The Conroy ‘Skymonster’ (CL-44-0) of Azerbaijan Airlines on the ground in the late 1990s. The plane is a 1960s wide-load cargo aircraft. It was designed by American John M (Jack) Conroy. The ‘Skymonster’ (or ‘Guppy’ as appears here along with the words ‘Over Size Cargo’) was converted from a Canadair CL-44 freighter. It featured an enlarged fuselage with a hinged tail section. The Skymonster/Guppy first flew in 1969. The aircraft was leased to Azerbaijan Airlines in 1997, under the registration 4K-GUP. This image is from an old amateur Kodak colour transparency – a vintage 1990s photograph.
The Conroy ‘Skymonster’ (CL-44-0) of Azerbaijan Airlines on the ground in the late 1990s. The plane is a 1960s specialised wide-load cargo aircraft. It was designed by American John M (Jack) Conroy as a transporter to be used to ferry large Rolls-Royce jet engines from Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Palmdale, California, USA. The ‘Skymonster’ (or ‘Guppy’ as appears on the side of this plane along with the words ‘Over Size Cargo’) was converted from a Canadair CL-44 freighter, in turn was based on the Bristol Britannia. It featured an enlarged fuselage, like the Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy, which was produced by Conroy's previous company, Aero Spacelines. The entire tail section hinged. It could be opened using hydraulic actuators to load large items quickly. The Skymonster/Guppy first flew in 1969, under the US registration N447T (the CL-44 from which it had been converted also bore this same registration). After changing hands several times, the aircraft was leased to Azerbaijan Airlines in 1997, under the registration 4K-GUP. This image is from an old amateur Kodak colour transparency. It will look soft if used at too large a size – a vintage 1990s photograph.
Size: 3307px × 2167px
Photo credit: © M&N / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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