C-97 Stratofreighter: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter
Description
Role	Military Transport
Crew	4
Capacity	3,000 ft³	85 m³
First Flight	November 15, 1944
Entered Service
Manufacturer	Boeing
Dimensions
Length	110ft 4in	33.7 m
Wingspan	141ft 3in	43.1 m
Height	38ft 3in	11.7 m
Wing Area	1,734 ft²	161.1 m²
Weights
Empty	82,500 lb	37,410 kg
Loaded	120,000 lb	54,420 kg
Maximum takeoff	175,000 lb	79,370 kg
Powerplant
Engine	4 × Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major
Power (each)	3,500 hp	2,610 kW
Performance
Maximum speed	375 mph	603 km/h
Combat range	4,300 miles	6,920 km
Ferry range	km	miles
Service ceiling	35,000 ft	10,670 m
Rate of climb	ft/min	m/min
Wing loading	69.2 lb/ft²	337.8 kg/m²
Power/Mass	0.117 hp/lb	0.192 kW/kg
Armament
Guns

The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was developed towards the end of World War II by fitting an enlarged upper fuselage onto a lower fuselage and wings which were essentially the same as the B-29 Superfortress. The prototype XC-97 was powered by the 2,200 hp (1,640 kW) Wright R-3350 engine, and even with this the performance was impressive - on January 11. 1945 the first prototype flew from Seattle to Washington, DC in 6 hours 4 minutes, an average speed of 383 mph (616 km/h). For the remaining models the powerplants were upgraded to the 3500 hp (2,610 kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major.

The military transport had a useful payload of 35,000 lb (16 t) and could carry two normal trucks or light tanks. Loading was by a retractable ramp into doors in the bottom of the fuselage, which was pressurised in flight.

About 60 C-97 transports were built, but the design really flourished in the guise of the KC-97 Stratotanker flight-refuelling tanker. The civilian derivative Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was highly influential in the post-war development of long-distance civil aviation.