Fairchild C-82 Packet

The C-82 was one of the first aircraft to be built with military transport solely in mind. Many other military craft (like the C-47) used for transport during WWII were borrowed civilian designs, or created with a military as well as commercial role in mind. The C-82 was used for both cargo and troop transport. It could carry 41 paratroopers, 34 stretchers, 21,500 lbs. of freight, or a vehicle load of 3 jeeps and one light truck. It had clamshell rear doors allowing for easy entry of trucks, tanks, and artillery; paratroopers exited the craft through these rear doors. It could also be used for glider towing.

The C-82 prototype first flew in 1944, and the plane was delivered to the military from 1945 to 1948. Unfortunately, a number of deficiencies were found, including poor visibility for the pilot over a drop zone, difficulty arranging and accessing the internal payload, and inadequate power and performance. These problems were rapidly addressed by Fairchild, and the resulting aircraft was given the designation the C-119 "Flying Boxcar."

The Packet has a crew of 4 or 5: pilot, copilot, navigator, and flight engineer and/or loadmaster. The C-82 burns 157.5 gallons or fuel per hour of routine usage. A full load of fuel costs $420.

A C-82 was featured in the 1965 film "The Flight of the Phoenix."

Fairchild C-82A

Subassemblies: Huge Bomber chassis +5; Large Bomber wings +4; 2 Medium AFV engine pods [Wings:F] +3; 3 retractable wheels +2.

Powertrain: Two 1,566-kW aerial turbocharged HP gasoline engines [Pods] with two 1,566-kW aerial props and 2,100-gallon self-sealing fuel tank [Wings]; 8,000-kWs batteries.

Occ.: 5 CS Body

Cargo: 84 Body

Armor F RL B T U

All: 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5 3/5

Wheels: 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3 2/3

Equipment:

Body: Autopilot, medium radio transmitter and receiver, navigation instruments, IFF, non-targeting radar, 84 VSP vehicle bay, 45 passenger seats. Pods: 2 Fire extinguishers each.

Statistics:

Size: 77'x106'x26' Payload: 10.75 tons Lwt.: 27 tons

Volume: 3040 Maint.: 19 hours Cost: $441,000

HT: 8. HPs: 750 Body, 500 each Wing, 200 each Pod, 70 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 250 aAccel: 4 aDecel: 7 aMR: 2 aSR: 3

Stall Speed: 84 mph. Take-Off Run 784 yards. Landing Runs 706 yards.

gSpeed: 173 gAccel: 9 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.25 gSR: 4

Ground Pressure: Extremely High. No Off-Road Speed.

Design Notes:

Body and wing weight, cost, and HPs were halved to reflect the lighter structure of a transport aircraft, as well as to lower design weight closer to the historical. Design empty weight was 8% below the historical. Design loaded weight was off by 14%, but many guesses about payload make this an unreliable figure anyways. Fuel capacity was based on a loose calculation of the plane's historical range (2,140 miles), cruising speed (162 mph) and design fuel consumption, as no historical figure was found. Design aSpeed was 236 mph; the historical value is shown. Performance calculations were based on historical wing area (1,400 square feet) and loaded weight (54,000 lbs.).

Variants:

The XC-82 was the 1944 design prototype. 1 built.

The C-82A was the only major design type. 220 built.

The C-82N was a license built C-82A by North American Aviation. 3 were built before the contract was canceled.

The C-119 Flying Boxcar was the redesigned and improved C-82, originally called the XC-82B. It was slightly larger (109' wingspan, 86' length, 1,447 square foot wing area) and featured more powerful 2,610-kW engines. Empty weight increased to 39,800 lbs., and loaded weight to 74,000 lbs. aSpeed was 296 mph. The C-119 could carry 78 passengers, 62 paratroops, 35 litters, or 28,000 lbs. in freight. It saw service in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts with U.S. forces. With the U.S. Marine Corps, the C-119 was designated the R4Q. Except for the obviously shortened nose of the C-119 for better pilot visibility, the C-82 and C-119 appear very similar. A C-119 was featured in the 2004 remake of "The Flight of the Phoenix."

From the Aerodrome for GURPS