The History Of The Fairchild C 119 Flying Boxcar

THE HISTORY OF THE FAIRCHILD C-119 FLYING BOXCAR

8-1/2 x 11, 250 b/w & color photos plus drawings

Originally designed as a cargo and paratroop transport during World War II, the Fairchild C-82 Packet is today mainly remembered for its starring role in the Hollywood film The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Its ungainly appearance earned it the nickname "the flying boxcar" but the aircraft was the first to achieve practical end-loading and aerial delivery of cargoes. Its outsized capacity served the U.S. military's needs for more than ten years--civilian operators flew it in remote locations like Alaska and South America for a further three decades. This book provides a comprehensive history of the C-82, detailing each of the 224 aircraft built, with technical diagrams, multiple appendices and more than 200 photos.

This almanac provides a comprehensive, chronological overview of all American military history, serving as the standard reference work of its type. Almanac of American Military History is yet another reference work from acclaimed historian Dr. Spencer C. Tucker and ABC-CLIO, offering an unprecedented resource for a wide range of students and researchers. A comprehensive, four-volume title, this almanac traces all of American military history from the European voyages of discovery through 2011, chronicling the pivotal moments that have shaped the United States into the country it is today. In addition to documenting key events, this title presents biographies of more than 250 key individuals and provides information on more than 250 historically significant technologies and weapons systems. A detailed glossary is included, as are discussions of ranks and military awards and decorations. Divided into conflict periods, each chapter includes a detailed chronology, reference-entry sidebars, statistical information, primary-source documents, and a bibliography.

When Orville Wright made the first successful flight of an airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, no one could have envisioned the impact that the historic occasion would have on Hagerstown, Maryland, and the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. When Sherman M. Fairchild bought controlling interest in Hagerstown’s Kreider-Reisner Aircraft in 1929, the stage was set for the newly formed Fairchild Aircraft to become a major contributor to the country’s World War II efforts. In 1939, the company was awarded a contract to build 270 PT-19 trainers for the U.S. Army Air Corps. By the spring of 1944, Fairchild had manufactured more than 5,000 of the primary trainers, which became synonymous with the city of Hagerstown. When asked by the military to “put wings on a railroad boxcar,” Fairchild responded with various cargo aircraft including the C-82, the C-119, and the C-123. Fairchild’s contribution to the world of aviation unofficially ended in March 1984 with the delivery of the last of the A-10s contracted by the U.S. Air Force. Over the course of its history in Hagerstown, Fairchild employed more than 50,000 men and women in the manufacture of military and civilian aircraft.

Originally designed as a cargo and paratroop transport during World War II, the Fairchild C-82 Packet is today mainly remembered for its starring role in the Hollywood film The Flight of the Phoenix (1965). Its ungainly appearance earned it the nickname “the flying boxcar” but the aircraft was the first to achieve practical end-loading and aerial delivery of cargoes. Its outsized capacity served the U.S. military’s needs for more than ten years—civilian operators flew it in remote locations like Alaska and South America for a further three decades. This book provides a comprehensive history of the C-82, detailing each of the 224 aircraft built, with technical diagrams, multiple appendices and more than 200 photos.