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The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era
Fairchild 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 develop ...
, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by
parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag or, in a ram-air parachute, aerodynamic lift. A major application is to support people, for recreation or as a safety device for aviators, who ...
. 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, built between 1945 and 1948. The Packet provided service to the Air Force's
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
and
Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force's ...
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 A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...
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 engines, and a wider and stronger
airframe The mechanical structure of an aircraft is known as the airframe. This structure is typically considered to include the fuselage, undercarriage, empennage and wings, and excludes the propulsion system. Airframe design is a field of aerospa ...
. The first C-119
prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
(called the XC-82B) first flew in November 1947, with deliveries of C-119Bs from Fairchild's
Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
factory beginning in December 1949.Swanborough and Bowers 1963, pp. 262–263. In 1951,
Henry J. Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of ...
was awarded a contract to assemble additional C-119s at the Kaiser-Frazer automotive factory located in the former
B-24 The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
plant at Willow Run Airport in Belleville, Michigan. Initially, the Kaiser-built C-119F differed from the Fairchild aircraft by the use of Wright R-3350-85 Duplex Cyclone engines in place of Fairchild's use of the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major radial engine. 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 Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...
C-123 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 Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
ese air force in the 1970s, a few others were later shipped to Belgium and Italy. The
AC-119G Shadow The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...
gunship variant was fitted with four six-barrel NATO miniguns, armor plating, flare launchers, and night-capable infrared equipment. Like the AC-130 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 cannon, improved avionics, and two underwing-mounted General Electric J85-GE-17 turbojet engines, adding nearly of thrust. Other major variants included the EC-119J, used for satellite 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 turbojet engine in a nacelle above the fuselage.


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 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 Expeditionary
People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA) was the armed expeditionary forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the PVA were actually transferred from the People's Liberation Army under the order ...
troops blew up a bridge at a narrow point on the evacuation route between Koto-ri and Hungnam, 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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
(USAFE) and Far East Air Forces (FEAF) as the first-line Combat Cargo units, and did yeoman work as freight haulers with the
60th Troop Carrier Wing 060 may refer to: * Motorola 68060 microprocessor * 0-6-0, wheel arrangement for railway locomotives * emergency telephone number in Mexico, "060" * Bermuda, country code "060" (ISO 3166-1 numeric) * 060, the area code for Chimay in the Belgian tel ...
, 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-130s, 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 The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
and non-
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
operational units to fly the "Boxcars." The USAF
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
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, and even satellites. The first use of this technique was in 1955, when C-119s were used to recover
Ryan AQM-34 Firebee The Ryan Firebee is a series of target drones developed by the Ryan Aeronautical Company beginning in 1951. It was one of the first jet-propelled drones, and remains one of the most widely used target drones ever built. Development Ryan Fireb ...
unmanned targets. The
456th Troop Carrier Wing 456th may refer to: *456th Bombardment Group, air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War *456th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *456th Bombardment Wing, inactive United States Air Fo ...
, which was attached to the
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(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, 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 was the first successful recovery of film from an orbiting satellite and the first aerial recovery of an object returning from Earth orbit. The C-119 went on to see extensive service in French Indochina, beginning in 1953 with aircraft secretly loaned by the
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
to
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
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. James Bernard McGovern Jr. (February 4, 1922 – May 6, 1954) was a World War II fighter pilot and later an aviator with the Central Intelligence Agency. He and co-pilot Wallace Buford were the only Americans to die in combat in the First Indochin ...
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 anti-aircraft fire; the aircraft then flew an additional into Laos before it crashed. During the Sino-Indian War 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 incredible success of the Douglas AC-47 Spooky 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. 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-119s each equipped with four 7.62 minigun pods, a Xenon searchlight, 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 In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
missions in South Vietnam and interdiction 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 starting in 1970 as the American forces began to be withdrawn. 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,
U.S. 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 comb ...
, the
Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
and the
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...
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 near Detroit, Michigan, and two squadrons based at
Naval Air Station Los Alamitos A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...
, 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, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Jordan, Taiwan, and (as previously mentioned)
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. The type was also used by the Royal Canadian Air Force, and by the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps 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 (USFS) and the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands. Headquartered in Washington DC, and with oversight over , it governs one eighth of the country's la ...
(BLM) to provide airtankers for fighting wildfires. 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 transports and Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion anti-submarine patrol aircraft were provided to the contractors in exchange for the C-119s."United States v. Fuchs"
''U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, Appeal 9810173, filed July 6, 2000.'' Retrieved: 28 June 2011.
(See U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal.) 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
propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s, 480 built, some converted from Fairchild or Kaiser built C-119F. ;
AC-119G Shadow The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechani ...
:C-119G modified as
gunship A gunship is a military aircraft armed with heavy aircraft guns, primarily intended for attacking ground targets either as airstrike or as close air support. In modern usage the term "gunship" refers to fixed-wing aircraft having laterally-mo ...
s, 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 :Conversions for satellite tracking. ;MC-119J :Used for aircraft equipped for
medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...
role. ;RC-119 :Reconnaissance aircraft used by the
Vietnamese Air Force The Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF, ), formally refers itself as the Air Defence - Air Force (ADAF, ) or the Vietnamese Air Force (VNAF, ), is the aerial warfare service branch of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese ...
;YC-119K :One C-119G modified with two General Electric J85 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 :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 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 The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
. ;Steward-Davis Stolmaster:A single C-119 conversion, with quick-attach J34 jet-packs. A single conversion in 1967.


Operators

; *
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...
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 after being rebuilt to C-119G specs by Sabena 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 "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...
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 ; * Royal Canadian Air Force received 35 new C-119Fs delivered from 1953, later upgraded to C-119G standard. ; * Republic of China Air Force received 114 former USAF aircraft, they were in service from 1958–1997. ; * Ethiopian Air Force 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 The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...
operated in Indochina nine aircraft loaned from USAF. ; *
Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...
received 79 aircraft. ; * Italian Air Force 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 The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF; ar, سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, Silāḥ ul-Jawu al-Malakī 'al-Urdunī) is the aerial warfare branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces. History Early days Jordan gained independence in 19 ...
received four former USAF aircraft. ; * Royal Moroccan Air Force received 12 former USAF aircraft and six former Canadian aircraft. ; * Royal Norwegian Air Force received 8 surplus Belgian aircraft. ; *
Spanish Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December , equipment ...
received 10 former Belgian C-119F delivered by USAF but rejected all. ; * Republic of Vietnam Air Force 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 * United States Marine Corps * United States Navy


Accidents and incidents

*7 November 1952: Flight "Gamble Chalk One" (AF Ser. No. 51-2560), part of
Exercise Warm Wind Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...
, flew off course and crashed in Mt. Silverthrone, Alaska, killing 19. *15 November 1952: Flight callsign "Warmwind Three" (AF Ser. No. 51-2570), part of
Exercise Warm Wind Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...
, 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 is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a de ...
, 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 Naval Air Station Whiting Field is a United States Navy base located near Milton, Florida, with some outlying fields near Navarre, Florida, in south and central Santa Rosa County, Florida, Santa Rosa County, and is one of the Navy's two primary pi ...
, Florida, a United States Marine Corps R4Q-2 transporting 40
NROTC The Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. Origins A pilot Naval Reserve unit was established in September 19 ...
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 (USA ...
, AF Ser. No. ''52-0981'' over farmland near
Bridgeport, Texas Bridgeport is a city in Wise County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,923 in 2020. In 2009, Bridgeport was named by the Texas Legislature as the Stagecoach Capital of Texas. History Bridgeport's history began in February 1860 when Willi ...
, USA, killing all 15 on the Globemaster and all 3 on the Flying Boxcar. The two transports crossed paths over a VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigational radio beacon during cruise flight under instrument flight rules 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. 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, Florida 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 The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
's 910th Tactical Air Support Group at Youngstown, Ohio, crashed shortly after its departure from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico on a flight to
Homestead AFB 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 the ...
, 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 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 The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (french: Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire, often abbreviated to MRA, nl, Koninklijk Museum van het Leger en de Krijgsgeschiedenis, KLM) is a military museum that occupi ...
in Brussels.


Brazil

* FAB 2304 – C-119G on static display at the 8th Parachute Field Artillery Group in Rio de Janeiro. * FAB 2305 – C-119G on static display at the
Museu Aeroespacial Museu Aeroespacial is a national aviation museum located in the West Side of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the Administrative Region of Realengo. The place is known as "the Brazilian Aviation cradle".Ogden (2008) Address Av. Marechal Fontenelle, 2000 ...
at
Afonsos Air Force Base Afonsos Air Force Base – BAAF is a base of the Brazilian Air Force, located in the district of Marechal Hermes, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. History In October 1911 the first aeronautical organization was created in Brazil: the Aeroclube d ...
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 Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...
. It has been converted to a bar. * IK450 – C-119G on static display at the Indian Air Force Museum, Palam in New Delhi. This unit is fitted with an external jet-pack.


Italy

* MM 52-6020 – C-119G on static display at
Rivolto Air Base Rivolto Air Base is an Italian Air Force (''Aeronautica Militare'') air base located in Codroipo, province of Udine (Italy). It is the home base of the Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team. Besides a military airport it is an important air for ...
in Codroipo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. * MM 53-3200 – C-119G on static display at Pisa International Airport in
Pisa, Tuscany Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the city ...
. * 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 The War Memorial of Korea is a museum located in Yongsan-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It opened in 1994 on the former site of the army headquarters to exhibit and memorialize the military history of Korea. It was built for the purpose ...
in Seoul.


Taiwan

* ROCAF 3120 – C-119G on static display at Pingtung Airport in Pingtung City. * ROCAF 3144 – C-119G on static display at Kao Yuan University in
Lujhu, Kaohsiung Lujhu District, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency () is a suburban district of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. History After the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China in 1945, Lujhu was organized as a rural to ...
. * ROCAF 3158 – C-119G on static display at the China University of Science and Technology in
Tapei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the ...
. * ROCAF 3160 – C-119G on static display at Xihujunji Park in
Xihu, Changhua Xihu Township or Sihu Township () is an urban township in the middle of Changhua County, Taiwan. A traditional farming village, along with Xiluo Xiluo Township or Siluo Township () is an urban township in Yunlin County, Taiwan. History ...
. * 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 The Republic of China Air Force Museum () is an air force open-air museum in Gangshan District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. History The museum building was completed on 14 August 1987 to accommodate the Republic of China Air Force Academy campus plannin ...
in
Gangshan, Kaohsiung Gangshan District (, Hakka: Kông-sân-khî), is a suburban district in Kaohsiung City in southern Taiwan. It has 95,128 inhabitants in 2022. The township is part of the suburbs of Kaohsiung City which encompass 10 cities (or townships) out of 18 i ...
. * 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. * 131695 – privately owned in Eagle River, Alaska. ;On display ;;C-119B * 48-0352 – Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base in
Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...
. ;;C-119C * 49-0132 – Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona. 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 in Atwater, California. This airframe was transferred to the U.S. Forest Service after retirement from the Air Force. * 50-0128 – Pope Field near
Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...
. It is painted as 53-3182. * 51-2566 – Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia. * 51-2567 – USAF Airman Heritage Museum at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. ;;C-119F * 48-0322 –
Milestones of Flight Museum General William J. Fox Airfield is a county-owned, public airport in Los Angeles County, California, five miles northwest of Lancaster, California, United States. Locally known as Fox Field, the airport serves the Antelope Valley. The airport i ...
in
Palmdale, California Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On Aug ...
. * 51-2675 – U.S. Veterans Museum in Granbury, Texas. It was previously on display at the Pate Museum of Transportation in
Cresson, Texas Cresson is a city located at the corners of Hood, Johnson, and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 377 and State Highway 171, southwest of Fort Worth. Incorporated in 2001, Cresson had ...
. * 131677 –
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM) is an aviation museum and aircraft restoration facility located at Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pennsylvania. The museum, founded by Russ Strine, the current President, collects and actively restores ...
in
Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
. This former Marine R4Q is reported to be the last C-119/R4Q operated by the U.S. military. * 131679 –
Don F. Pratt Museum Don F. Pratt Memorial Museum is an official U.S. Army Museum located in Building 5702 on Tennessee Avenue at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Military artifacts and memorabilia are available to touch and view at the museum which features interior and exte ...
at Fort Campbell near Clarksville, Tennessee. ;;C-119G * 51-8024 –
Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum is a museum focusing on aircraft and nuclear missiles of the United States Air Force during the Cold War. It is located near Ashland, Nebraska, along Interstate 80 southwest of Omaha. The objective o ...
in Ashland, Nebraska. * 52-5850 –
Grissom Air Museum The Grissom Air Museum is a military aviation museum at Grissom Air Reserve Base near Peru, Indiana with over twenty aircraft on display. History The museum's origins date to 1981, when the Grissom Air Force Base Heritage Museum Foundation was for ...
at
Grissom Air Reserve Base Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located about north of Kokomo in Cass and Miami counties in Indiana. The facility was established as a U.S. Navy installation, Naval Air Station Bunker Hill, in 1942 and was an active ...
in Peru, Indiana. * RCAF 22101 – Fort Campbell near Clarksville, Tennessee. * RCAF 22103 – National Warplane Museum in Geneseo, New York. * RCAF 22105 – Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in
Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...
. * RCAF 22107 – Hill Aerospace Museum at
Hill Air Force Base Hill Air Force Base is a major U.S. Air Force (USAF) base located in northern Utah, just south of the city of Ogden, and bordering the Cities of Layton, Clearfield, Riverdale, Roy, and Sunset with its largest border immediately adjacent to ...
in
Roy, Utah Roy is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States, located on the west side of Interstate 15. The population estimate in 2019 was 39,613, an increase of 5.8% from 36,884 at the 2010 Census. It is part of the Ogden− Clearfield, Utah Metropo ...
. 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 Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...
. This airframe was used in the movie ''
Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...
'' and was donated by Bob Stanford of Zenith Aviation. * RCAF 22114 – Aerospace Museum of California in
McClellan, California Sacramento McClellan Airport is a privately owned public-use airport located six miles (10 km) northeast of the central business district of Sacramento (a city in Sacramento County, California, United States). The airport is on the for ...
. * RCAF 22116 –
Fort Benning Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
in Columbus, Georgia. * 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 at
March Air Reserve Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's Fo ...
in Riverside, California. * RCAF 22130 – Lauridsen Aviation Museum in Buckeye, Arizona. This airframe was used in the 2004 movie '' Flight of the Phoenix''. * RCAF 22134 –
Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center The Travis Air Force Base Aviation Museum (former names include Travis Air Museum, Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum, and Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center) is an aviation museum located at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. The ...
at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. ;;C-119J * 51-8037 – National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. 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 Discoverer 14 satellite at altitude southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. The aircraft was delivered to the Museum in November 1963. ;;C-119L * 53-3144 – Air Commando Park at Hurlburt Field in Mary Esther, Florida. * 53-8084 – Air Park at
Little Rock Air Force Base Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock AFB is the primary C-130 Hercules training base for the Department of Defense, training C-130 pilots, naviga ...
in Jacksonville, Arkansas. * 53-8087 – 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum at
Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...
in
Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America C ...
. ;;R4Q-2 * 131688 –
Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum The Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum is a non-profit aviation museum located in Southern Colorado. It was founded in the mid-1970s by former Pueblo City Manager Fred Weisbrod. The museum is made up of two hangars that were built in 2005 and 2011. ...
in Pueblo, Colorado. * 131708 –
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum currently located at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of ...
at
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) , formerly Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Miramar and Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar, is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the av ...
in San Diego, California. ;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 Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...
* 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. * 53-8074 – stored at the Flying J Ranch near Pima, Arizona. * 53-8076 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming. * 53-8150 – stored at the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in Greybull, Wyoming.


Specifications (C-119C)


Notable appearances in media


See also


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