C 41 Aircraft - Our C-141 B 63-8088 (Golden Bear) arrived at Travis AFB, 23 Apr 1965 as a C-141 A model and was assigned to the LTF (Lead The Force) accelerated aging program. This program required the Aircraft to accumulate as many flying hours as fast as possible in order to assess the aircraft structure and systems integrity.
As part of the fleet upgrade, the aircraft was stretched 23 feet to a "B" model. This Aircraft was also a part of Operation Home Coming (returning Hanoi POWs) 12 Feb 1973. The last flight of 8088 was 17 Jan 1996. It was then assigned to the Travis AFB Museum.
C 41 Aircraft
The final destination of the Golden Bear followed a complete repainting and movement to its current location at the intersection of Travis Ave and Burgan Blvd. The square tipped propeller option is used for all four versions in this box.
They proved to be the most time consuming with masking the black rubber de-icing boots. The prop tip warning strips are provided as decals. Three liveries use all white stripes and the version shown on the box top has white/red/white stripes.
Douglas was also an advocate of the power of America's military aviation and saw the need for more American air power. Donald Douglas was not only a very highly regarded engineer and bold entrepreneur, but as World War II approached, he proved to be remarkably perceptive, by saying only a year and a half before Pearl Harbor, that this was the "hour of destiny for American
aviation.” He expressed confidence that the industry could meet the need and laid out the methods by which it would transform, from small companies producing aircraft in small batches to making them on a production-line basis.
The aircraft industry grew from a distant 41st place among American industries to first place in less than five years. Douglas Aircraft grew from being a small company with 68 employees in 1922 to be the fourth-largest business in the United States.
Arnold used this plane to travel across the country to continue building up the power of our Air Corps. In 1941 Douglas and Arnold took the C-41 to a location for duck hunting. It was there on December 7th that Douglas and Arnold got the call about the attack on Pearl Harbor and rushed back to Washington D.C.
It was this plane that made the military's use of the C-47 so prominent. It is because of the close relationship Arnold had with Douglas that in 1943 that Arnold phoned Douglas and told him he needed an order of 300 C-47's before July of 1944 "no questions asked".
The CASA-212 Aviocar is a versatile transport aircraft that was manufactured in Spain since the '60's, and Indonesia until 2012. The C-41A is a military version used by the US, Mexico and many other countries within Central and South America.
It exhibits excellent short field takeoff and landing (STOL) abilities, and is able to operate from unprepared airstrips. This model is a re-release of various other versions of the aircraft. It comes in a very sturdy top opening box with a nice painting of the US military C-41A.
All sprue trees were contained in one bag, with the clear parts and decal sheet in their own bags. The clear plastic bags are closed with sticky strips, so be careful when removing the decal sheet, and that you don't allow the sticky strip to attach itself to the decals.
I did, somehow, and had a heart stopping minute separating them! The instruction manual is printed on good quality glossy paper, and each step is clear, accurate and in color where needed. After the war, it was sold to Southern Airways and registered as NC15473.
Later to CAA as N12 and then to the FAA as N43. It then went on to Southeast Missouri State University as N54595, then to Otis Spunkmeyer Air as NC41HQ. James Gabbert operated the aircraft out of Oakland CA, and the aircraft is now owned by the Mid America Flight Museum located in Mt.
Pleasant Texas. After looking over each sprue, it is clear that any version of this aircraft could be built. There are well over 100 unused parts, including different control surfaces, fuselage side panels, a long nose option, another set of propellers, main wheel sponsons, external fuel tanks, antennae's and clear parts.
WOW!!! I added some weight in the separate nose cone and in front of the instrument panel. The fuselage halves were then glued together. I found I got a better fit from the fuselage and other parts when I deepened the locating holes a little using a small drill.
They were a little shallow. Among all aircraft, our GOLDEN BEAR is the most notable. It is located at the intersection of Burgan Boulevard and Travis Avenue. The GOLDEN BEAR had long been in storage at Travis and had suffered from exposure to the elements.
The Travis Heritage Center and Travis Heritage Center Foundation, with support from the 60th Air Mobility Wing Civil Engineers, restored this historic aircraft in 2005. The cost of restoration, and placement on exhibit of the original GOLDEN BEAR was funded by volunteer labor, corporate,
individual and Travis Heritage Center Foundation contributions. The 30-day project included repainting, movement of the aircraft and site preparation, such as lighting and landscaping. The history of the Douglas C-41 starts long before its creation in 1938. This plane has an extensive backstory that ties it heavily to major military and aviation figures at the forefront of aviation military history.
This plane was the catalyst that pushed C-47's to be the number one cargo and troop carrier of WWII. This unique and historic aircraft was commissioned by General Henry Arnold, and so we begin with his early exploits in aviation.
I used Eduard set CX-503 to mask all the windows except the first cabin window on each side of the fuselage. These were painted over, or not there at all on the version I chose. The entire aircraft was painted white, followed by masking and painting the black nose anti-glare panel, and the rear of the engine nacelles and wings.
Several gloss coats prepared the model for decals. In addition, after the late 60s, the GOLDEN BEAR flew in support of every major military contingency and humanitarian operation in which Travis participated around the globe. These operations included military flights to Panama, Honduras, and Grenada and the airlift of relief to victims of natural disasters in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Mexico City.
General Henry "Hap" Arnold was always at the forefront of military aviation. In 1911 the Wright Brothers trained Arnold. After only a few hours of flight training over the course of several days, he became the second person listed to have received a military aviation license alongside Tommy Milling.
This aircraft was used as a VIP Transport and based at Bolling Army Airfield, Washington D.C. as a part of the 1st Staff Squadron. It was originally to be used by Arnolds predecessor Gen. Oscar Westover.
Westover, however, died a month after the C-41's delivery to the Army in a plane crash. After Westover passed, Arnold was promoted to Chief of the Air Corps and the C-41 was used as his personal transport.
The U.S. Air Force C-141 B was a modern, high-speed aircraft that was designed for and met all Air Force requirements for a logistics system. Its capacity, load ability, and airdrop capacity did not compromise its ability to maintain high subsonic cruise speeds up to 495 knots.
A uniquely faired afterbody plus a T-Tail combine to provide high aerodynamic efficiency in flight with ease of loading and unloading. It was during WWI that Arnold would see the potential for aviation as well as recognize the US military's lack of power when it came to military aviation.
Arnold was one of the few who believed in the military potential of aviation. His leadership would eventually lead to America's aviation dominance during WWII. His experience in WWI convinced Arnold that future wars could be won in the air.
Construction starts with the interior, including the cockpit, a choice of forward fuselage side panels (depending on which of the four liveries you chose) and cabin windows. There is no cabin detail and nothing can really be seen beyond the cockpit.
I left the cabin unpainted as the plastic is a fairly dark gray. The cockpit detail is fine as is. Four decals furnish the instrument panel which looks good. It would have been nice, however, if decals were included for the center console between the pilot seats and the overhead panel.
They can be seen through the large side windows. I made simple seat belts using 3M tape painted gray with silver buckles. The rest of the cockpit was painted as per the instructions. The round cabin window diameters were a hair small, but Testors clear glue closed any slight gaps between the windows and the fuselage walls.
The engine nacelles, exhaust pipes and propeller spinner back plate were assembled and glued together. The nacelles needed some sanding to remove seams. These fitted fairly nicely, although I needed to trim a few mounting places to get a better fit to the wings.
The C-41 was not only a symbol of the relationship between Douglas Aircraft and the Army Air Corps during the war, but it was also the driving force behind the heavy use of the C-47 during the war.
As a result of the exemplary nature of the C-41, the C-47 was used heavily during the war and was one of the determining factors at play in the success of D-Day and Operation Overlord including many other major military operations.
The main landing gear and sponsons were attached. There is nice interior detail but nothing can be seen when the sponsons are glued on. More antennae's and sensors are attached to the belly, again depending on the aircraft you are building.
I left the nose gear and main wheels off until the end. In 1917 Donald Douglas Sr., the first MIT graduate with an aeronautical degree, was appointed as the Chief Engineer of the Army Signal Corps.
Douglas and Arnold worked side by side at the end of WWI to develop the relatively small Signal Corps. It was during this time that they developed a very close friendship that would last for decades to come.
In 1924, Arnold helped publicize the first US military, around the world flight, and aerial refueling exploits of the Douglas World Cruiser. This solidified the Douglas Aircraft's reputation for reliable aircraft. The decal sheet includes the wing, tailplane and tail de-icing boots, prop tip stripes, stencils and four livery options.
I had chosen the fourth decal choice, a green striped Evergreen Airlines Aircraft contracted by the CIA in the 2000's. This was a tough call as all four schemes were appealing. Cartograf decals are a joy to work with and these were no exception.
They laid down nicely, and sunk themselves into panel lines before any setting solution was used. They are thin, but tough enough to be maneuvered into position. A further gloss clear coat sealed these in. Designed to offer mission flexibility, the C-40A is a versatile FAA-certified 737-700 convertible / "combi" aircraft, optimized to transport passengers and cargo around the globe.
The aircraft can be configured to carry all-passengers, all-cargo, or a combination of both. The C-40A is part of Boeing's C-40 series of aircraft, which also includes the C-40B and C-40C. The C-40A is currently on offer as the C-40Ai to countries around the world.
With all the options in one box, this kit represents really good value. I would recommend it to all modelers, however, a couple of builds under one's belt would be helpful when dealing with removal and addition of all the various options.
As WWII approached Douglas and Arnold could both see how aviation and air power would influence the coming conflict. Douglas and Arnold's close relationship was no doubt a driving factor in Arnold's commission of a military version of the DC-3.
The capability of the DC-2 convinced Arnold of the excellence of the basic transport's design and construction, and a study of the improved DC-3 enabled the US Army to outline the modifications required for the DC-3's use as a military transport.
These changes included more powerful engines, the strengthening of the rear fuselage and cabin floor, provision of large loading foods, replacement of the airline type interior with utility seats lining the cabin walls, and adoption of a power-plant comprising two R-1830-
21 Radials. Final assembly consisted of adding the "breakable" parts like antennae's, pitot tubes, boarding step, propellers and wheels/nose undercarriage. A light wash was applied to selected panel lines, as from what I had seen online, these aircraft were kept fairly clean.
Previous boxing's offered photo etch windshield wipers, and other details that are not part of this package. This is by no means a deal breaker, but they would have been nice additions to the large cockpit windows.
The army then stationed Arnold at the first military airfield at College Park, Maryland, not far from the nation's capital. There he trained others to fly for the military and worked closely with mechanics to help them learn fundamentals as well as nuances of maintaining aircraft.
He established several records and received many awards for his aviation achievements. Two antennae's are removed from the fuselage roof and holes need drilling to accept new antennae's appropriate for the version you are building. The tailplanes and elevators are assembled and attached to the fuselage.
If the elevators and rudder are attached carefully, they can be movable. The wings contain a single, complete upper section and two lower parts. Once the wing was assembled I found the fit to the fuselage to be one of the best I have ever experienced!!
In September of 1944, Gen. "Hap" Arnold landed at LaGuardia Airport in the C-41 and had a meeting inside the plane on the runway with Dr. Theodore von Kármán. It was during this meeting that Kármán and Arnold discussed the formation of what would later become the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board.
The goal of this group was to take the technologies that the Axis Forces had been working on and advise on projects for Research and Development. This meeting and the subsequent formation of this group led to the development of jet engines, rockets, and many other advances in aviation technology.
The C-41, as it was later classified, was built by Douglas as DC-3A on 10/20/38, with serial number 2053, and powered by two Pratt R-1830-21 900 HP engines. It was accepted two days later by the U.S.
Army Air Corps (USAAC) on 10-22-38 as C-41 sn 38-502 Order Number AC11137. In the late 30s, as Arnold saw the coming conflict in Europe escalating, he began pushing for more and more development and military contracts with civilian companies.
He was a strong proponent of long-range bombers and fighters. In 1935 he was made Assistant Chief of the Air Corps and was put in charge of procurement and supply. Arnold was dedicated to making sure that America did not fall behind in aviation as we had in WWI.
It was during this time that Arnold saw the need for long-range cargo transport and troop carrier with reliability, speed, and durability. The Douglas DC-3 and its predecessor, the DC-2, were leaders in the field and had both shown amazing potential after only a short time on the market.
There is some confusion about this aircraft as there are publications that describe this aircraft to be one based off a Douglas DC-2. The confusion came from the fact that this aircraft was ordered in the middle of a batch of DC-2/C-39's.
From this aircraft's extensive background, there is no question that this C-41 is most defiantly a variant of a DC-3 and not a DC-2.
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