The Convair C-131 Samaritan is an American twin-engined military transport produced from 1954 to 1956 by

Convair Convair, previously Consolidated Vultee, was an American aircraft manufacturing company that later expanded into rockets and spacecraft. The company was formed in 1943 by the merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. In 1953, i ...

. It is the military version of the Convair CV-240 family of airliners.Gradidge 1997, p. 20–21.

Design and development

The design began life in a production requirement by

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

for a pressurized airliner to replace the Douglas DC-3. Convair's original design had two engines and 40 seats, and thus it was designated the ''CV-240''. The first CV-240 flew on March 16, 1947, and production aircraft were first delivered to American on February 28, 1948. Seventy-five were delivered to American, with another fifty going to

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

, Continental Airlines,

Pan American Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

, KLM,

Sabena The ''Societé anonyme belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation aérienne'' (French; ), better known by the acronym Sabena or SABENA, was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its ba ...

, Swissair and

Trans Australia Airlines Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Brand ...

Operational history

The CV-240/340/440 series was used by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

(USAF) for medical evacuation and

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

transport and was designated as C-131 Samaritan. The first model Samaritan, the C-131A, was derived from the CV-240 model, and was delivered to the USAF in 1954. The initial trainer model, designated the ''T-29'', was also based on the Convair CV-240 and was used to instruct USAF navigators for all USAF aircraft and

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(USN)

Naval Flight Officer A naval flight officer (NFO) is a commissioned officer in the United States Navy or United States Marine Corps who specializes in airborne weapons and sensor systems. NFOs are not pilots (naval aviators), but they may perform many "co-pilot" or ...

s (NFOs) selected to fly land-based aircraft. The first deliveries to the USAF were made in 1950 followed by large production quantities until early 1955. The USAF and the USN operated T-29s in separate units at separate locations until 1976. In 1974, the USAF T-29s with the 323d Flying Training Wing (323 FTW) at

Mather AFB Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a United States Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 pursuant to a post-Cold War BRAC decision. It was located east of Sacramento, on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento County, Californ ...

, California began to be replaced by the

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...

-derived T-43. In 1975, the Navy retired all of its T-29s assigned to Training Squadron Twenty-Nine (VT-29) at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, deactivated VT-29, and merged their advanced navigator training program for land-based NFOs with the Air Force's program at Mather AFB. A planned bomber training version of the T-29 (designated ''T-32'') was never built. From 1952, the USN and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

(USMC) took delivery of 36 ''R4Y-1'' transport aircraft similar to the commercial CV-340 and USAF C-131D, configured with 44 passenger seats and powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800-52W engines. A single otherwise similar aircraft was acquired with a 24-seat VIP interior and designated ''R4Y-1Z''. In 1957, the USN took delivery of two additional aircraft similar to the commercial CV-440 and designated ''R4Y-2''. With the 1962 redesignation of USN/USMC aircraft, the three types were redesignated as the ''C-131F'', ''VC-131F'', and ''C-131G'' respectively. A number of R4Y-1 (C-131F) aircraft were converted to R4Y-1Z (VC-131F) or R4Y-2 (C-131G) standards after delivery, and several C-131F and C-131G aircraft were ultimately sold as

military surplus Military surplus are goods, usually matériel, that are sold or otherwise disposed of when held in excess or are no longer needed by the military. Entrepreneurs often buy these goods and resell them at surplus stores. Usually the goods sold by t ...

and converted to civil use. Nearly all of the C-131s left the active USAF inventory in the late 1970s, but the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) operated the aircraft until 1983, while the Air National Guard (ANG) and USN units operated additional C-131 airframes, primarily as Operational Support Aircraft (OSA) for ANG flying wings and as naval air station "station aircraft" until 1990. The C-131 was primarily replaced by the C-9 Nightingale in regular USAF service, with the ANG replacing their OSA with C-130 Hercules aircraft and the USN with C-12 Hurons. Mercury Astronauts in Weightless Flight on C-131 Aircraft - GPN-2002-000039

Mercury Astronauts in Weightless Flight on C-131 Aircraft - GPN-2002-000039

In 1959, a C-131 was the first aircraft to be used as a

reduced-gravity aircraft A reduced-gravity aircraft is a type of fixed-wing aircraft that provides brief near-weightless environments for training astronauts, conducting research and making gravity-free movie shots. Versions of such airplanes were operated by the NAS ...

or 'vomit comet', for astronaut training as part of

Project Mercury Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...

. A Samaritan was the first aircraft used as a flying gunship testbed in mid-1963, in a program known as "Project Tailchaser". A C-131B (AF Ser. No. 53-7820) was given a gunsight for the side window, but instead of guns it had cameras in the cargo area. Eventually the C-131 was ferried to

Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and a General Electric SUU-11A/A 7.62 mm Gatling-style

Minigun The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...

was installed. Live ammunition was used and both over-water and overland tests were successful.

Accidents and incidents

On 17 December 1960, a USAF C-131D Samaritan crashed at Munich after one engine lost power on takeoff from Munich-Riem Airport. Flying in heavy fog and unable to gain altitude, the aircraft struck the steeple of St. Paul's Church and crashed onto a

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

, killing all 20 people on the aircraft and 32 on the tram.

Variants

;C-131A :Transport for USAF based on CV-240, capable of carrying 39 passengers on rearward facing seats, or 20 stretchers and 7 seats; 26 built.Wegg 1990, p. 190. ;HC-131A :Surplus C-131As transferred to the USCG, 22 transferred. ;MC-131A :C-131A used for medivac duties with 27 stretchers. ;VC-131A :C-131A used as a staff transport. ;C-131B :A hybrid CV-240/340 with seats for 48 passengers, 36 built. ;JC-131B :C-131B converted for missile tracking, six conversions. ;NC-131B :One C-131B used for permanent testing. ;VC-131B :C-131B when used as a staff transport. ;YC-131C :Two CV-340s modified with Alison 501D-13

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. ...

engines. ;C-131D :Military version of the Model 340 with seats for 44 passengers, 33 built. ;VC-131D :C-131D when used as a staff transport. ;C-131E :

Electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

(ECM) training version for Strategic Air Command (SAC), later designated TC-131E, 15 built and one conversion from C-131D, two transferred to United States Navy as R4Y-2. ;TC-131E :C-131E redesignated. ;C-131F :R4Y-1 redesignated. ;RC-131F :Conversions for photo-mapping and survey, six conversions. ;VC-131F :R4Y-1Z redesignated. ;C-131G :R4Y-2 redesignated. ;EC-131G :One C-131G modified as an electronics trainer. ;RC-131G :One C-131G modified for airways checking duties. ;VC-131G :C-131G when used as a staff transport. ;C-131H :Conversions to CV-580 turboprop standard. ;NC-131H :One conversion with an extended nose incorporating a separate cockpit as a Total In-Flight Simulator. This aircraft was transferred to the

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio on November 7, 2008 ;R4Y-1 :USN/USMC version of CV-340 with 44 passenger seats, redesignated C-131F in 1962, 36 built. ;R4Y-1Z :USN/USMC 24-seat VIP staff transport, redesignated VC-131F in 1962, one built and conversions from R4Y-1. ;R4Y-2 :USN/USMC version of CV-440, redesignated C-131G in 1962, two built and conversions from R4Y-1; an additional 13 canceled, of which six were completed as CV-440 airliners. ;R4Y-2Q :Proposed ECM version of the R4Y-2, five canceled. ;R4Y-2S :Proposed

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

version of R4Y-2, 14 canceled. ;XT-29 :Prototype military trainer version of the Model 240 for the United States Air Force, two built. ;T-29A :Initial production version for navigator training, unpressurized cabin for 14 students, 46 built. ;VT-29A :T-29As converted for staff transport. ;T-29B :Pressurized version with room for 10 navigator and four radio operator students, 105 built. ;NT-29B :One T-29B used for permanent testing. ;VT-29B :T-29B converted for staff transport with seating for 29 or 32 passengers. ;T-29C :T-29B with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29W engines, 119 built. ;AT-29C :T-29C modified for airways checking duties, redesignated ET-29C in 1962. ;ET-29C :AT-29C redesignated. ;VT-29C :T-29C converted to staff transport. ;T-29D : Bombardier training version of the T-29C with room for six students, 93 built. ;ET-29D :Airways checking conversion of the T-29D. ;VT-29D :Staff transport conversion of the T-29D. ;XT-29E :Proposed turboprop version of T-29B, none built. ;YT-32 :Proposed bomber training version with transparent nose, none built.

Operators

; *

Paraguayan Air Force The Armed forces of Paraguay ( es, Fuerzas Armadas de Paraguay) consist of the Paraguayan army, navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and air force. The constitution of Paraguay establishes the president of Paraguay as the commander- ...

operated one former USAF Convair C-131D ; *

operated T-29 and C-131 aircraft. *

operated R4Y/C-131 and T-29 aircraft. *

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

operated R4Y/C-131 aircraft. *

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

Surviving aircraft

;HC-131A * 52-5794 – On display at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populo ...

. ;C-131A * 55-4757 – On display at the

Minnesota Air National Guard The Minnesota Air National Guard (MN ANG) is the aerial militia of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is, along with the Minnesota Army National Guard, an element of the Minnesota National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the Minnesota Ai ...

Museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ;C-131B * 53-7811 – Last registered to Tatonduk Outfitters Limited in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

. This aircraft was previously on display at the Kelly Field Heritage Museum, Lackland AFB, Texas. * 53-7819 – Airworthy with Airborne Resources Inc in Midlothian, Texas. * 53-7821 – On display at the

Air Force Armament Museum The Air Force Armament Museum is a military aviation museum adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base in Valparaiso, Florida, dedicated to the display of Air Force armament. It is supported by the private, non-profit Air Force Armament Museum Foundation. ...

. ;C-131D * 54-2806 – On display at the Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum,

Travis AFB Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, California ...

, California. * 54-2808 – On display at the

March Field Air Museum The March Field Air Museum is an aviation museum near Moreno Valley and Riverside, California, adjacent to March Air Reserve Base. History The museum was founded in 1979 as March Air Force Base Museum. One of the first exhibits at the museum was ...

, March ARB (former March AFB),

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. * 54-2810 – Stored at

Burlington Air National Guard Base Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, now ...

in Burlington, Vermont. * 54-2822 – On display at the

Aerospace Museum of California The Aerospace Museum of California is a private non-profit aviation museum located in North Highlands, California, outside of Sacramento, California, on the grounds of the former McClellan Air Force Base. The museum has a 4.5-acre outdoor Air Pa ...

, former McClellan AFB, California. * 55-0292 – On display at the South Dakota Air and Space Museum,

Ellsworth AFB Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Stri ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

. * 55-0293 – On display at the

Selfridge Military Air Museum The Selfridge Military Air Museum is an aviation museum located at Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Mount Clemens, Michigan. History The museum was founded in 1975 by Colonel Robert A. Stone. The museum was moved slightly in 2000 to acco ...

Selfridge Air National Guard Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Unit ...

, Michigan. * 55-0294 – On display at The Leonardo in Salt Lake City, Utah. * 55-0295 – On display at the Air Mobility Command Museum,

Dover AFB Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest air ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

. * 55-0300 – On display at the

Hill Aerospace Museum Hill Aerospace Museum is a military aviation museum located at Hill Air Force Base in Roy, Utah. It is dedicated to the history of the base and aviation in Utah. History Preparations for a museum began in 1984, when ground was broken on an "Ae ...

Hill AFB Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent t ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. * 55-0301 – Cockpit only with unknown owner in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This airframe was previously on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, but was scrapped before 2009. ;C-131F * 140996 – Airworthy with Gulf & Caribbean Cargo of

Waterford, Michigan Waterford Township is a charter township in the geographic center of Oakland County, Michigan, United States. In 2020, the population of Waterford Township was 70,565. Communities Waterford Township has five unincorporated communities: * Clin ...

. * 141008 – Airworthy with Conquest Air Inc of

Miami Lakes, Florida Miami Lakes is a suburb of Miami, an incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. US Census, 31,628 people live in Miami Lakes. History The development was constructed by Sengra (now the ...

. * 141013 – On display at the

Yanks Air Museum The Yanks Air Museum is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization and museum dedicated to exhibiting, preserving and restoring American aircraft and artifacts in order to show the evolution of American aviation, located at Chino Airport in Chino, Cal ...

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino is adjacent to Chi ...

. * 141015 – On display at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, NAS Pensacola, Florida. * 141017 – On display at the

Pima Air & Space Museum The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus oc ...

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. * 141025 – In storage at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. ;NC-131H * 53-7793 – On display at the

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. ;T-29A * 49-1934 – On display at Sheppard AFB,

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. * 50-0190 – On display at the Strategic Air and Space Museum in

Ashland, Nebraska Ashland is a city in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,453 at the 2010 census. History Ashland is located at the site of a low-water limestone ledge along the bottom of Salt Creek, an otherwise mud-bottomed stream ...

. ;T-29B * 51-7906 – On display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. ;T-29C * 53-3489 – On display at the

12th Flying Training Wing The 12th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force. It is headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The wing is the parent organization for the 479th Flyin ...

area,

Randolph AFB Randolph Air Force Base was an United States Air Force base located at Universal City, Texas ( east-northeast of Downtown San Antonio). Opened in 1931, Randolph has been a flying training facility for the United States Army Air Corps, the Un ...

, Texas. (previously displayed at former

, California; disassembled and relocated following BRAC closure of Mather AFB) * 52-1175 – On display at the Linear Air Park at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas.

Specifications (C-131B)

Convair R4Y-2 Samaritan 3-view line drawing

References

; Notes ; Bibliography * Andrade, John. ''Militair 1982''. London: Aviation Press Limited, 1982. . * Frawley, Gerald. "Convair CV-540, 580, 600, 640 & CV5800", ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft 1997/98''. Fyshwick ACT: Aerospace Publications, 1997. . * Gradidge, Jennifer. ''The Convairliners Story''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1997. . * Swanborough, F. G. and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Military Aircraft since 1909''. London: Punam, 1963. * Wegg, John. ''General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecessors''. London: Putnam, 1990. .

External links

Convair 240
– National Air and Space Museum
C-131 Samaritan factsheet
–

C-131D Samaritan
–

C-131 Samaritan
– GlobalSecurity.org
C-131 Samaritan
– The Aviation Zone
Gunships
– The Aviation Zone {{USN transports

C-131 The Convair C-131 Samaritan is an American twin-engined military transport produced from 1954 to 1956 by Convair. It is the military version of the Convair CV-240 family of airliners.Gradidge 1997, p. 20–21. Design and development The design ...

1950s United States military trainer aircraft C-0131 Samaritan Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1949 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft related to spaceflight