Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was the airliner version of the 367 Boeing Stratofreighter, which in turn was the transport version of B-50 Superfortress. It first flew on July 8, 1947.
Despite serious design flaws and a marginal service record [1], the Stratocruiser was one of the great post-war propeller airliners. Extremely complex and expensive, only 56 were built. It continued in mainline service until 1960, by then it had been made obsolete by the coming of the 707 and other first generation jetliners. The 377 was the flagship of the Pan Am fleet until the arrival of the 707. 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, however some airlines had lower-level lounges on their L-1011 Tristar aircraft.
Operators
- American Overseas Airlines - United States
- British Overseas Airways Corporation - United Kingdom
- Scandinavian Airlines System - order canceled, aircraft delivered to BOAC
- Israeli Air Force - Israel
- Linea Internacional Aereo - Ecuador
- Northwest Airlines - United States
- Pan American World Airways - United States
- Rutas Aéreas Nacionales SA - Venezuela
- Transocean Air Lines - United States
- United Airlines - United States
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.
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.
Specifications
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.
- Wing span: 141 ft 3 in (43.05 m)
- Length: 110 ft 4 in (33.63 m)
- Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.66 m)
- Wing area: 1769 ft² (164.3 m²).
- Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360-B6 Wasp Major 28-cylinder radial engines, 3,500 hp (2,610 kW) each, driving four-bladed propellers
- Production: 56 Model 377 Stratocruisers (plus 888 military Model 367/K/C-97).
Performance
- Max speed: 375 mph (603 km/h)
- Max cruise: 340 mph (547 km/h)
- Normal cruise: 301 mph (483 km/h)
- Service ceiling: 32,000 ft (9,800 m)
- Max range: 3650 nautical miles (6760 km)
- Empty weight: 37,876 kg (83,500 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 67,133 kg (148,000 lb).
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