Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express / USAAF / USN Library / Forums (2024)

  • Duggy

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    Duggy

    12 years ago

    Sun Jul 25 2021, 01:25pmDuggy

    Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express / USAAF / USN Library / Forums (1)

    Duggy

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    • Joined: Tue Mar 13 2012, 12:25pm
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    Duggy

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    12 years ago

    After posting "Photo of the week".
    Several members commented that they new nothing about this "bird"

    The Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express was a transport derivative of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber built during World War II for the United States Army Air Forces. A total of 287 C-87s were factory-built alongside the B-24 at the Consolidated Aircraft plant in Fort Worth, Texas. Converted former C-87s were the basis for a USAAF flight engineer trainer designated as the AT-22, a United States Navy VIP transport designated as the RY, and a Royal Air Force VIP transport designated as the Liberator C.IX.

    The C-87 was hastily designed in early 1942 to fulfill the need for a heavy cargo and personnel transport with longer range and better high-altitude performance than the C-47 Skytrain, the most widely available United States Army Air Forces transport aircraft at the time.

    The first C-87 prototype was based on a damaged B-24D, serial #42-40355, that crashed at Tucson Municipal Airport #2 on 17 February 1943. Six Consolidated Aircraft employees riding as passengers were killed and several others were injured.

    The prototype was converted into a transport configuration[2] by various modifications, including deletion of the gun turrets and other armament along with the installation of a strengthened cargo floor, including a floor running through the bomb bay. The glassed-in bombardier compartment of the B-24 was replaced by a hinged metal cap to allow front cargo loading. A cargo door was added to the port side of the fuselage, just forward of the tail, and a row of windows was fitted along the sides of the fuselage.

    The C-87 could be fitted with removable seats and racks to carry personnel or litters in place of cargo. In its final configuration, the C-87 could carry between 20 and 25 passengers or 12,000 lbs of cargo. Because of war production bottlenecks and shortages, many C-87 aircraft were fitted with turbosuperchargers producing lower boost pressure and power than those fitted to B-24s destined for combat use, and ceiling and climb rate were accordingly adversely affected.

    C-87A VIP transport

    In 1942 and 1943, several C-87 aircraft were converted into VIP luxury passenger transports by adding insulation, padded seats, dividers, and other accommodations. The modified aircraft was capable of carrying 16 passengers, and given the designation C-87A. One C-87A in particular, Number 41-24159, was exclusively converted in 1943 to a presidential VIP transport, the Guess Where II, intended to carry President Franklin D. Roosevelt on international trips. Had it been accepted, it would have been the first aircraft to be used in presidential service, i.e. the first Air Force One. However, the Secret Service, after a review of the C-87's controversial safety record in service, flatly refused to approve the Guess Where II for presidential carriage. The Guess Where II was then used to transport senior members of the Roosevelt administration. In March 1944, the Guess Where II transported Eleanor Roosevelt on a goodwill tour of several Latin American countries.

    Operational history
    C-87 Liberator Express takes off on test flight, Consolidated Aircraft Corp., Fort Worth, Texas (LOC), October 1942

    Most C-87s were operated by the U.S. Air Transport Command and flown by civilian crews from U.S. civil airlines. The planes were initially used on transoceanic routes too long to be flown by the C-47. After the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942, the C-87 was used for flying war material from India to besieged Chinese forces over "The Hump", the treacherous air route that crossed the Himalayas. When the route was established, the C-87 was the only readily available American transport with high-altitude performance good enough to fly this route while carrying a large cargo load.

    The C-87 was plagued by numerous problems and suffered from a poor reputation amongst its crews. Ernest K. Gann, in Fate is the Hunter said, "They were an evil bastard contraption, nothing like the relatively efficient B-24 except in appearance." Complaints centered around the clumsy flight control layout, frequent engine problems, hydraulic leaks, and a disconcerting tendency to lose electrical power in the cockpit during takeoff and landing. The C-87 did not climb well when heavily loaded, a dangerous characteristic when flying out of the unimproved, rain-soaked airfields of India and China; many were lost in collisions with terrain soon after takeoff. Ernest K. Gann's book recounts a near-collision with the Taj Mahal after takeoff in a heavily loaded C-87. The aircraft's auxiliary long-range fuel tanks were linked by improvised and often leaky fuel lines that crisscrossed the crew compartment, choking flight crews with noxious gasoline fumes and creating an explosion hazard. The C-87 also had a tendency to enter an uncontrollable stall or spin in the event of inflight airframe icing, a frequent occurrence over the Himalayas in the days before accurate weather forecasting (Gann said they "...could not carry enough ice to chill a highball").

    The aircraft could also become unstable in flight if its center of gravity shifted due to improper cargo loading. This longitudinal instability arose from the aircraft's hasty conversion from bomber to cargo transport. Unlike a normal cargo transport, which was designed from the start with a contiguous cargo compartment with a safety margin for fore-and-aft loading variations, the bomb racks and bomb bays built into the B-24 design were fixed in position, greatly limiting the aircraft's ability to tolerate improper loading. This problem was exacerbated by wartime exigencies and the failure of USAAF Air Transport Command to instruct loadmasters in the C-87's peculiarities. The design's roots as a bomber are also considered culpable for frequently collapsing nosegear; its strength was adequate for an aircraft that dropped its payload in flight before landing on a well-maintained runway, but it proved marginal for an aircraft making repeated hard landings on rugged unimproved airstrips while heavily loaded.

    The C-87 was rapidly displaced on the front lines by the Douglas C-54 Skymaster and Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando, which offered similar high-altitude performance combined with greater reliability and more benign flight characteristics. Some surviving C-87 aircraft were converted into VIP transports or flight crew trainers, and several others were sold to the Royal Air Force.

    Nicked from "Wikki"

    Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express / USAAF / USN Library / Forums (2)
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    Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express / USAAF / USN Library / Forums (4)
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    Regards Duggy.

  • Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express / USAAF / USN Library / Forums (2024)

    FAQs

    How many B-24 were shot down in WWII? ›

    During World War II, approximately 14,000 B-24 Liberators were produced. Over 6,000 of them were lost in combat or operational accidents. Many were shot down by enemy fire, while others were lost due to various reasons such as mechanical failures, accidents, or non-combat-related incidents.

    What was the difference between the b17 and the B-24 liberator? ›

    The B-24 came to dominate the heavy bombardment role in the Pacific because compared to the B-17, the B-24 was faster, had longer range, and could carry a ton more bombs.

    What was the transport version of the B-24? ›

    Nicknamed the Liberator Express, the C-87 was a transport version of the B-24D, which seated 25 passengers. A large door was incorporated into the left side of the fuselage. Four P & W R-1830-43 engines powered these airplanes. An alternate version, the C-87A carrying 16 passengers was modified as a VIP carrier.

    What was the bomb load of the B-24? ›

    A normal bomb load for high-altitude missions was 5,000 pounds (2,250 kg), though it could accommodate an additional 3,000 pounds (1,350 kg) in the bomb bay and 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) on external racks beneath the wings for short-range missions.

    Why was the B-24 nicknamed the flying coffin? ›

    Why was the B-24 called the Flying Coffin? Airmen who flew the Liberator took to naming the airframe the “Flying Coffin” due to its singular entry point near the rear of the aircraft. With only a single point of exit, and far from the majority of the crew, it was nearly impossible for them to leave in an emergency.

    How much is a B-17 worth today? ›

    It could be yours for a cool $9,000,000. This B-17E bomber, built by Boeing in 1941, never saw combat, but did see an extensive career in both North and South America, including a stint flying meat across Bolivia, when it was known as "El Tigre" ("The Tiger").

    Was there a toilet on a B-17? ›

    During World War II, large bomber aircraft, such as the American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the British Avro Lancaster, carried chemical toilets (basically a bucket with seat and cover, see bucket toilet); in British use, they were called "Elsans" after the company that manufactured them.

    Was the B-17 better than the B-24? ›

    In the final analysis, there is no real way to determine if either the B-24 or the B-17 was truly superior. But, the record of the two types indicates that, of the two, the Liberator design was more versatile and considerably more advanced than that of the Flying Fortress.

    How many b24 liberators are left? ›

    Liberators were scrapped in large numbers. This aircraft is one of only 13 surviving B-24 Airframes. It was used for scientific research until 1956, then spent 43 years on the edge of the parade ground at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

    What was the nickname of the B-24 Liberator? ›

    Of the many thousands of B-24s and derivatives built, only three remain airworthy, all in the United States. Nicknames: Lib; Ford's Folly; Flying Boxcar; Liberator Express (C-87 variant); C-One-Oh-Boom (C-109 fuel-carrying variant); Lamp Lighter (PB4Y-2s dropping parachute flares in Korea).

    Did Ford make B-24? ›

    Every American automaker turned its workforce and facilities to military production during World War II. But no project captured the public's imagination like Willow Run, where Ford Motor Company built one B-24 Liberator airplane every 63 minutes.

    Did the B-24 have a ball turret gunner? ›

    B-24 Sperry Ball Turret

    50-cal. Browning M2 machine guns. Later models stored ammunition in drums inside the aircraft. Ball turret gunners squeezed into the fetal position to man their turret and protect the bomber against attack from below.

    Why was the B-24 Liberator hard to fly? ›

    Pilots said that it was difficult to fly, particularly in formation and at altitudes above 20,000 feet, and that it demanded maximum skill. As one recalled, “In the air it was like a fat lady doing a ballet.” The plane's distinctive twin tails made it slightly unstable, and its fuel system was flawed.

    How many guns are on a B-24? ›

    Six . 50-calibre guns, two each in nose and dorsal turrets and in waist positions, and four . 303-in. guns in a Boulton Paul tail turret.

    What was the survival rate of the bomber crew in ww2? ›

    The most dangerous were the first and last five trips. During the whole war, 51% of aircrew were killed on operations, 12% were killed or wounded in non-operational accidents and 13% became prisoners of war or evaders. Only 24% survived the war unscathed.

    How many B 52 bombers were shot down over North Vietnam? ›

    Fifteen B-52s – the pride of America's fleet – were shot down, six in one day alone, and 33 airmen lost. Tragically, some believe all these deaths were largely in vain, with historians to this day debating the extent of the operation's influence on the wider conflict.

    What percentage of US bomber crews died in WWII? ›

    Bomber Command aircrews suffered a high casualty rate: of a total of 125,000 aircrew, 57,205 were killed (a 46 percent death rate), a further 8,403 were wounded in action and 9,838 became prisoners of war. Therefore, a total of 75,446 airmen (60 percent of operational airmen) were killed, wounded or taken prisoner.

    What was the life expectancy of a bomber crew in ww2? ›

    More than 44% were killed whilst serving, giving the highest rate of attrition of any Allied unit. Each man was a volunteer, and their average age of death was only 23. The efforts of the RAF Bomber Command significantly changed the outcome of WWII.

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