Consolidated C-87
Rob Arndt
John
> http://www.stinsonflyer.com/consolac/c87-1.jpg
>
> Rob
For anyone who hasn't read "Fate is the Hunter," the author, Ernie
Gann, had NOTHING nice to say about this airplane.
Take care all . . .
John
David E. Powell
On paper it looks OK. Existing production lines could be adapted,
higher wing, lots of cargo area.... maybe handling wasn't too good?
Rob Arndt
wrote:
The "Liberator Express" suffered more than just bad handling:
The C-87 was plagued by numerous problems and suffered from a poor
reputation amongst its crews. Ernest K. Gann, in Fate is the Hunter
said, "They were an evil bastard contraption, nothing like the
relatively efficient B-24 except in appearance." Complaints centered
around the clumsy flight control layout, frequent engine problems,
hydraulic leaks, and a disconcerting tendency to lose electrical power
in the cockpit during takeoff and landing. The C-87 did not climb well
when heavily loaded, a dangerous characteristic when flying out of the
unimproved, rain-soaked airfields of India and China; many were lost
in collisions with terrain soon after takeoff. Ernest K. Gann's book
recounts a near-collision with the Taj Mahal after takeoff in a
heavily loaded C-87. The aircraft's auxiliary long-range fuel tanks
were linked by improvised and often leaky fuel lines that crisscrossed
the crew compartment, choking flight crews with noxious gasoline fumes
and creating an explosion hazard. The C-87 also had a tendency to
enter an uncontrollable stall or spin in the event of inflight
airframe icing, a frequent occurrence over the Himalayas in the days
before accurate weather forecasting (Gann said they "...could not
carry enough ice to chill a highball").
The aircraft could also become unstable in flight if its center of
gravity shifted due to improper cargo loading. This longitudinal
instability arose from the aircraft's hasty conversion from bomber to
cargo transport. Unlike a normal cargo transport, which was designed
from the start with a contiguous cargo compartment with a safety
margin for fore-and-aft loading variations, the bomb racks and bomb
bays built into the B-24 design were fixed in position, greatly
limiting the aircraft's ability to tolerate improper loading. This
problem was exacerbated by wartime exigencies and the failure of USAAF
Air Transport Command to instruct loadmasters in the C-87's
peculiarities. The design's roots as a bomber are also considered
culpable for frequently collapsing nosegear; its strength was adequate
for an aircraft that dropped its payload in flight before landing on a
well-maintained runway, but it proved marginal for an aircraft making
repeated hard landings on rugged unimproved airstrips while heavily
loaded.
~ Wiki
Also, no first Air Force One:
C-87A VIP transport
In 1942 and 1943, several C-87 aircraft were converted into VIP luxury
passenger transports by adding insulation, padded seats, dividers, and
other accommodations. The modified aircraft was capable of carrying 16
passengers, and given the designation C-87A. One C-87A in particular,
Number 41-24159, was exclusively converted in 1943 to a presidential
VIP transport, the Guess Where II, intended to carry President
Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. Had it been accepted, it
would have been the first aircraft to be used in presidential service,
i.e. the first Air Force One. However, the Secret Service, after a
review of the C-87's controversial safety record in service, flatly
refused to approve the Guess Where II for presidential carriage.[3]
The Guess Where II was then used to transport senior members of the
Roosevelt administration. In March 1944, the Guess Where II
transported Eleanor Roosevelt on a goodwill tour of several Latin
American countries.
~ Wiki
Rob