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The Fairchild XC-120 Packplane was an American experimental modular aircraft first flown in 1950. It was developed from the company's C-119 Flying Boxcar, and was unique in the unconventional use of removable cargo pods that were attached below the fuselage, instead of possessing an internal cargo compartment.
Cargo Carrier Concept:Design-logic for Airborne Logistics: The Fairchild XC-120 Pack-plane
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Video about the XC-120
* Contains segment about the plane. {{USAF transports Fairchild C-120 Packplane C-120 Twin-boom aircraft Modular aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1950 Mid-wing aircraft Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Individual aircraft Aircraft with retractable quad landing gear
Design and development
The XC-120 Packplane began as a C-119Bfuselage
The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
(''48-330'', c/n 10312) with a point just below the flight deck cut off to create the space for the detachable cargo pod. The fuselage was raised by several feet, and smaller diameter "twinned" wheels were installed forward of each of the main landing gear struts to serve as nosewheels, while the main struts were extended backwards.
All four landing gear units, in matching "nose" and "main" sets, could be raised and lowered to allow cargo to be preloaded into the pods; it was claimed that such an arrangement would speed up loading and unloading cargo.
Production aircraft were to be designated C-128.
Operational history
Only one XC-120 was built. Though the aircraft was tested extensively and made numerous airshow appearances in the early 1950s the project went no further. It was tested by the Air Proving Ground Command atEglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
, Florida, in 1951, before the project was abandoned in 1952. The prototype was eventually scrapped.
Specifications (XC-120)
See also
References
*Evans, Stanley H.Cargo Carrier Concept:Design-logic for Airborne Logistics: The Fairchild XC-120 Pack-plane
. ''
Flight
Flight or flying is the motion (physics), motion of an Physical object, object through an atmosphere, or through the vacuum of Outer space, space, without contacting any planetary surface. This can be achieved by generating aerodynamic lift ass ...
'', 21 September 1950. pp. 331–333.
*
External links
Video about the XC-120
* Contains segment about the plane. {{USAF transports Fairchild C-120 Packplane C-120 Twin-boom aircraft Modular aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1950 Mid-wing aircraft Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Individual aircraft Aircraft with retractable quad landing gear