First introduced in December 1949, the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was used as a transport aircraft, carrying cargo, personnel and equipment, as well as making cargo drops as needed.
Fairchild Aircraft manufactured the C-119 Flying Boxcar to carry cargo, military personnel, or medical patients. Developed in November of 1947, this aircraft used two Wright R-3350 engines and has a maximum payload of 20,000 pounds. The C-119 also had the ability to drop troops and supplies into areas unsuited for aircraft landings. During the Korean War, the US Air Force used C-119s as transports. In the Vietnam War, modifications to the Flying Boxcar produced the AC-119G, an attack variant of the C-119 which featured four side-firing 7.62-mm miniguns in the fuselage. The last C-119 rolled off the production line in 1955 after Fairchild had built 1,112.
The airframe on display reflects Hill Air Force Base’s long association with the C-119. From 1949 through the 1950s, the base was responsible for maintenance, supply, and storage activities for this aircraft. Beginning in 1963, the 733rd Troop Carrier Squadron operated C-119s out of Hill Air Force Base. The Flying Boxcar on display served with the Royal Canadian Air Force for more than 20 years until a company in Wyoming purchased it to fight forest fires. The Hill Aerospace Museum acquired it in 1985 and restored it to represent the C-119, State of Utah, once assigned to Hill Air Force Base in the 733rd.
In August 1960, a US Air Force crew flying a C-119J made the first successful mid- air retrieval of an object returning from space. The crew used equipment lowered on the rear door to catch the parachute of a falling Discoverer XIV reconnaissance satellite. “Satellite catching” became an important US Air Force operation to counter the growing Soviet threat during the Cold War and C-119s supported these operations until the C-130 Hercules replaced them in this role.
This aircraft is on loan from the U.S. Air Force Heritage Program.
Serial Number: 22107
Manufacturer: Fairchild Aircraft
Primary Function: Military Transport
Crew: Five (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, radio operator, and crew chief)
Engines: Two Wright R-3350-89A Cyclone radial piston engines; 3,400 hp each
Wingspan: 109 ft 4 in
Length: 86 ft 6 in
Height: 26 ft 3 in
Weight: 38,982 lbs (empty); 71,500 lbs (maximum takeoff weight)
Speed: 200 mph (cruising); 290 mph (maximum)
Range: 2,000 miles
Service Ceiling: 30,000 feet
Armament: None
Payload: Seats for 65 troops or 35 stretchers, 10,000 lbs.
Cost: $600,000 (approximate)
Years of Service: 1949 – 1974
Hill Air Force Base has had a long association with the C-119. In May 1949, it was assigned the specialized maintenance and supply activity for parts on the aircraft. This task, along with storage of several C-119s, continued through the 1950s. Beginning in 1963, the 733rd Troop Carrier Squadron, a C-119 unit, operated out of Hill Air Force Base. It also had the job of repairing the R4360 engines that were used in the C-119B and C variants.
Restored to represent the State of Utah, once assigned to Hill Air Force Base decades ago, the C-119G located at Hill Aerospace Museum, was manufactured by Fairchild and delivered to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in December 1954. Serving various bases throughout Canada for more than 20 years, the aircraft was eventually sold to Frank Shelly of Los Angeles, California, in 1967.
Later sold to the forest fire fighting company, Hawkins and Powers of Greybull, Wyoming, it was eventually acquired by the Aerospace Museum in November 1985.
First introduced in December 1949, the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was used as a transport aircraft, carrying cargo, personnel and equipment, as well as making cargo drops as needed.
The Boxcar was produced by Fairchild Aircraft.
The C-119 would be replaced by the C-123, also produced by Fairchild.
Of the 1,183 aircraft built, some 60 remain, all on display in museums across the globe.