Boeing 377
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| Boeing 377 Stratocruiser | |
|---|---|
_American_Overseas_1949-50.jpg/300px-Boeing_377_Stratocruiser_(B-29)_American_Overseas_1949-50.jpg) American Overseas "Flagship Denmark" Boeing 377 Stratocruiser |
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| Type | Propeller airliners |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Maiden flight | 1947-07-08 |
| Primary users | Pan Am BOAC |
| Number built | 56 |
| Developed from | C-97 Stratofreighter |
| Variants | Pregnant Guppy Super Guppy Mini Guppy |
The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was a luxurious long-range postwar airliner with four-piston engines. It was a civilian version of the C-97 Stratofreighter.
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[edit] Design
Like the C-97, the 377 was developed towards the end of World War II by adapting an enlarged upper fuselage onto the lower fuselage and wings which were essentially the same as the B-50 Superfortress, the high-performance evolution of the B-29 Superfortress bomber. The 377 was larger and longer ranged than the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-7, with nonstop transatlantic range, but the P&W R-4360 Wasp Major engines proved uneconomical, with production ending in 1950. [1]
6600 cubic feet of interior space was provided by the “inverted-figure-8” doubledeck fuselage design. It offered seating of over 100 passengers, or sleeping berths for up to 28 berthed and five seated passengers. It first flew on July 8, 1947. It had the speed and range to span ocean routes, enabling flying from New York to Hawaii in less than twenty four hours.[2] Pressurization (previously introduced on the previous Boeing Stratocruiser and also designed into the B-29) allowed breathing sea-level while at an altitude of 15,500 feet. At 25,000 passengers enjoyed a “cabin altitude” of only 5500 feet
[edit] Service
Despite serious design flaws and a marginal service record,[3] the Stratocruiser was one of the most luxurious post-war propeller airliners. Extremely complex and expensive, only 56 were built as airliners. Another 60 of this design were built as C-97 military transports, but the majority were built as 816 KC-97 tankers.
The Stratocruiser served as flagships on the Atlantic and Hawaii runs until forced out of service by the 1960s, when it had been made obsolete by the coming of the jet airliners such as the Boeing 707 and de Havilland Comet. Its spiral staircase, which led to a lower-deck lounge, inspired the one on the 747. It was one of the few airliners with a double-decker seating arrangement (another was the French Breguet Deux-Ponts) until the 747, though some airlines did have lower-level lounges on their L-1011 Tristar aircraft.
[edit] Operators
- Línea Internacional Aérea
- American Overseas Airlines
- Northwest Airlines
- Pan American World Airways
- Transocean Air Lines
- United Airlines
- Rutas Aéreas Nacionales SA
[edit] Safety record
- This aircraft type suffered 13 hull-loss accidents between 1951 and 1970 with a total of 140 fatalities. The worst single accident occurred on April 29, 1952; separation of the number two engine and propeller from Pan Am Flight 202 caused it to crash in the jungle near Carolina, Brazil, killing all forty-one passengers and nine crew.
- The Romance of the Skies, Pan Am flight 7, left San Francisco on November 8, 1957, headed for Hawaii with 38 passengers and 6 crew. The 377 suffered a mechanical failure that may have been sabotage, and crashed around 5:25pm in the Pacific. There were no survivors. There is speculation that two passengers had a motive to bring the plane down. Eugene Crosthwaite, a 46 year old purser, had shown blasting powder to a relative days prior to the flight, and had cut a stepdaughter from his will only one hour before the flight. William Payne, an ex-Navy demolitions expert, had taken out large insurance policies on himself just before the flight, and had a $10,000 debt he was desperate to pay off. The insurance investigator later suspected him of never being on the plane. His wife received at least $125,000 in payouts.
[edit] Aero Spacelines/Guppys
In the 1960s, Aero Spacelines modified several Stratocruisers to make oversized transports dubbed "Guppys". The first of these was the Pregnant Guppy, followed by the Super Guppy, and finally the Mini Guppy.
[edit] Specifications (377)
Data from Airliners of the World[4]
General characteristics
- Capacity: Up to 100 passengers on main deck plus 14 in lower deck lounge; typical seating for 63 or 84 passengers or 28 berthed and five seated passengers.
- Length: 110 ft 4 in (33.63 m)
- Wingspan: 141 ft 3 in (43.05 m)
- Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.66 m)
- Wing area: 1769 ft² (164.3 m²)
- Empty weight: 83,500 lb (37,876 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 148,000 lb (67,133 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B6 Wasp Major 28-cylinder radial engines four-bladed propellers, 3,500 hp (2,610 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 375 mph (603 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 301 mph (483 km/h)
- Range: 3650 nm (6760 km, 4200 mi))
- Service ceiling 32,000 ft (9,800 m)
[edit] References
- ^ Pushing the Envelope: The American Aircraft Industry By Donald M. Pattillo
- ^ Stratcruiser
- ^ Ernest K. Gann's Flying Circus: Lady with a past
- ^ Wilson, Stewart (1999). Airliners of the World. Fyshwick, Australia: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-44-7.
- Wilson, Stewart (1999). Airliners of the World. Fyshwick, Australia: Aerospace Publications. ISBN 1-875671-44-7.
- Boeing 377 - Stratocruiser A very comprehensive enthusiast page on the type
- The Aviation History On-Line Museum - Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
- California Classic - The Boeing Model 377 Stratocruiser
- Air Disaster, Vol. 4: The Propeller Era, by Macarthur Job, Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd. (Australia), 2001 ISBN 1-875671-48-X
[edit] External Links
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
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