Dien bien phu castor or siege deinterlaced

The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

, personnel,

litter Litter consists of waste products that have been discarded incorrectly, without consent, at an unsuitable location. Litter can also be used as a verb; to litter means to drop and leave objects, often man-made, such as aluminum cans, paper cups ...

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other hea ...

s, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Tr ...

s by parachute. The first C-119 made its initial flight in November 1947, and by the time production ceased in 1955, more than 1,100 C-119s had been built.

Development

The Air Force C-119 and Navy R4Q was initially a redesign of the earlier

C-82 Packet The C-82 Packet is a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces and the successor United States Air Force following World War II. Design and developm ...

, built between 1945 and 1948. The Packet provided service to the Air Force's Tactical Air Command and Military Air Transport Service for nearly nine years during which time its design was found to have several serious problems. All of these were addressed in the C-119. In contrast to the C-82, the cockpit was moved forward to fit flush with the nose rather than its previous location over the cargo compartment. This resulted in more usable cargo space and larger loads than the C-82 could accommodate. The C-119 also featured more powerful

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

s, and a wider and stronger airframe. The first C-119 prototype (called the XC-82B) first flew in November 1947, with deliveries of C-119Bs from Fairchild's Hagerstown, Maryland factory beginning in December 1949.Swanborough and Bowers 1963, pp. 262–263. In 1951, Henry J. Kaiser was awarded a contract to assemble additional C-119s at the

Kaiser-Frazer The Kaiser-Frazer Corporation (1947–1953 as Kaiser-Frazer) was the result of a partnership between industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and automobile executive Joseph W. Frazer.B-24 plant at

Willow Run Airport Willow Run Airport is an airport in Van Buren Charter Township and Ypsilanti Township, near Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States that serves freight, corporate, and general aviation. Due to its very close proximity to Detroit Metropolitan Ai ...

Belleville, Michigan Belleville is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state Michigan. The population was 3,991 at the 2010 census. As a western suburb of Metro Detroit, Belleville is southeast of Ann Arbor and southwest of Detroit. Belleville is located just s ...

. Initially, the Kaiser-built C-119F differed from the Fairchild aircraft by the use of

Wright R-3350 The Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone is an American twin-row, supercharged, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine with 18 cylinders displacing nearly . Power ranged from 2,200 to over 3,700 hp (1,640 to 2,760 kW), depending on the model. ...

-85 Duplex Cyclone engines in place of Fairchild's use of the

Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major is an American 28-cylinder four-row radial piston aircraft engine designed and built during World War II. First run in 1944, at , it is the largest-displacement aviation piston engine to be mass-produced in ...

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...

. Kaiser built 71 C-119s at Willow Run in 1952 and 1953 (AF Ser. No. 51-8098 to 51-8168) before converting the factory for a planned production of the Chase

C-123 The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Re ...

that never eventuated. The Kaiser sub-contract was frowned upon by Fairchild, and efforts were made through political channels to stop Kaiser's production, which may have proven successful. Following Kaiser's termination of C-119 production the contract for the C-123 was instead awarded to Fairchild. Most Kaiser-built aircraft were issued to the U.S. Marine Corps as R4Qs, with several later turned over to the South Vietnamese

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

in the 1970s, a few others were later shipped to Belgium and Italy. The AC-119G Shadow gunship variant was fitted with four six-barrel NATO

minigun The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electric ...

armor plating Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...

, flare launchers, and night-capable

infrared Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...

equipment. Like the

AC-130 The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, naviga ...

that preceded it, the AC-119 proved to be a potent weapon. The AC-119 was made more deadly by the introduction of the AC-119K Stinger version, which featured the addition of two General Electric

M61 Vulcan The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically, electrically, or pneumatically driven, six- barrel, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires rounds at an extremely high rate (typically 6,000 rounds per minute). The M61 and i ...

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

, improved

avionics Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...

, and two underwing-mounted General Electric J85-GE-17

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, an ...

engines, adding nearly of thrust. Other major variants included the EC-119J, used for

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...

tracking, and the YC-119H Skyvan prototype, with larger wings and tail. In civilian use, many C-119s feature the "Jet-Pack" modification, which incorporates a

Westinghouse J34 The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 ...

turbojet engine in a

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

above the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...

Production

Number built: 1,183 consisting of: *1,112 built by Fairchild *71 built by Kaiser-Frazer Corp Two additional airframes were built by Fairchild for static tests

Operational history

The aircraft saw extensive action during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

as a troop and equipment transport. Two months later, the C-119 deployed with the 314th Troop Carrier Group and served in Korea throughout the war. In December 1950, after

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Expeditionary People's Volunteer Army troops blew up a bridge at a narrow point on the evacuation route between Koto-ri and

Hungnam Hŭngnam is a district of Hamhung, the second largest city in North Korea. It is a port city on the eastern coast on the Sea of Japan. It is only from the slightly inland city of Hamhung. In 2005 it became a ward of Hamhung. History The port a ...

, blocking the withdrawal of U.N. forces, eight U.S. Air Force C-119 Flying Boxcars flown by the 314th Troop Carrier Group were used to drop portable bridge sections by parachute. The bridge, consisting of eight separate sixteen-foot long, 2,900-pound sections, was dropped one section at a time, using two parachutes on each section. Four of these sections, together with additional wooden extensions were successfully reassembled into a replacement bridge by Marine Corps combat engineers and the US Army 58th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company, enabling U.N. forces to reach Hungnam. From 1951 to 1962, C-119C, F and G models served with U.S. Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) and

Far East Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...

(FEAF) as the first-line Combat Cargo units, and did yeoman work as freight haulers with the 60th Troop Carrier Wing, the 317th Troop Carrier Wing and the 465th Troop Carrier Wing in Europe, based first in Germany and then in France with roughly 150 aircraft operating anywhere from Greenland to India. A similar number of aircraft served in the Pacific and the Far East. In 1958, the 317th absorbed the 465th, and transitioned to the

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

s, but the units of the former 60th Troop Carrier Wing, the 10th, 11th and 12th Troop Carrier Squadrons, continued to fly C-119s until 1962, the last non- Air Force Reserve and non- Air National Guard operational units to fly the "Boxcars." The

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Strategic Air Command had C-119 Flying Boxcars in service from 1955 to 1973. Perhaps the most remarkable use of the C-119 was the aerial recovery of balloons,

UAVs An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

, and even satellites. The first use of this technique was in 1955, when C-119s were used to recover Ryan AQM-34 Firebee unmanned targets. The 456th Troop Carrier Wing, which was attached to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 25 April 1955 – 26 May 1956, used C-119s to retrieve instrument packages from high-altitude reconnaissance balloons. C-119s from the 6593rd Test Squadron based at

Hickam Air Force Base Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint ...

, Hawaii performed several aerial recoveries of film-return capsules during the early years of the Corona spy satellite program. On 19 August 1960, the recovery by a C-119 of film from the Corona mission code-named

Discoverer 14 Discoverer 14, also known as Corona 9009, was a spy satellite used in the Corona program managed by Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the Department of Defense and the United States Air Force. On 19 August 1960, usable photographic film ...

was the first successful recovery of film from an orbiting satellite and the first aerial recovery of an object returning from

Earth orbit Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes days (1 sidereal year), during which time Eart ...

. The C-119 went on to see extensive service in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

, beginning in 1953 with aircraft secretly loaned by the CIA to French forces for troop support. These aircraft were generally flown in French markings by American CIA pilots often accompanied by French officers and support staff. The C-119 was to play a major role during the siege at Dien Bien Phu, where they flew into increasingly heavy fire while dropping supplies to the besieged French forces.Grandolini 1996, pp. 52–60. The only two American pilot casualties of the siege at Dien Bien Phu were James B. McGovern Jr. and Wallace A. Buford. Both pilots, together with a French crew member, were killed in early June, 1954, when their C-119, while making an artillery drop, was hit and crippled by

Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

anti-aircraft fire; the aircraft then flew an additional into Laos before it crashed. During the

Sino-Indian War The Sino-Indian War took place between China and India from October to November 1962, as a major flare-up of the Sino-Indian border dispute. There had been a series of violent border skirmishes between the two countries after the 1959 Tibet ...

of 1962, the C-119 was extensively used to supply Indian forces. President Kennedy allowed sales of spare C-119 on a priority basis upon request by the Indian government. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

, the incredible success of the

Douglas AC-47 Spooky The Douglas AC-47 Spooky (also nicknamed "Puff, the Magic Dragon") was the first in a series of fixed-wing gunships developed by the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. It was designed to provide more firepower than light and mediu ...

continued, but limitations of the size and carrying capacity of the plane led the USAF to develop a larger plane to carry more surveillance gear, weaponry, and ammunition, the

AC-130 Spectre The Lockheed AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance, ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport, fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of ground-attack weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, naviga ...

. However, due to the strong demands of C-130s for cargo use there were not enough Hercules frames to provide Spectres for operations against the enemy. The USAF filled the gap by converting C-119s into

AC-119 The Fairchild AC-119G Shadow and AC-119K Stinger were twin-engine piston-powered gunships developed by the United States during the Vietnam War. They replaced the Douglas AC-47 Spooky and operated alongside the early versions of the Lockheed AC ...

s each equipped with four 7.62

pods, a Xenon

searchlight A searchlight (or spotlight) is an apparatus that combines an extremely bright source (traditionally a carbon arc lamp) with a mirrored parabolic reflector to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direc ...

, night observation sight, flare launcher, fire control computer and TRW fire control safety display to prevent incidents of friendly fire. The new AC-119 squadron was given the call-sign "Creep" that launched a wave of indignation that led the Air Force to change the name to "Shadow" on 1 December 1968. C-119Gs were modified as AC-119G Shadows and AC-119K Stingers. They were used successfully in both close air support missions in South Vietnam and

interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose ...

missions against trucks and supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. All the AC-119G Gunships were transferred to the

Republic of Vietnam Air Force The South Vietnam Air Force, officially the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF; vi, Không lực Việt Nam Cộng hòa, KLVNCH; french: Force aérienne vietnamienne, FAVN) (sometimes referred to as the Vietnam Air Force or VNAF) was the aer ...

starting in 1970 as the American forces began to be withdrawn. Fairchild C-119G CP-17 RBAF Coltishall 18

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Air National Guard and USAF Reserve pilots flew C-119's to drop parachutist students for the US Army Parachute School at Ft. Benning, Georgia. After retirement from USAF active duty, substantial numbers of C-119s and R4Qs soldiered on in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

, U.S. Marine Corps, the Air Force Reserve and the Air National Guard until the mid-1970s, the R4Qs also being redesignated as C-119s in 1962. The last military use of the C-119 by the United States ended in 1974 when a single squadron of Navy Reserve C-119s based at Naval Air Facility Detroit/

Selfridge Air National Guard Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Unit ...

near

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, and two squadrons based at Naval Air Station Los Alamitos, California replaced their C-119s with newer aircraft. Many C-119s were provided to other nations as part of the Military Assistance Program, including

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, Jordan,

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, and (as previously mentioned) South Vietnam. The type was also used by the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

, and by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

under the designation R4Q until 1962 when they were also redesignated as C-119.

Civilian use

A number of aircraft were acquired by companies who were contracted by federal agencies including the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

(USFS) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide airtankers for fighting

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...

s. Others were pressed into civilian cargo service. After a series of crashes, the age and safety of the aircraft being used as airtankers became a serious concern, and the U.S. C-119 airtanker fleet was permanently grounded in 1987. Eventually, many of these aircraft were provided to museums across the U.S. in a complicated – and ultimately illegal – scheme where stored USAF

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

transports and Navy

Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. (See

U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal The U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal involved a scheme, officially called the Historical Aircraft Exchange Program, in which the U.S. Forest Service would acquire retired U.S. Air Force C-130A transport aircraft and U.S. Navy P-3 anti-subma ...

.) After the end of the airtanker days, many C-119s flew in Alaska for Northern Pacific Transport, Gifford Aviation, Stebbins & Ambler Air transport, and Delta Associates, being used for public service contracts, such as hauling building materials to the villages in the bush of Alaska that have no road access. Several aircraft were observed, as late as 1990, by paratroopers with the 6th Infantry Division, to be in Forest Service use as jump planes for "smokejumper" firefighters in Alaska. These aircraft were boarded and toured, by the Army paratroopers, at Ft Wainwright, Alaska.

Variants

;XC-119A :The XC-82B modified to production standards, later became C-119A, then EC-119A as an electronics test bed. ;C-119B :Production variant with two P&W R-4360-30 engines, 55 built. ;C-119C :As C-119B with dorsal fins added and tailplane extensions removed, 303 built. ;YC-119D :Project for a version with three-wheeled landing gear and removable pod, was designated XC-128A, none built. ;YC-119E :Project for a version of the 119D with two R-3350 engines, was designated XC-128B, none built. ;YC-119F :One C-119C modified with two R-3350-85 engines. ;C-119F :Production variant, (71 produced by Henry Kaiser with Wright R-3350 engines), 256 built for the USAF and RCAF. ;C-119G :As C-119F with different propellers, 480 built, some converted from Fairchild or Kaiser built C-119F. ; AC-119G Shadow :C-119G modified as gunships, 26 conversions. ;YC-119H :Re-designed version with extended wing and modified tail surface, one converted from a C-119C. ;C-119J :C-119F and G converted with a modified rear fuselage, 62 conversions. ;EC-119J A Fairchild EC-119J Flying Boxcar at the National Museum of the US Air Force

A Fairchild EC-119J Flying Boxcar at the National Museum of the US Air Force

:Conversions for satellite tracking. ;MC-119J :Used for aircraft equipped for medical evacuation role. ;RC-119 :Reconnaissance aircraft used by the Vietnamese Air Force ;YC-119K :One C-119G modified with two

General Electric J85 The General Electric J85 is a small single-shaft turbojet engine. Military versions produce up to of thrust dry; afterburning variants can reach up to . The engine, depending upon additional equipment and specific model, weighs from . It is on ...

turbojets in underwing pods. ;C-119K :Five C-119Gs modified as YC-119K. ; AC-119K Stinger :C-119G modified to C-119K standard as gunships, 26 conversions. ;C-119L :Modified variant of the C-119Gs, 22 conversions. ; XC-120 Packplane R4Q-1 USMC NAN8-50

:One C-119B converted with removable cargo pod. ;C-128 :Initially used designation for YC-119D and YC-119E variant. ;R4Q-1 :United States Navy & United States Marine Corps version of the C-119C, 39 built. ;R4Q-2 :United States Navy and United States Marine Corps version of the C-119F, later re-designated C-119F, 58 built.

Civilian modified versions

;Steward-Davis Jet-Pak C-119:Civil conversions of Fairchild C-119s with

Westinghouse J34-WE-36 The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 ...

dorsal jet-pods. Increased take-off weight of . 29 jet-pak kits were supplied to the US civil market and 27 to the Indian Air Force. ;Steward-Davis Stolmaster:A single C-119 conversion, with quick-attach J34 jet-packs. A single conversion in 1967.

Operators

; * Belgian Air Force received 40 new aircraft using Mutual Defense Air Program (MDAP) funds delivered from 1952, 18 x C-119F and 22 C-119Gs. Six surplus Kaiser-built USAF C-119G were acquired in 1960. All C-119F were retired in 1955 shortly after the arrival of last C-119G, eight were sold to

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) ( no, Luftforsvaret, , The Air Defence) is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximatel ...

after being rebuilt to C-119G specs by

Sabena The ''Societé anonyme belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation aérienne'' (French; ), better known by the acronym Sabena or SABENA, was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its ba ...

technicians, the remaining ten were sent to Spain but proved unsuccessful and were ultimately re-acquired by Belgian Air Force in 1960-1961, rebuilt as C-119G. ; * Brazilian Air Force received 11 former USAF C-119Gs using Military Aid Program funding in 1962. An additional USAF C-119G was acquired in 1962 as an attrition replacement. **2nd Squadron of the 1st Group of transporting troops ; *

received 35 new C-119Fs delivered from 1953, later upgraded to C-119G standard. ; *

Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retroactively known by its historical name the Chinese Air Force and unofficially referred to as the Taiwanese Air Force, is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, currently based ...

received 114 former USAF aircraft, they were in service from 1958–1997. ; *

Ethiopian Air Force The Ethiopian Air Force (ETAF) () is the air service branch of the Ethiopian National Defence Force. The ETAF is tasked with protecting the national air space, providing support to ground forces, as well as assisting civil operations during nati ...

received eight former USAF aircraft using Military Aid Program funding, after modification to C-119K standard with underwing auxiliary jets they were delivered in two batched, five in 1970 and three in 1971. Two former Belgian Air Force C-119Gs were acquired in 1972 as spares source. ; * French Air Force operated in Indochina nine aircraft loaned from USAF. ; * Indian Air Force received 79 aircraft. ; *

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

operated 40 C-119G new aircraft as Mutual Defence Assistance Program, five C-119G former USAF and transferred to United Nations in December 1960 and 25 C-119J surplus USAF / ANG aircraft. The last one flew in 1979. ; * Royal Jordanian Air Force received four former USAF aircraft. ; *

Royal Moroccan Air Force The Royal Moroccan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الملكية; ber, Adwas ujenna ageldan; french: Forces Royales Air) is the air force of the Moroccan Armed Forces. History The Moroccan air force was formed on 14 May 1956 as the ...

received 12 former USAF aircraft and six former Canadian aircraft. ; *

received 8 surplus Belgian aircraft. ; * Spanish Air Force received 10 former Belgian C-119F delivered by USAF but rejected all. ; *

received 91 aircraft transferred from USAF. ; *Five former USAF aircraft donated, operated by the Indian Air Force then passed to the Italian Air Force. ; *

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Accidents and incidents

*7 November 1952: Flight "Gamble Chalk One" (AF Ser. No. 51-2560), part of Exercise Warm Wind, flew off course and crashed in Mt. Silverthrone,

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, killing 19. *15 November 1952: Flight callsign "Warmwind Three" (AF Ser. No. 51-2570), part of Exercise Warm Wind, flew off course and was lost. 20 pronounced dead. *23 June 1953: Shortly after a ground control approached (GCA) radar monitored takeoff from Ashiya Air Base, Japan, a U.S. Air Force C-119 Flying Boxcar (AF Ser. No. 49-0161) turned to a heading 005 degrees magnetic (dm) and began a normal climb through the overcast. The pilot then reported that the C-119 may have scraped the tail skid on takeoff; additionally all the left seat (pilot side) gyroscopic instruments (Gyros) were not operational. A few seconds later, the pilot requested immediate GCA vector to Ashiya AB, stating that co-pilot would have to fly the GCA approach from the right seat. The GCA was continuously tracking them and reported its location as north of Ashiya AB, instructing co-pilot to turn right to a heading of 210 degrees. Then 49-161 disappeared from radar. All on board were lost. *17 July 1953: Shortly after takeoff from NAS Whiting Field, Florida, a

R4Q-2 transporting 40 NROTC midshipmen apparently lost power in the port engine, and crashed and burned after hitting a clump of trees. Six injured men were found in the wreckage, but only two midshipmen and one of the six crewmen survived. *10 August 1955: Two aircraft of a nine-plane USAF flight on a training mission collided over Edelweiler, Germany. One of the C-119s had developed engine trouble and lost altitude, causing it to strike another aircraft in the formation. A total of 66 people on board the two aircraft were killed. *26 October 1956, Air Force aircraft number 51-8026 departed Sewart Air Force Base, Tenn. at :17 a.m.on Oct. 26, 1956 via airways to Olmsted Air Force Base, iddletownPenn. on a cargo airlift mission. The aircraft crashed in mountainous terrain in the Tuscarora State Forest near Shippensburg, PA approximately 22.5 nautical mile west of the Kingston Fan Marker at approximately :15 p.m.killing all four aboard. *27 March 1958: USAF C-119C, AF Ser. No. ''49-0195'', collided in midair with USAF

Douglas C-124C Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...

, AF Ser. No. ''52-0981'' over farmland near Bridgeport, Texas, USA, killing all 15 on the Globemaster and all 3 on the Flying Boxcar. The two transports crossed paths over a

VHF omnidirectional range Very high frequency omnirange station (VOR) is a type of short-range radio navigation system for aircraft, enabling aircraft with a receiving unit to determine its position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by a network ...

(VOR) navigational radio beacon during cruise flight under

instrument flight rules In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR). The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fly ...

in low visibility. The C-124 was on a north-northeasterly heading flying at its properly assigned altitude of ; the C-119 was on a southeasterly heading, and the crew had been instructed to fly at , but their aircraft was not flying at this altitude when the collision occurred. *12 December 1961: Two Belgian C-119 aircraft collided mid-air due to a lack of coordination at flight control, while attempting to land at

Chièvres Air Base Chièvres Air Base , also referred to as SHAPE Airfield at Chievres Air Base, is a NATO airfield operated by the United States Air Force. It is located east southeast of the Walloon town of Chièvres in the province of Hainaut, Belgium and abo ...

. All occupants of both aircraft were killed (13 in total). *26 June 1963: CP-45 a C-119G operated by the Royal Belgian Air Force out of Melsbroek Air Base was struck by a 3-inch mortar bomb whilst flying over the British military training area and ranges at Sennelager, W Germany. The aircraft was carrying 6 crew, 40 Belgian Army para commandos and one Congolese despatcher. They had intended to drop on a DZ near Geseke, but the drop was cancelled and CP-45 was descending in order to land at the Royal Air Force base at Gutersloh. The mortar bomb was a white phosphorus munition which pierced starboard wing fuel tanks and ignited escaping fuel. Nine paratroopers were able to jump and land safely, but all six crew and 32 paras were killed in the crash near the town of Detmold. *5 June 1965: 51-2680, a C-119G operated by the US Air Force disappeared on a military transport flight between

Homestead Air Force Base Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and Grand Turk Island Airport. Five crew and four air force mechanics were killed in the accident.Ranter, Harro and Fabian I. Lujan
"ASN Aircraft accident Fairchild C-119F-FA Flying Boxcar 51-2680 Bahamas."
''Aviation Safety Network,'' 2010. Retrieved: June 28, 2011. *30 September 1966: A United States Air Force C-119 crashed into a mountain peak in the Angeles National Forest, killing all four men aboard. *16 December 1968: A C-119 assigned to the Air Force Reserve's

910th Tactical Air Support Group 91 may refer to: Years * 91 BC * AD 91 * 1991 * 2091 * etc. Transportation * List of highways numbered * 91 Line, a rail line * Saab 91, an aircraft Other uses * 91 (number) * ''91:an'', a Swedish comic * ''91'', a 2017 album by Jamie Grace * N ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

, crashed shortly after its departure from

Naval Station Roosevelt Roads Roosevelt Roads Naval Station is a former United States Navy base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site operates today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport. History In 1919, future US President Franklin D. Roose ...

, Puerto Rico on a flight to Homestead AFB, Florida. The wreckage was found at an elevation of near El Yunque. All eight occupants were killed. (Source: The Miami News, page 6-A, Dec. 17, 1968)

Surviving aircraft

A number of C-119s have been preserved in museums:

Belgium

* CP-10 – C-119G on static display at

Melsbroek Air Base Melsbroek Air Base is a Belgian Air Component facility in Steenokkerzeel, northeast of Brussels, the capital of Belgium. It is located on the northern side of the same site as Brussels Airport, with which it shares runways and ground and air c ...

in Steenokkerzeel, Flemish Brabant. * CP-46 – C-119G (built by Kaiser as C-119F) on static display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Brazil

* FAB 2304 – C-119G on static display at the 8th Parachute Field Artillery Group in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

. * FAB 2305 – C-119G on static display at the Museu Aeroespacial at Afonsos Air Force Base in Rio de Janeiro.

India

* IK444 – C-119 on static display at the 50th Parachute Brigade's Officer's Mess of the former Paratrooper's Training School in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. It has been converted to a bar. * IK450 – C-119G on static display at the

Indian Air Force Museum, Palam The Indian Air Force Museum, Palam, is the museum of the Indian Air Force, and is located at the Palam Air Force Station in Delhi, India. The museum was the only one of its kind in India until the opening of the Naval Aviation Museum in Goa in ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. This unit is fitted with an external jet-pack.

Italy

* MM 52-6020 – C-119G on static display at Rivolto Air Base in Codroipo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. * MM 53-3200 – C-119G on static display at

Pisa International Airport Pisa International Airport ( it, Aeroporto Internazionale di Pisa) , also named Galileo Galilei Airport is an airport located in Pisa, Italy. It is the main airport in Tuscany and the 10th in Italy in terms of passengers. It is named after Galil ...

in Pisa, Tuscany. * MM 53-8146 – EC-119G on static display at the Piana delle Orme Museum in Borgo Faiti, Lazio.

South Korea

* ROKAF 3199 – C-119G on static display at the War Memorial of Korea in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

Taiwan

* ROCAF 3120 – C-119G on static display at

Pingtung Airport Pingtung Airport () are two airports in Pingtung City, Pingtung County, Taiwan . The airport is currently home to the Republic of China Air Force 6th Tactical Mixed Wing, and formerly offered commercial flights. History Pingtung Airport was o ...

Pingtung City Pingtung City (; Hokkien POJ: ''Pîn-tong-chhī'') is a county-administered city and the county seat of Pingtung County, Taiwan. History The area of modern-day Pingtung City was originally a village of the Taiwanese Plains Aborigines which th ...

. * ROCAF 3144 – C-119G on static display at

Kao Yuan University Kao Yuan University (KYU; ) is a private university in Kaohsiung Science Park, Lujhu District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History The university was originally established in 1986 as Private Kao Yuan Junior College of Technology. In 1989, it was ap ...

in Lujhu, Kaohsiung. * ROCAF 3158 – C-119G on static display at the

China University of Science and Technology China University of Science and Technology (CUST; ) is a private university located in Nangang District, Taipei, Taiwan. History CUST was originally established in 1968 as China Junior College of Technology. In 1994, it was renamed to China J ...

in Tapei. * ROCAF 3160 – C-119G on static display at Xihujunji Park in Xihu, Changhua. * ROCAF 3183 – C-119L on static display at Military aircraft park in Chang-hua County. * ROCAF 3184 – C-119L on static display at Jiji Township in Nantou County. * ROCAF 3190 – C-119L on static display at Republic of China Air Force Museum in Gangshan, Kaohsiung. * ROCAF 3192 – C-119L on static display at Rushan Visitor Center in Kinmen County. * ROCAF 3202 – C-119L on static display at Yuanzhiluxiuxian Park in Nanhua District, Tainan.

United States

;Airworthy ;;C-119F * 131673 – privately owned in

Eagle River, Alaska Eagle River is a community within the Municipality of Anchorage situated on the Eagle River, for which it is named, between Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and Chugach State Park in the Chugach Mountains. Its ZIP code is 99577. Settled by homeste ...

. * 131695 – privately owned in Eagle River, Alaska. ;On display ;;C-119B * 48-0352 –

Air Mobility Command Museum The Air Mobility Command Museum a military aviation museum located at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware dedicated to the history of the Air Transport Command, Military Air Transport Service, Military Airlift Command and Air Mobility Command. ...

Dover Air Force Base Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware. 436th AW is the host wing and runs the busiest and largest a ...

in Dover, Delaware. ;;C-119C * 49-0132 –

Pima Air & Space Museum The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus oc ...

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. This aircraft also carries civilian registration N13743 and is currently in the markings of "Tanker 81" of Hemet Valley Flying Service of Hemet, California. This aircraft is currently on outdoor display and will be restored to original USAF markings. * 49-0157 – Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. * 49-0199 –

Castle Air Museum Castle Air Museum is a military aviation museum located in Atwater, California, United States adjacent to Castle Airport, a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base which was closed in 1995, after the end of the Cold War. It ...

Atwater, California Atwater is a city on State Route 99 in Merced County, California, United States. Atwater is west-northwest of Merced, at an elevation of . The population as of the 2020 census was 31,970, up from 28,168 in 2010. Geography Atwater is in northe ...

. This airframe was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service after retirement from the Air Force. * 50-0128 –

Pope Field Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...

near Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is painted as 53-3182. * 51-2566 – Museum of Aviation at

Robins Air Force Base Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast o ...

Warner Robins, Georgia Warner Robins (typically ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located in Houston and Peach counties in the central part of the state. It is currently Georgia's eleventh-largest incorporated city, with an estimated population of 80,308 in t ...

. * 51-2567 – USAF Airman Heritage Museum at

Lackland Air Force Base Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of S ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. ;;C-119F * 48-0322 – Milestones of Flight Museum in Palmdale, California. * 51-2675 – U.S. Veterans Museum in

Granbury, Texas Granbury is a city in and the county seat of Hood County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,958, and it is the principal city of the Granbury micropolitan statistical area. Granbury is named after Confede ...

. It was previously on display at the Pate Museum of Transportation in Cresson, Texas. * 131677 – Mid-Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. This former Marine R4Q is reported to be the last C-119/R4Q operated by the U.S. military. * 131679 – Don F. Pratt Museum at

Fort Campbell Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Divi ...

near

Clarksville, Tennessee Clarksville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is the fifth-largest city in the state behind Nashville, Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The city had a population of 166,722 as of the 202 ...

. ;;C-119G * 51-8024 – Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in

Ashland, Nebraska Ashland is a city in Saunders County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,453 at the 2010 census. History Ashland is located at the site of a low-water limestone ledge along the bottom of Salt Creek, an otherwise mud-bottomed stream ...

. * 52-5850 – Grissom Air Museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base in

Peru, Indiana Peru is a city in, and the county seat of, Miami County, Indiana, United States. It is north of Indianapolis. The population was 11,417 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous city in Miami County. Peru is located along the Wabash Rive ...

. * RCAF 22101 – Fort Campbell near Clarksville, Tennessee. * RCAF 22103 –

National Warplane Museum The National Warplane Museum is a warbird and military history museum currently located on the grounds of the Geneseo Airport in Geneseo, New York. Founded in 1994, the museum restores, flies, and displays vintage military aircraft from the Seco ...

Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a town in Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester Metropolitan Area. The population of the town was 10,483 at the 2010 census. The English name ...

. * RCAF 22105 –

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (Niagara Falls Air Force Base -1971) is an Air Force Reserve Command military installation operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command. It is located adjacent to Niagara Falls International Airport, Ne ...

in Niagara Falls, New York. * RCAF 22107 –

Hill Aerospace Museum Hill Aerospace Museum is a military aviation museum located at Hill Air Force Base in Roy, Utah. It is dedicated to the history of the base and aviation in Utah. History Preparations for a museum began in 1984, when ground was broken on an "Ae ...

at Hill Air Force Base in Roy, Utah. It is painted as the ''State of Utah'' and bears the incorrect USAF serial number 52-2107. * RCAF 22111 – Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland. This airframe was used in the movie '' Always'' and was donated by Bob Stanford of Zenith Aviation. * RCAF 22114 –

Aerospace Museum of California The Aerospace Museum of California is a private non-profit aviation museum located in North Highlands, California, outside of Sacramento, California, on the grounds of the former McClellan Air Force Base. The museum has a 4.5-acre outdoor Air Pa ...

in McClellan, California. * RCAF 22116 – Fort Benning in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

. * RCAF 22118 – Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware. After its RCAF service it was converted into an air tanker. Delivered to the museum in 1991, it was restored as a C-119G, fake Air Force Serial No. 51-2881. * RCAF 22122 –

March Field Air Museum The March Field Air Museum is an aviation museum near Moreno Valley and Riverside, California, adjacent to March Air Reserve Base. History The museum was founded in 1979 as March Air Force Base Museum. One of the first exhibits at the museum was ...

at March Air Reserve Base in

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. * RCAF 22130 – Lauridsen Aviation Museum in

Buckeye, Arizona Buckeye is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is the westernmost suburb in the Phoenix metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census the population was 91,502, up from 50,876 in 2010 and 6,537 in 2000. It was the fastest-growin ...

. This airframe was used in the 2004 movie '' Flight of the Phoenix''. * RCAF 22134 – Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center at

Travis Air Force Base Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, California ...

Fairfield, California Fairfield is a city in and the county seat of Solano County, California, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay sub-region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco ...

. ;;C-119J * 51-8037 –

National Museum of the United States Air Force The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the ...

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater D ...

. This aircraft was specially modified for the mid-air retrieval of space capsules reentering the atmosphere from orbit. On 19 August 1960 this aircraft made the world's first mid-air recovery of a capsule returning from space when it "snagged" the parachute lowering the

satellite at altitude southwest of

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

. The aircraft was delivered to the Museum in November 1963. ;;C-119L * 53-3144 – Air Commando Park at

Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Spe ...

Mary Esther, Florida Mary Esther is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,851 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. It is part of the Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Fort Walton Beach–Crestview, Flo ...

. * 53-8084 – Air Park at Little Rock Air Force Base in

Jacksonville, Arkansas Jacksonville is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States, and a suburb of Little Rock. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 28,364. It is part of the Little Rock– North Little Rock– Conway Metropolitan Statistical Ar ...

. * 53-8087 –

82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum The 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum is a museum located at Ardennes and Gela Streets on the Fort Bragg Army base. Established in 1945, the museum chronicles the history of the 82nd Airborne Division from 1917 to the present including ...

at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. ;;R4Q-2 * 131688 – Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populo ...

. * 131708 – Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

. ;Under restoration or in storage ;;C-119F * RCAF 22108 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming. ;;C-119G * 53-8073 – stored at Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage, Alaska * RCAF 22106 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming. * RCAF 22113 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming. * RCAF 22135 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming. ;;C-119L * 53-7836 – stored with Everts Air Fuel in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

. * 53-8074 – stored at the Flying J Ranch near

Pima, Arizona Pima is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 2,387, up from 1,989 in 2000. The estimated population in 2018 was 2,512. Pima is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

. * 53-8076 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in

Greybull, Wyoming Greybull is a town in central Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,847 at the 2010 census. Geography Greybull is located at (44.491450, -108.053655). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total ...

. * 53-8150 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming.

Specifications (C-119C)

Fairchild R4Q-1 Flying Boxcar 3-view line drawing

Notable appearances in media

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

''Website of origin
USAF Museum">National Museum of the United States Air Force, USAF Museum
*Bridgman, Leonard. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1951–52''. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd., 1951. *Bridgman, Leonard. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1956–57''. New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1956. *Grandolini, Albert. "French 'Packets': Fairchild C-119 Boxcars in French Indochina". ''Air Enthusiast'', Volume 66, November/December 1996, pp. 52–60. . * Lloyd, Alwyn T. ''Fairchild C-82 Packet and C-119 Flyng Boxcars''. Hinkley, UK: Midland Counties, 2005. . *Swanborough, F.G. and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Military Aircraft since 1909''. London: Putnam, 1963. *''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook''. Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation. 1975.

External links

C-119 Survivors Census
* {{USN transports Fairchild aircraft, C-119 Aircraft with auxiliary jet engines Twin-boom aircraft Hagerstown, Maryland 1940s United States military transport aircraft, Fairchild C-119 High-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1947 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Historic American Engineering Record in Texas