Showing posts with label Consolidated C-87A Liberator Express. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Consolidated C-87A Liberator Express. Show all posts

Consolidated RY Liberator Express

Consolidated RY-1 Liberator Express, Admiral Nimitz’s transport.

RY-1: United States Navy designation for three former USAAF Consolidated C-87A Liberator Express models fitted for 16 passengers.

RY-2: Five former USAAF C-87s fitted for 20 passengers, a further 15 were cancelled.

RY-3: The RY-3 was a Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express transport derivative of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber, with the single tail and seven foot fuselage stretch of the PB4Y-2 Privateer. Ironically, this aircraft retained its Liberator namesake of “Liberator Express” as opposed to “Privateer Express” or some variation thereof. It was assigned the company designation of Model 101.

The RY-3 differed from the PB4Y-2 in having no armament and in having a series of windows cut into the sides of the fuselage. A large loading door was cut into the side of the rear fuselage, and fairings were installed where the nose and tail turrets had been. A crew of four and 28 passengers could be carried. 16,641 pounds of cargo could be carried in the all-freight configuration. A hinged nose allowed up to 1600 pounds of cargo to be carried in the forward section.

Thirty-nine were built, and were used by the RAF Transport Command, U.S. Marine Corps, and one was used by the RCAF. Five of them were converted from the C-87 standard using aircraft built at Fort Worth, while 34 were custom built at the Consolidated factory at San Diego. Twenty-six of the aircraft were delivered as Liberator C.IX to 231 and 232 Squadrons of the RAF in February 1945. The famous Commando, which was LB-30 AL504, was also converted to single-tailed RY-3 configuration in 1944.

The balance were retained by the U.S. Navy. The USAAF expressed interest in the RY-3 and placed a tentative order of 125 to be known as the C-87C. Large quantities of the superior Douglas R5D/C-54 Skymaster transport became available which precluded further procurement of the RY and C-87 series aircraft.

Millionaire ballpoint pen inventor Milton Reynolds teamed with the Boston Museum of Science for an expedition to the Amne Machin mountain range in Tibet in an attempt to find a mountain higher than Mt. Everest. The aircraft used was an ex-Navy Consolidated RY-1 Liberator Express, BuNo 67798, former C-87A serial 43-30570, nicknamed “The Explorer,” registered NL5151N. On both sides of the nose and fuselage was painted “Reynolds Boston Museum-China Expedition.”

Ballpoint tycoon Milton Reynolds took this Liberator Express to China hoping to prove that Mt. Amne Machin was higher than Mt. Everest. On take-off from Peking the aircraft was slightly damaged when its right main gear failed or was inadvertently retracted, as seen here. The party ran into problems with the authorities and escaped to Japan with the aircraft a few days later. This was allocated to the USAAF as C-87A (S/N 43-30570), but instead went to the US Navy as RY-1 (BuNo 67798), in 1944. Became NL5151N in February 1948. To Frigorifico Ballnian Ltda. as CB-75 in 1951, then to Boliviana de Aviación as CP-575 in early 1964. Crashed at La Paz on 8 February 1964.

Consolidated RY-3, BuNo 90044, transport of Marine VMR-352 at MCAS Miramar on 24 May 1946.

Consolidated RY-3 BuNo 90020 at Patuxent River on 25 October 1944.

Consolidated RY-3 BuNo 90020 at Patuxent River on 25 October 1944.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, BuNo 90021, U.S. Navy, 1946.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, BuNo 90020, U.S. Navy.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, BuNo 90020, U.S. Navy.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, U.S. Navy.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, BuNo 90021, U.S. Navy.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, BuNo 240355.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, 16 September 1944.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, 16 September 1944.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, number 32, in Marine service.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express fuel tank access, 28 October 1944.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express configured to carry litter patients.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express configured to carry passengers.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express configured to carry cargo.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express.

Consolidated RY-3 Liberator Express, in RAF service where it was known as the Liberator C.XI, s/n JT978. Returned to the U.S. Navy in April 1946.

Consolidated (RY-3) Liberator C.XI, s/n JT978.

Consolidated LB-30, s/n AL504, “Commando,” at Whenuapai, New Zealand, on the 8 November 1944 after conversion to RY-3 standard.

Consolidated RY-3, “Rockcliffe Ice Wagon,” RCAF. A Consolidated RY-3 Liberator was loaned to the RCAF by the RAF in 1946. The first of the “Rockcliffe Ice Wagons.” The “Rockcliffe Ice Wagon” was primarily used for in-flight de-icing tests along with other cloud seeding experiments.