Super Guppy in Seattle.

[Chappie]

I always like the Guppies, I built a few out of Lego when I was a youngin. I always wondered how the connected/disconnected the control cables. I assume they all run under the floor?


Chappie

[RareBear]

The Super Guppy flew back to Houston on Friday, the 27th, as NASA941

[RickH]

And it's still sitting on the EFD ramp, today.

[CAPFlyer]

I always like the Guppies, I built a few out of Lego when I was a youngin. I always wondered how the connected/disconnected the control cables. I assume they all run under the floor?


Chappie

All the cables and hydraulic lines have quick disconnects that allow for fairly rapid opening and closing of the front end. I believe they've grouped all of the lines along the sides of the fuselage as much as possible, however don't quote me on it. Thankfully, such disconnects aren't uncommon, and many "permanently attached" aircraft use them to aid in maintenance, so it wasn't a huge deal to get them certified as much of the design work just needed to be scaled up to the appropriate size and testing done to show they provided the right amount of strength.

[Jack Frost]

that someone had posted pictures of the Guppy landing @ EFD, it touches down with the nose wheel.

When I went through B-29 Transition and then on to C-97 Transition in 1954, that's the way we were taught to land it. They told us that was the way Boing designed it.

Around 1955-1957 someone landed a KC-97 a little short on a runway that hadn't been fully backfilled after construction, leaving about a foot of concrete above ground. They snagged the nose gear on the lip. After a short roll out, the nose gear was intact but the tires were blown and all 4 engines upper mounts broke leaving the nacelles drooping and bending the prop blades. That was one strong nose gear!

The airplane could be landed main gear first but you had to be sure you had the nose up in the flare-out before you raked the power off. If you raked the power off and then tried to flare it out, a real firm touchdown was the result, like any other transport.