Fairchild C-82 Packet

<p> Originally designed as a cargo and paratroop transport during World War II the Fairchild C-82 Packet is today mainly remembered for its starring role in the Hollywood film <I>The Flight of the Phoenix</I> (1965). Its ungainly appearance earned it the nickname the flying boxcar but the aircraft was the first to achieve practical end-loading and aerial delivery of cargoes. Its outsized capacity served the U.S. military's needs for more than ten years--civilian operators flew it in remote locations like Alaska and South America for a further three decades. This book provides a comprehensive history of the C-82 detailing each of the 224 aircraft built with technical diagrams multiple appendices and more than 200 photos.</p>