The C-119G "Flying Boxcar"

The C-119G "Flying Boxcar". . , The venerable C-119, developed after World War II by Fairchild Aircraft Corporation, carried cargo, personnel, litter patients and mechanized equipment, and dropped cargo and troops by parachute. The first C-119 flew in November 1947. By the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1100 had been built. The Air Force used the C-119 extensively during the Korean Conflict. Many were employed also by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and the Air Forces of Canada, Belgium, Italy, and India. In South Vietnam, the aircraft once again entered combat as the AC-119 "gunship." It was equipped with side-firing weapons capable of firing up to 6,000 rounds per minute each., The C-119G on display in Gen. Mitchell Air Reserve Station's Heritage Park has been painted to replicate the Flying Boxcar with tail number 51-2680, assigned to the 440th Troop Carrier Wing (Medium). That aircraft and the ten people on board were lost on June 5, 1965, in the seas off the coast of Grand Turk Island, located at the far southeast end of the Bahama Islands. None of the crew nor the aircraft were recovered, nor was the cause of the accident ever determined. The 440th operated the C-119 from 1957 to 1971, when it converted to the A-model C-130 Hercules., C-119 Specifications and Performance Information, Wing span: 109 ft 3¼ in , Length: 86 ft 5¾ in , Height: 26 ft 7¾ in , Weight: 66,900 lbs max , Engines: Two Wright R-3350s, developing 3500 horsepower each , Cost (new, circa 1955): $590,000.00 , Maximum speed: 290 mph , Cruising speed: 200 mph , Range: 2,000 miles , Service Ceiling: 30,000 ft