Supersized - or, do you want flights with that? Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport was a former Strategic Air Command base and boasts one of the longest (and widest) runways...

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport was a former Strategic Air Command base and boasts one of the longest (and widest) runways in the United States. It is also home to Bell Helicopter’s assembly plant for the V-22 Osprey. Occasionally, we have the Super Guppy visit to bring in large parts, like the V-22 fuselage. Here are some photos from a few years ago when some of us in the local media got to tour this amazing aircraft.

Ron0321 Loc: SE Washington State, Near the Tri-Cities

Very cool, and what a great experience it must have been to view that aircraft.

machia Loc: NJ

Is the Guppy a modified Lockheed Electra ?

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

It does look like a guppy!
Well captured!!!
Wished i'd been there with you taking images.
Pat

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

machia wrote:

Is the Guppy a modified Lockheed Electra ?

It's a Boeing Stratocruiser, AKA C-97, KC-97, modified to haul outsized loads. The original radial engines were replaced with T-56 turboprop engines. That's the same engine that was used on the Electra & the C-130 Hercules transport. There is an even larger outsized transport flying based on the Airbus A300 called the Beluga.

machia Loc: NJ

nicksr1125 wrote:

It's a Boeing Stratocruiser, AKA C-97, KC-97, modified to haul outsized loads. The original radial engines were replaced with T-56 turboprop engines. That's the same engine that was used on the Electra & the C-130 Hercules transport. There is an even larger outsized transport flying based on the Airbus A300 called the Beluga.

Thank you . Radials were Wright or P&W ? Assuming the turboprop is Allison .

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

machia wrote:

Thank you . Radials were Wright or P&W ? Assuming the turboprop is Allison .

The prototype used Wright R3350's the same engine used on the B-29 from which the Stratofreighter was developed. Production aircraft had P&W Wasp Major engines & a taller tail from the B-50 which was a development of the B-29. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_C-97_Stratofreighter

machia Loc: NJ

nicksr1125 wrote:

The prototype used Wright R3350's the same engine used on the B-29 from which the Stratofreighter was developed. Production aircraft had P&W Wasp Major engines & a taller tail from the B-50 which was a development of the B-29. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_C-97_Stratofreighter

Thanks for all the info . I was always fascinated by this airplane .
Have a good Thanksgiving .

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

newsguygeorge wrote:

Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport was a former Strategic Air Command base and boasts one of the longest (and widest) runways in the United States. It is also home to Bell Helicopter’s assembly plant for the V-22 Osprey. Occasionally, we have the Super Guppy visit to bring in large parts, like the V-22 fuselage. Here are some photos from a few years ago when some of us in the local media got to tour this amazing aircraft.

That's a whale of a plane!

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

photophile wrote:

That's a whale of a plane!

The original was called a Guppy. Then came the Super Guppy & Pregnant Guppy. The latest generation are called Beluga & are being built new by Airbus Industries in France.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Interesting, and unusual.

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

nicksr1125 wrote:

The original was called a Guppy. Then came the Super Guppy & Pregnant Guppy. The latest generation are called Beluga & are being built new by Airbus Industries in France.

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

machia wrote:

Is the Guppy a modified Lockheed Electra ?

The first, the Super Guppy, or "SG", was built directly from the fuselage of a C-97J Turbo Stratocruiser

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

The largest airlifter for airplane components currently in regular service is the Boeing Dreamlifter, built as a modification of the 747. It is used to transport fuselage sections and wings of the 787 aircraft to the assembly plant.

raymondh Loc: Walker, MI

Never saw one of these before. Nice set & thanks for sharing!