RAIDER

Manufacturer:

NORTHROP

Markings:

Triplay y Maderas de Durango, S.A., Durango, Mexico, 1960

Designation:

YC-125A

Registration:

N2573B

Serial Number:

48-0636

NORTHROP YC-125A RAIDER

The Northrop YC-125A was intended for use as a tactical transport for rough, short fields. This was the he last tri-motor propeller driven aircraft to see service in the U.S. military. By the time the C-125 was ready for production the jobs it had been intended to do were being done by helicopters and the C-123. The Air Force decided that it had no flying job for the few C-125s that were built. Most, like this one, went directly from the factory to technical schools for use as non-flying ground trainers. After brief military careers most of the 23 C-125s built were sold to a Florida company that then resold them to airlines in Latin America. Most were out of service by the mid-1960s. As of 2002 only two Raiders are known to exist, both in museums in the United States.

Specifications

  • Wingspan: 86 ft 6 in
  • Length: 67 ft 1 in
  • Height: 23 ft 2 in
  • Weight: 40,900 lbs (loaded)
  • Max. Speed: 207 mph
  • Service Ceiling: 21,000 ft
  • Engines: 3 Wright R-1820-99 radials, 1,200 hp each
  • Crew: 2, 36 passengers