| Skymonster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Large outsize-cargo transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Conroy Aircraft |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | Heavylift Cargo |
| Number built | 1 |
| Registration | N447T, EI-BND, 4K-GUP, 9G-LCA, RP-C8023, N447FT |
| History | |
| First flight | 1969 |
| In service | 1970-1999, 2013-2022 |
| Developed from | Canadair CL-44 |
The Conroy Skymonster (CL-44-0) is a 1960s United States specialized cargo aircraft based on the Canadair CL-44 freighter, with an outsize fuselage.
The aircraft was designed by John M. Conroy as a transport aircraft that could be used to ferry three Rolls-Royce RB.211 jet engines from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Palmdale, California, United States. The engines were to be installed on the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar airliner. [1]
The Skymonster was derived from a Canadair CL-44 freighter, in turn a derivative of the Bristol Britannia. It features an enlarged fuselage, like the Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy, which was produced by Jack Conroy's previous company, Aero Spacelines.
The conversion was performed outdoors, under covered scaffolding, at the Santa Barbara California airport. [2] The nose section was built using foam covered with fiberglass, while the larger fuselage was constructed using conventional aluminum structure.
The Skymonster first flew on 26 November 1969, under the US registration "N447T". The CL-44 from which it had been converted also bore this same registration, and was previously operated by the Flying Tiger Line.
Only one prototype was built. Another one was ordered, but the CL-44 on which it was to be based crashed before delivery.
In 1970, the prototype was leased by Transmeridian Air Cargo, who gave it the name "Skymonster". Despite its being renamed "Bahamas Trader" later on, the name Skymonster stuck, and it is now commonly known as this.
In 1978, it was bought by British Cargo Airlines.
In 1982, it went to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, who re-registered it with the Irish registration EI-BND.
The aircraft went into storage in 1993, but was bought by a leasing company only two months later and leased to Buffalo Airways. According to Mikey McBryan General Manager for Buffalo Airways in Yellowknife Canada, this Buffalo Airways was a different operator and had no connection to the Canadian company.
Its next lease was to Azerbaijan Airlines in 1997, under the registration 4K-GUP.
In March 1998, it was leased to Baku Express.
In August 1998 it went to First International Airlines and was registered 9G-LCA.
In 1999, it was placed into storage, initially in the US, but then it was flown to Bournemouth Airport, UK, where it was scheduled to be scrapped.
In December 2006 the aircraft was registered in the Philippines (RP-C8023) and was being prepared for service in Australia. [3] As of March 2008, the Skymonster was still at Hurn. [4] In August 2008, it was reported that the aircraft was in the process of being scrapped, [5] however as of September this was on hold amid further rumours about donation to a museum in Germany. [6]
On 14 January 2010, Bournemouth International Airport Limited offered the aircraft for sale in The London Gazette . [7]
After a long period of storage, activity was again seen around the Skymonster during the summer of 2013. [8] In July 2013 it was registered N447FT in the United States to a Jordan Harlan Wayne, but has since been deregistered in 2022. [9]
As of 21 May 2021 the Skymonster remains at Bournemouth International Airport, moved from its original parking spot to make way for airport development.
On 2 December 2024, the Bournemouth Aviation Museum announced via Facebook, that the Skymonster is to be broken up starting this week. [10]
Aviation Traders Limited (ATL) was a war-surplus aircraft and spares trader formed in 1947. In 1949, it began maintaining aircraft used by some of Britain's contemporary independent airlines on the Berlin Airlift. In the early 1950s, it branched out into aircraft conversions and manufacturing. During that period it also became a subcontractor for other aircraft manufacturers. By the end of the decade, it was taken over by the Airwork group.
Cargolux, legally Cargolux Airlines International S.A., is the flag carrier cargo airline of Luxembourg with its headquarters and hub at Luxembourg Airport. With a global network, it is among the largest scheduled all-cargo airlines in the world. Charter flights and third party maintenance are also operated. It has 85 offices in over 50 countries as of 2018, and operates a global trucking network to more than 250 destinations.
The Bristol Type 175 Britannia is a retired British medium-to-long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to meet British civilian aviation needs. During development two prototypes were lost and the turboprop engines proved susceptible to inlet icing, which delayed entry into service while solutions were sought.
The Vickers Vanguard was a short/medium-range turboprop airliner designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs.
The Aero Spacelines Super Guppy is a large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft that is used for hauling outsize cargo components. It was the successor to the Pregnant Guppy, the first of the Guppy aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines. Five were built in two variants, both of which were colloquially referred to as the "Super Guppy".
Aero Spacelines, Inc. was an American aircraft manufacturer from 1960 to 1968 that converted Boeing 377 Stratocruisers into the famous Guppy line of airplanes, re-engineered to transport oversized cargo such as space exploration vehicles.
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 Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was a large long-range airliner developed from the C-97 Stratofreighter military transport, itself a derivative of the B-29 Superfortress. The Stratocruiser's first flight was on July 8, 1947. Its design was advanced for its day; its relatively innovative features included two passenger decks and a pressurized cabin. It could carry up to 100 passengers on the main deck plus 14 in the lower deck lounge; typical seating was for 63 or 84 passengers or 28 berthed and five seated passengers.
Affretair was a cargo airline based in Zimbabwe.
Pacific East Asia Cargo Airlines, Inc. was a cargo airline based in Pasay, Philippines. The carrier served domestic services from the Philippines with two Boeing 727 freighter aircraft. The airline also had an agreement on selected routes flown by Air Philippines. PEAC was also an affiliate airline of TNT Airways, with PEAC operating TNT leased BAe 146 aircraft.
Trans Mediterranean Airways SAL, styled as TMA Cargo, was a cargo airline based in Beirut, Lebanon. The airline restarted operations in 2010, following a six-year hiatus. It suspended operations once again in September 2014.
Buffalo Airways is a family-run airline based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, established in 1970. Buffalo Airways was launched by Bob Gauchie and later sold to one of his pilots, Joe McBryan. It operates charter passenger, charter cargo, firefighting, and fuel services, and formerly operated scheduled passenger service. Its main base is at Yellowknife Airport. It has two other bases at Hay River/Merlyn Carter Airport and Red Deer Regional Airport. The Red Deer base is the main storage and maintenance facility. The airline is also the subject of the History television reality series Ice Pilots NWT.
The Aero Spacelines Pregnant Guppy was a large, wide-bodied cargo aircraft built in the United States and used for ferrying outsized cargo items, most notably components of NASA's Apollo program. The Pregnant Guppy was the first of the Guppy line of aircraft produced by Aero Spacelines. The design inspired later designs, such as the jet-powered Airbus Beluga and Boeing Dreamlifter.
The Canadair CL-44 was a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia that was developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Although innovative, only a small number of the aircraft were produced for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and for commercial operators worldwide.
The Boeing Dreamlifter, officially the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), is a wide-body cargo aircraft modified extensively from the Boeing 747-400 airliner. With a volume of 65,000 cubic feet (1,840 m3) it can hold three times that of a 747-400F freighter. The outsized aircraft was designed to transport Boeing 787 Dreamliner parts between Italy, Japan, and the U.S., but has also flown medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sky Lease Cargo Inc. is an American cargo airline based in Miami, Florida.
Conroy Aircraft was an American aircraft manufacturer founded by John M. Conroy in Goleta, California, in 1968 after he resigned as president of Aero Spacelines. The company imitated Aero Spacelines' success with its Guppy aircraft by converting a Canadair CL-44 to carry oversized cargo as the Conroy Skymonster.
Transmeridian Air Cargo was a British cargo airline that operated from 1962 until 1979 when it merged with IAS Cargo Airlines to form British Cargo Airlines.
John Michael Conroy was an American aviator and later businessman, whose company Aero Spacelines developed the Pregnant Guppy, Super Guppy, and Mini Guppy cargo aircraft. He later founded Conroy Aircraft and Specialized Aircraft in Santa Barbara, California.
Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas S.A.S was a cargo airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operated scheduled and chartered cargo flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. Its main base was El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá.
