| Mini Guppy | |
| National Origin: | United States |
| First Flight: | May 24, 1967 |
| Retired: | 1995 |
| Primary User: | Aero Spacelines |
| Number Built: | 3 (1 MG, 2 MGT) |
The Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy is a large, wide-bodied, American cargo aircraft used for aerial transport of outsized cargo components. The Mini Guppy is one of the Guppy line of aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines, alongside the Pregnant Guppy and Super Guppy.
The Mini Guppy was produced in two variants.
The sole Model 377MG Mini Guppy was converted from a Boeing 377-10-26 (c/n 15937) and registered N1037V. An entirely new fuselage was fitted to the aircraft with a cargo bay measuring 73feet long and 18feet wide with a 13feet cargo floor; smaller than the cargo bay of the preceding Pregnant Guppy.[1] [2] Cargo was loaded through a hinged swinging tail. It retained the Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines of the Stratocruiser, though provisions were made for the installation of Allison 501 turboprop engines.[3] The vertical tail was extended by 80inches, while a new wing center section increased the wingspan by 15feet. The Mini Guppy's empty weight was 90000lb.[4]
Two further Mini Guppies were built from parts of several Boeing 377 and C-97 aircraft, registered N111AS (c/n 0001) and N112AS (c/n 0002).[5] [6] Known as the Model 101 Mini Guppy Turbine, these aircraft differed from the original Mini Guppy in that they were powered by four 5700shp Pratt & Whitney T34-PWA turboprop engines and that cargo was loaded through a swinging nose section.
Mini Guppy N1037V made its first flight on May 24, 1967 and was displayed at the that year's Paris Air Show. In 1969, N1037V ferried parts to repair a Boeing 707 that had been damaged in a hijacking in Damascus.[7] In 1972, N1037V was used to transport Pioneer 10 to Cape Canaveral and the Goodyear GZ-20 Europa from Akron Municipal Airport to Cardington Airfield, becoming the largest aircraft to fly out of Akron.[8] American Jet Industries acquired the aircraft in 1974 and operated it as N422AU. N422AU was subsequently sold to Aero Union in 1980 and Erickson Inc. in 1988 before being retired to the Tillamook Air Museum in 1995.
N111AS first took to the air on May 1, 1970, but was short-lived. On May 12, 1970, N111AS crashed during its twelfth test flight at Edwards Air Force Base, California, killing all four onboard crew members.[9] [10] The aircraft was performing a planned three-engine takeoff when it rolled and turned. The left wingtip struck the ground followed by the forward fuselage, destroying the flight deck.
The FAA registration for N112AS was canceled on October 9, 1975.
Mini Guppy N422AU is on display at Tillamook Air Museum.[11] In 2014, the museum announced that it planned to transfer its aircraft collection to Madras, Oregon, which would require the Mini Guppy to be restored to airworthy condition and flown to the new location. A new airworthiness certificate was issued for N422AU in January 2017.[12]