C-141 Starlifter and related proposals

[Kerick]

I always wondered how hard it would be to get a C-141 and convert it to a house. Lots of head room for sure. Others have used airliners.
http://www.airplanehome.com/
I'm sure the C-141s have been scrapped by now.

[finsrin]

Remember being at McChord AFB seeing first C-141 to ever be there.
Was on a look-see tour showing off C-141.  This was before McChord had one delivered.
Now,,, is off to bone yard and beyond. 

[GTX_Admin]

I remember having the bejesus scared out of me and a group of mates when a long flying C-141 with all the lights out went over us near Woomera back in the early '90s...

[kitnut617]

I've had this idea of building a Boeing C-141 as if it had won the competition. I had found that the C-135 was almost the same size as the Lockheed C-141A so my thoughts were to put the C-135 wings up on top of the C-135 fuselage, giving it anhedral and then using the type of engine nacelles the Lockheed C-141 had.

A week or so ago in a thread on the What-If forum I had laid out the idea there too, and low and behold this morning, on SPF, there's a thread there all about it. It's not far off what I had envisioned, the only thing I would have got totally wrong was the main undercarriage arrangement. Now I have something to work on ---  (it would also suggest some arrangement for Boeing's XC-5 proposal)

[GTX_Admin]

Interesting...

[apophenia]

Looking forward to this! 

... then using the type of engine nacelles the Lockheed C-141 had.

Curious though ... why the C-141 nacelles? Is it just an aesthetic preference? Or a set of Lockheed nacelles in the spares box?

To me, the 707's JT3D nacelles look quite similar to a B-52H's TF33s (from the side). That would seem to reinforce the family resemblance.

[jcf]

C-141 Lockheed documents link, 5 files:
https://c141heaven.info/dotcom/lockheed/476l.php

Vol. 2 includes a drawing of a GE MF239 C-3, aft-fan engine installation.   
Lots of fun stuff to root through.   

[kitnut617]

Looking forward to this! 

... then using the type of engine nacelles the Lockheed C-141 had.

Curious though ... why the C-141 nacelles? Is it just an aesthetic preference? Or a set of Lockheed nacelles in the spares box?

To me, the 707's JT3D nacelles look quite similar to a B-52H's TF33s (from the side). That would seem to reinforce the family resemblance.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that the engine used for the C-141 had won it's competition --- so my thoughts were it would've been use on the Boeing. As to the shape of the nacelle, you're probably right, Boeing might have come up with something else. But when you look at the designs for XC-X (C-5) competition, IIRC, they all used the same engine nacelles.

[Volkodav]

I think the utility and overall success of the RAAFs C-17 acquisition suggests that the C-141 procurement would have had great potential if it had gone ahead.

[kitnut617]

I think the utility and overall success of the RAAFs C-17 acquisition suggests that the C-141 procurement would have had great potential if it had gone ahead.

The same for the RCAF with the C-17, the best acquisition the Government ever made for the C.A.F.