The Super Guppy was conceived by Leo Mansdorf and John M. Conroy, it was based on the Boeing B-377 Stratocruiser but with a new massive fuselage. Super Guppy's were produced by Aero Spacelines to transport Saturn V rocket boosters for NASA's Apollo space program but have also been used by Airbus to transport large aircraft components. The Super Guppy has a cargo hold 111 feet long and 25 feet in diameter, the cargo which can weigh up to 26 tons and is loaded via an unusual hinged nose. A total of five Super Guppy's were made, four with turbine engines as SGT's, but only one remains serviceable, a SGT still used by NASA. Super Guppy "turbine" Specifications: - Wing span: 47.625 m (156 ft 3 in)
- Length: 43.84 m (143 ft 10 in)
- Height: 14.148 m (46 ft 5 in)
- Engines: Four 4680 hp Allison 501-D22C turboprops
- Cruising Speed: 252 knots (466.7 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 32,000 ft (9,753.6 m)
- Maximum range: 1734 nautical miles (3218.7 km)
- Empty weight: 46,039 kg (101,500 lb)
- Maximum Cargo Weight: 24,720 kg (54,500 lb)
- Maximum takeoff weight: 77,110 kg (170,000 lb)
|
