CONVAIR C-131H SAMARITAN
USAF SERIAL NUMBER 55-4757
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Brief History
This military version of the Convair 340 airliner was used to transport personnel, staff transportation, and support missions at Duluth by the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Group during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The Convair CV-240/340/440 series design began life in a production requirement by American Airlines for a pressurized airliner to replace the classic Douglas DC-3. Convairs’ original design had two engines and 40 seats, thus designated the CV-240.
The USAF used the Convair 240/340/440 series for medical evacuation, VIP transport, and light cargo. The first model Samaritan, the C-131A, was derived from the CV-240 model and was delivered to the USAF in 1954. An earlier trainer model designated the T-29 “Flying Classroom” was also based on the CV-240 and was used to instruct USAF navigators for all USAF aircraft and later used for aeromedical evacuation. There were a total of 472 T-29/C-131 aircraft built for the USAF.
Interesting Facts
The museum’s C-131 last flew with the 103rd Fighter Wing, the “Flying Yankees,” Bradley ANGB, East Granby, CT. It is also known that this aircraft was once fitted for aeromedical evacuation, with some of the fittings still mounted in the passenger compartment and a red cross painted on the tail. A C-131B, serial number 53-7820, was the first aircraft used as a flying gunship testbed in mid-1963 in a program called “Project Tailchaser” at Eglin AFB, FL. The aircraft had a gunsight mounted in the pilot’s side window and a General Electric SUU-11A/A 7.62 mm Gatling style Minigun installed in the passenger compartment; all tests were successful.
Dimensions
Fuselage Length: 74 Feet, 8 Inches (CV-240)
Wingspan: 91 Feet, 9 Inches (CV-240)
Height: 26 Feet, 11 Inches (CV-240)
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Propulsion
Powerplant: 2 Pratt and Whitney R-2800 “Double Wasp” 18 cylinder air cooled radial engines, 2,100 HP each
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Performance
Range: 1,200 Miles
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Max. Speed: 315 MPH
Ceiling: 16,000 Feet
Crew & passenger capacity
Crew: 4
Capacity: Up To 44
Armament
None