Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter"
Model Airplane News Cover Art for April, 1945
by Jo Kotula
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The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long range heavy military cargo aircraft based on the B-29 bomber. Design work began in 1942, and the production aircraft entered service in 1947. Between 1947 and 1958, 888 C-97s in several variants were built - 816 of them KC-97 tankers. 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.

  

Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter"
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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 with the tail, wing, and engine layout being nearly identical. The C-97 had a useful payload of 35,000 lb and could carry two normal trucks or light tanks. The C-97 was also the first mass produced air transport to feature cabin pressurization, which made long range missions somewhat more comfortable for the crew and passengers.

C-97s evacuated casualties during the Korean War. C-97s also participated in the airlift of relief materials during the Nigerian Civil War. Early in its service life, it served as an airborne alternative SAC command post. While only 60 C-97 transports were built, 812 were built as the KC-97 Stratotanker variant for inflight refueling. The civilian derivative of the C-97 was the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, a very luxurious transoceanic air liner which featured a lower deck lounge and could be fitted with sleeper cabins.

Two C-97s are still airworthy at the present day, one operated as a privately-owned warbird, the other used to drop water on forest fires in the United States.

Here is a video of the Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter":

In addition to the cover of Model Airplane News, this airplane was also featured in the WINGS "Friend or Foe" trading card series of the early 1950s

Trading card representation of the Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter".
Click Here to see all 200 cards in the series
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Click Here for more information about the Boeing C-97 "Stratofreighter".

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