|
| The C-123 troop and cargo transport was designed by the original Chase Aircraft Company. A production order for 300 C-123B, held by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation (which had acquired a majority interest in the Chase company in 1953), was cancelled in June 1953. New bids were asked for, as a result of which production of the C-123B was assigned to Fairchild. The first Fairchild-built C-123B flew on 1 September 1954 and production aircraft entered service with the USAF's 309th Troop Carrier Group in July 1955. Orders totalling more than 300 aircraft were completed by mid-1958, six going to Saudi Arabia and 18 to Venezuela.
In 1955 the prototype C-123B was fitted experimentally with two Fairchild J44 turbojet engines mounted at the wingtips to provide auxiliary power for use in an emergency. As a result ten production aircraft were modified into C-123J with turbojet engines fitted. Meanwhile a small number of C-123H had been produced with wide-track landing gears.
The prototype YC-123H was later experimentally fitted with CJ610 auxiliary turbojet engines and flown on 30 July 1962. Having been tested in South Vietnam as a counter-insurgency aircraft, 183 more C-123B were given 12.68kN General Electric J85-GE-17 auxiliary turbojet engines in underwing pods and designated C-123K. Some were further converted to AC-123K Spectre gunships for service during the Vietnam conflict.
| CREW | 2 |
| ENGINE | 2 x P+W R-2800-99W, 1840kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 27240 kg | 60054 lb |
| Empty weight | 14100 kg | 31085 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 33.6 m | 110 ft 3 in |
| Length | 23.3 m | 76 ft 5 in |
| Height | 10.4 m | 34 ft 1 in |
| Wing area | 113.6 m2 | 1222.78 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 392 km/h | 244 mph |
| Ceiling | 7000 m | 22950 ft |
| Range w/max.fuel | 2350 km | 1460 miles |
| Wayne Doering, e-mail, 27.01.2013 21:56 I was stationed at Phan Rang Air Base as Flight Engineer and flew 1,266 Sorties during my tour. The C-123K was one tough bird. The 309th S.O.S. did a lot of C.I.A back-up missions in support of their missions which I was part of. reply | | Jim Lyons,Tsgt, USAF, Ret., e-mail, 22.01.2013 01:54 I was the first Training Technician assigned to the 4408CCTS when it was assigned to Rickenbacker AFB, Ohio in 1969. One of the best squadrons I ever served in. Great people. reply | | Rick, e-mail, 25.11.2012 18:45 The wind broke all the rudder hinges off our display aircraft at the midamerica Air and Transportation Museum. Does anyone know where we can a complete set of them? reply | | Mark Baker Tsgt Ret, e-mail, 14.10.2012 20:38 When I came back in to the airforce reserves in 1977 at Westover Afb I was with the 901 cams where I was working on the aircraft doing sheetmetal work.I worked on A /C 632 Patches.The aircraft we had at Westover were the K model, while we had the 123 one was lost due to a engine fire, after it came out of iso,the fire started after take off,the loadmaster had to bail out the rest of the crew landed at westover crew bailed out while the firedepartment put the fire out the a /c was a complete loss,the cause of the fire was a loose fuel line fitting.After the hulk was being cut up for scrap the flight deck area is now part of restaurant called The warehouse in Holyoke Ma.They were easy planes to work on.Patches is now in the airforce museum restored to its Vietmam era,there is one at Dover Afb. reply | |
| | Gordie Rowland, e-mail, 26.07.2012 04:00 Looking to contact old C-123B crew members during the years 1961-1966 that flew out of Chanute AFB,I was a Crew Chief /Engineer.Anyone out there familiar with the Grey Ghost stuff in Nam in 1965 reply | | nick, e-mail, 05.05.2012 02:45 Hi everyone, i love the Provider. Bit of an old world /new world bird with rear ramp and underwing jets and big prop engines. Now i do wonder, the 3 types of underwing jets in the article above would boost speed i assume. do we know how each jet engine pairs would make the Provider perform? would CJ610 jets be better than 44 or 85s? or does the extra fuel burn make it a mute point? and do the 3 types of jet engines burn the same fuel as the props?? confusing but very interesting. hope you can give info. also, if the jets were underwing, if used enough times in flight hours, would the jets create extra strain on the wing spars? i heard that Avro Shacketons were given jets in the outer engine nacelles but had them removed due to extra stress. well... the B-50 Washington had jets in the outer nacelles and 4 props so hw did fatigue bother that bird? very confusing. need a good heads up from an airplane info person... thanx all:) nick. reply | | Carol, e-mail, 21.03.2012 21:30 Can you tell me if the C-123's ever landed aboard aircraft carriers, specially the USS Kitty Hawk? Also, can you tell me what type of planes were used in dropping Agent Orange. reply |
| Jon Christie, e-mail, 12.02.2012 15:47 What memories reading over the emails from past C123 personnel. I worked those great birds from 1970 to 1973. Spent tour in Nam with them. I was at Phang Rang when the 123 nosed into Cam Ron Bay from the broken wing flap bracket. Several of us helped pull all the brackets off and replaced them with "checked /certified" brackets. Being a part of the 311 TAS was super. At Hurlburt we did missions from spraying south of Brownsville, TX to carring serile flies to Porta Rico. Spent many hours working that old Horse, but always maintained with excellence. Many crew members are retired around Hurlburt Fld area. reply | | sidebar, e-mail, 05.02.2012 12:22 the C123 That sprayed herbicide was a UC123B-K model there were very few of these built and were used by the Ranch Hand Squadron the 12th SOS,you could see the spray booms on wings and at the rear behind the cargo door,no booms it wasn't a spray bird reply | | Joe, e-mail, 13.01.2012 13:46 What is the maximum amount of fuel carried by a C-123 Provider? reply | | Ron Stowell, Msgt USAF (Ret), e-mail, 11.01.2012 02:29 Hey guys, Need your help. C-123s at Udorn 1970 - 1970. Flying spray missions from there. VA says there herbicides stored there, but if you had a C-123 ready for a mission seems to this old T-28 crew chief that the mixed herbicide were already on board. Would that not be "stored on the base" until use? A couple of sworn testimonies from pilots or crew would greatly help an herbicides /AO claim.Det 1, 56 Udorn. Thanks to all for your sacrifice and service. reply | | Ryan, e-mail, 10.01.2012 11:34 I believe there is one at chino airport, it has not been up in maybe ten years but it is all intact and everything works on it, I talked to the owner of it and there is plans soon for it to fly reply | | Ryan, e-mail, 10.01.2012 11:34 I believe there is one at chino airport, it has not been up in maybe ten years but it is all intact and everything works on it, I talked to the owner of it and there is plans soon for it to fly reply | | bob rudd, e-mail, 08.10.2011 01:20 Correction? If i'm not mistaken the reunion is Oct 10-14.Hope i'm not there alone. :) reply | |
| | Frank Gerstenkorn, e-mail, 04.10.2011 06:06 I was and flight engineer (really, a MAC guy from C141As) on Bookies with the 310th at Phan Rang from September 1969 to October 1970. In nearly 950 hrs of flight and some 1300+ takeoffs and landing the Provider never let me down. There is a C123s in SEA reunion in Branson Mo next week (Oct 13-15 and there's time to register via C123sinsoutheastasia.org. To Tom Griffing, I flew every tail number in your post. Thanks for all your hard word keeping my tail in the ail on great airplanes. reply | | Pete Sims, e-mail, 21.08.2011 07:44 Ernie Colby: We carried conex containers from time to time while I was in Nam. I'm not sure of the size though. It was a pickle loading them, they had to be nursed up /in /down /in just to get them inside the cargo bay. There was no way to jettison them if you had an emergency. Hope that helps. reply | | Ernie Colby, e-mail, 05.08.2011 02:54 Does anyone know if a standard 8 x 20 shipping container would fit in the back of a c123? reply | | Gary Woodruff, e-mail, 19.07.2011 20:10 I flew C-123 in 1965-66 in 310th ACS at Saigon and then Nha Trang, then went to England AFB LA. until April 1967. I then separated from the active duty. We had many rich experiences in the airplane. reply | | James Mayfield, e-mail, 17.05.2011 02:35 Mr. Tucson, not sure how to get in touch...let me know if you figured out what to do with yours. 203.921.21644 reply | | John Mulvey, e-mail, 01.05.2011 17:59 If anyone has any ideas of what could be done with C-123K these days, I would very much like to get in contact with you.
We have an ex-DoS ship 54-0659 that was used in Peru until 1992 and then retired.
Our ship (now) N123JK is sitting in Tucson and hoping to fly a little longer.
We have parts, books, tooling, etc. I want to install new hoses, overhaul the carbs and props before we fly it out.
I look forward to speaking to any one interested. reply |
|
Do you have any comments?
|
| 
COMPANY
PROFILE
All the World's Rotorcraft
|
Carol
We’re looking for this same information as you were. Did you ever find out if the C-123 landed on the USS Kitty Hawk? My husband was on the crash crew in 1969-70.
reply