Convair XC-99

The Convair XC-99 was a prototype heavy cargo aircraft built for the United States Air Force and developed from the B-36 Peacemaker bomber, with which it shared its wings and other structure. It was the largest land-based piston-engined transport aircraft ever built. Its double cargo decks were designed to carry 100,000 pounds of freight or 400 fully equipped soldiers, a cargo lift eased loading, and the engines faced rearward in a pusher arrangement. It first flew at San Diego on 24 November 1947 and was delivered to the Air Force in May 1949. The only example served until 1957, hauling parts for the B-36 fleet between Texas and California. A civil double-deck airliner, the Model 37, was planned for Pan American but never built. The aircraft is held in storage awaiting restoration by the national Air Force museum.