The Flickr Airheritagemuseum Image Generatr

The items attached to the wing illustrate the changes in propulsion for the C-123, which was originally intended to be a glider. Closest to the fuselage is a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. Its nacelle is very long because there are no fuel tanks in the fuselage (gliders don’t need fuel) so there is a fuel tank towards the rear of the Double Wasp’s nacelle. Next to the Double Wasp is the nacelle for a jet engine, which was added to the design later to improve performance. The inlet could be covered when the jet engines weren’t used.

The Fairchild C-123 Provider is a short-range assault transport used for airlifting troops and cargo to/from small, unprepared airstrips. The development of the C-123 cargo plane began in the late 1940s and it entered service with the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1950s. C-123s saw heavy use during the Southeast Asia War. In addition to the transport role, C-123s were also used for spraying defoliant.

The C-123 was originally designed as a GLIDER—a bigger version of the assault gliders used during World War II. Two prototypes were built, but tests showed that a powered aircraft could equal a glider in landing performance, so the design was changed to include a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine under each wing. In the late 1960s, the design was changed again to add a General Electric J85 jet engine to each wing to increase payload, shorten takeoff distance, and provide better performance if one of the piston engines failed. The new design was designated C-123K.

This C-123K Provider, serial number 54-664, was built in 1956. In 1969 it was upgraded to a C-123K configuration, with the jet engines. In 1981 it was sent to storage and it was declared as surplus in 1985. Thunderpig was restored and is operated by the Air Heritage Museum, located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Of more than 300 C-123s that were built, only this one is still flying.

Seen at the 2023 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show.

The items attached to the wing illustrate the changes in propulsion for the C-123, which was originally intended to be a glider. Closest to the fuselage is a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine. Its nacelle is very long because there are no fuel tanks in the fuselage (gliders don’t need fuel) so there is a fuel tank towards the rear of the Double Wasp’s nacelle. In the middle of the wing is the nacelle for a jet engine, which was added to the design later to improve performance. The inlet could be covered when the jet engines weren’t used. And furthest from the fuselage is another fuel tank.

The Fairchild C-123 Provider is a short-range assault transport used for airlifting troops and cargo to/from small, unprepared airstrips. The development of the C-123 cargo plane began in the late 1940s and it entered service with the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1950s. C-123s saw heavy use during the Southeast Asia War. In addition to the transport role, C-123s were also used for spraying defoliant.

The C-123 was originally designed as a GLIDER—a bigger version of the assault gliders used during World War II. Two prototypes were built, but tests showed that a powered aircraft could equal a glider in landing performance, so the design was changed to include a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine under each wing. In the late 1960s, the design was changed again to add a General Electric J85 jet engine to each wing to increase payload, shorten takeoff distance, and provide better performance if one of the piston engines failed. The new design was designated C-123K.

This C-123K Provider, serial number 54-664, was built in 1956. In 1969 it was upgraded to a C-123K configuration, with the jet engines. In 1981 it was sent to storage and it was declared as surplus in 1985. Thunderpig was restored and is operated by the Air Heritage Museum, located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Of more than 300 C-123s that were built, only this one is still flying.

Seen at the 2023 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show.

This Fairchild C-123K Provider is named “Thunderpig.” The 911th Airlift Wing based in Pittsburgh used the “Thunderpig” nickname when they flew C-123s, and Thunderpig’s current home is about an hour from Pittsburgh. The name may have been inspired by the names of other Fairchild aircraft, the P-47 Thunderbolt, F-105 Thunderchief, and the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II.

The Fairchild C-123 Provider is a short-range assault transport used for airlifting troops and cargo to/from small, unprepared airstrips. The development of the C-123 cargo plane began in the late 1940s and it entered service with the U.S. Air Force in the mid-1950s. C-123s saw heavy use during the Southeast Asia War. In addition to the transport role, C-123s were also used for spraying defoliant.

The C-123 was originally designed as a GLIDER—a bigger version of the assault gliders used during World War II. Two prototypes were built, but tests showed that a powered aircraft could equal a glider in landing performance, so the design was changed to include a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine under each wing. In the late 1960s, the design was changed again to add a General Electric J85 jet engine to each wing to increase payload, shorten takeoff distance, and provide better performance if one of the piston engines failed. The new design was designated C-123K.

This C-123K Provider, serial number 54-664, was built in 1956. In 1969 it was upgraded to a C-123K configuration, with the jet engines. In 1981 it was sent to storage and it was declared as surplus in 1985. Thunderpig was restored and is operated by the Air Heritage Museum, located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Of more than 300 C-123s that were built, only this one is still flying.

Seen at the 2023 Thunder Over Michigan Air Show.

Here are some of my photos from the 2021 Cleveland National Air Show. It was great being back at an air show again, and since my very first air show was the 1989 Cleveland National Air Show, I have now officially photographed nearly 100 air shows for the past 32 years.