks very much for this post. Heres to seeing Willy in all his glory with that orange MATS globe on his tail.

                                        Regards, Mac

Beleive or not, that beast had simple tricyle configuration!!!  Later, the pair of huge tires that supported the wings were replaced with a more sound 4 wheel train under each wing.  I remember that from a documentary called something like "air giants" or "giants of the sky" from the Wings Channel.  The program failed

Here some videos of the behemoth:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXAOGQCutPY

... and here on her maiden flight with the original tricyle config. Note the size of those tires!!  Must have been the largest aircraft wheels in history!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rtVzztv0Hw