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The Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express is a transport derivative of the B-24 Liberator heavy bomber built during World War II for the United States Army Air Forces. A total of 287 C-87s were built alongside the B-24 at the Consolidated Aircraft plant in Fort Worth, Texas. Converted former C-87s were the basis for a USAAF flight engineer trainer designated as the AT-22, a United States Navy VIP transport designated as the RY, and a Royal Air Force VIP transport designated as the Liberator C.IX. ==Design and development== The C-87 was hastily designed in early 1942 to fulfill the need for a heavy cargo and personnel transport with longer range and better high-altitude performance than the C-47 Skytrain, the most widely available United States Army Air Forces transport aircraft at the time. Production began in 1943. The first C-87 prototype was based on a damaged B-24D, serial ''42-40355'', that crashed at Tucson Municipal Airport #2 on 17 February 1943.〔''War Department, U.S. Army Air Forces Report of Aircraft Accident #43-2-17-11''.〕 Six Consolidated Aircraft employees riding as passengers were killed and several others were injured in the B-24D. The transport, "Pinocchio" as it was known, later was converted to a single tail with Privateer type engine packages.. The prototype was converted into a transport configuration〔Baugher, Joe. ("Consolidated B-24." ) ''Joe Baugher's Encyclopedia of American Military Aircraft'', 13 June 2004. Retrieved: 25 April 2006.〕 by various modifications, including the elimination of gun turrets and other armament along with the installation of a strengthened cargo floor, including a floor running through the bomb bay. The glassed-in bombardier compartment of the B-24 was replaced by a hinged metal cap to allow front cargo loading. A cargo door was added to the port side of the fuselage, just forward of the tail, and a row of windows was fitted along the sides of the fuselage. The C-87 could be fitted with removable seats and racks to carry personnel or litters in place of cargo. In its final configuration, the C-87 could carry between 20 and 25 passengers or 12,000 lbs of cargo. Because of war production bottlenecks and shortages, many C-87 aircraft were fitted with turbosuperchargers producing lower boost pressure and power than those fitted to B-24s destined for combat use, and ceiling and climb rate were accordingly adversely affected. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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