Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter

what is it?

The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter is a long-range heavy military cargo aircraft developed from the B-29 and B-50 bombers. C-97s served in the Berlin Airlift, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Some aircraft served as flying command posts for the Strategic Air Command, while others were modified for use in Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadrons (ARRS).

🔎How to recognise it: 4 piston engines with propellers · low wing · retractable tricycle gear · 43.1 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 603 km/htop speed
• seats 134passengers
• size 79.4 tmax take-off weight
• built 77made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 82 years ago, in 1944.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 43.1 m: about 10 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 13 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🏔️Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1944-11-09

introduced

1947

retired

1978

status

retired

number built

77

role

military transport aircraft

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Boeing

engines

4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360B Wasp Major / R-4360 Wasp Major

crew

5

passengers

134

length

33.6 m

wingspan

43.1 m

height

11.7 m

max take-off weight

79.4 t

top speed

603 km/h

cruise speed

483 km/h

range

—

ceiling

10,668 m

wings

low wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.