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| 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 |
| Hugh Perry, e-mail, 24.08.2009 05:08 I flew the C-123 at Pope AFB, 1969-1965, pilot and StanEval, including TDY in Saigon Sep '62-Jan '63. Tough little bird, stretched to limits in comptition against Army C-7s in Swift Strike Exercises in Sixties. I once landed, off loaded and took off in a corn field picked but with broken stalks still standing. Lights off assault landings at night were 'interesting', often at Sicily DZ /LZ. Worse than anything I found in Vietnam. A testament to good Air Force training of all crew positions and combat control teams.
Col (Ret) Hugh Perry (later in C-130 at Pope and CCK) reply | | Wayne Doering, e-mail, 26.07.2009 21:44 I was stationed at Phan Rang Air Base, Viet Nam (1968) and assigned to the S.O.S. 309th. During my tour I flew 1,266 Combat Missions in the C-123K as Flight Engineer. It was a fantastic Aircraft for what it was called upon to do. reply | | Phil Gilson, e-mail, 21.07.2009 17:57 I have pix of the C123K from the 2009 Andrews AFB open house. How do I get them to you? reply | | Jim Biggie, e-mail, 23.05.2009 19:59 I WAS A CREW CHIEF ON THE K MODEL AT LOCKBOURNE AFB. 4408TH CCTS. GREAT AIRPLANE AND GOOD TOMES AT THE 08TH. FROME THERE TO C7A'S AT CAM RAHN BAY. WHAT A DIFFERENCE. reply | |
| | bob jones, e-mail, 29.04.2009 15:43 I WAS AT DREUX WHEN THE 309TH ARRIVED AT DREUX
WAS IN THE 60TH FMS
WE OPEN THE BASE AND 1955 WE WERE AT RHINE MAIN BEFORE
GOING TO DREUX reply | | Joseph Foster, e-mail, 26.12.2008 22:02 I flew 1,165 combat support sorties as a
C-123B "Provider" a pilot with the 19th ACS from Saigon July 1966-June 1967. The maintenance troops were truly outstanding. I never had to abort a takeoff. We caried just about anything the troops on the ground needed. The term "Provider" was appropriate. There were 25 Thai airmen that flew with us. I felt they were pretty good pilots. I never flew the C-123K. It was coming into service as I left Vietnam. On two occassions I landed on one engine. On 31 December 1966 the right engine caught fire on takeoff. We were loaded with 50 gallon drums of gasoline and my copilot was from Thailand. After successfuly landng back at Tan Son Nhut the maintence folks found a drain plug had fallen out of the carburetor. So raw fuel was hitting the hot engine. But, once I performed the engine feathering procedure the fire stopped and we landed with all the gasoline drums still aboard. I have flown 19 different prop /turboprop /jet airplanes, but consider my experiences as an Air Commando Pilot my best assignment. Every day I knew we were helping someone! reply | | Wayne Knowles, e-mail, 20.09.2008 02:32 I would like to acquire some information of flying the C-123 on the Microsoft Flight Simulator. I have the aircraft and it flys well but I would like to have a checklist and a reference file.
I prefer to simulate the standard flight characteristics and not just push the throttles to max for take-off and a notch or two of flaps with a guess at airspeed for landing.
Any help in directing me to these files would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks in advance,
Wayne reply | | John Limbach, e-mail, 14.08.2008 22:50 I was a loadmaster with the 19th Air Commando Squadron at Tan Son Nhut in 1967-68. We were the first squadron to convert to the C-123K with two J85 jet engines in addition to the two R-2800 recips. The max gross weight for takeoff in the "K" model was 60,000 pounds when operating from paved airfields. No problem with the gear as it was standard procedure to leave the gear pins in until after takeoff and then pull them (there was an access door in the wheel wells for this purpose) and reinstall them after putting the gear down for landing. David Farrar is correct, it was the noisest ever (although you could probably get an argument from loadmasters who flew in the cargo compartment of 3-bladed prop equipped C-130A's), but if you think the "B" model was noisy, takeoff in the "K" model even with earplugs and headset was a religious experience and if you exposed the terrorists at Gitmo to those decibel levels it would be considered torture, and rightly so! The C-123 holds the distinction of being the first all jet AF transport, XC-123A. Also, there was an amphibian version, YC-123E of which only one example was built (55-4031). Although there was never a production C-123 gunship, two C-123K's were converted to NC /AC-123K under Project Black Spot. These aircraft carried radar and sensors including a FLIR, Low-Light-Level-TV and a laser range finder to detect enemy ground movements on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and carried between 2,664-6,372 one pound cluster bomb units (CBU's) which were then dropped on the bad guys through twelve openings in the cargo floor. During the combat evaluation period (Nov 68 through Jan 69)the two aircraft destroyed 151 boats /vehicles, damaged another 108 and noted secondary explosions on 261 targets.
The C-123 was the only aircraft type to operate with four distinctive power plant types: pure jet (XC-123A); pure recip (C-123B); mixed jet /recip (C-123K); and pure turboprop (C-123T).
John Limbach, CMSgt USAF (Ret'd.)
I will be flying airdrop tests on a C-123K week after next. Got to find my earplugs.
Source for a good deal of this info is personal experience /observation and the book, "C-123 Provider In Action", Squadron /Signal Publications Aircraft Number 124, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in this great old bird. reply |
| John H. Tullis, e-mail, 07.08.2008 07:10 I was a flight engineer on the C-123K in 1969 to 1970 assigned to the 606 SOS out of Nakhon Phanom Thailand. Our
primary mission was to recon the Ho Chi Minh Trail (supply
route from North Vietnam through Laos to South Vietnam) and
flare support. During this peroid I was awarded The DFC and 13 Air Metals. Having flown as an Engineer on many aircrafts I enjoyed the C-123 the most. It was an essential
toy. Very versatile in all the missions it was assigned to do. reply | | Roger Huntington, e-mail, 31.05.2008 18:06 Mistakes: The aircraft experimentally performed many tasks but gunship it was not. The B model (as shown) had a gross weight limit of 54,000 LBS. I remember the first time 60,000 was used (with waiver) the main gear collapsed on the taxiway. I flew the aircraft to 24,000 ft, at which time we had a negative airspeed - against a jetstream. Slow, noisy, but an amazing workhorse. By the way, we bought the six aircraft back from Saudi Arabia in 1965. reply | | Matt Feiertag, e-mail, 25.04.2008 10:22 I flew the C-123B and K, UC-123B and K in VietNam and as an instructor at Hurlburt Field (1966-9). To my knowledge the C-123 was never used as a Spectre gunship. That was the C-130. The C-47 and C-119 were both used before. The C-123 was used as a defoliation aircraft in Operation Ranch Hand by the 12th Air Commando Sq. and as a nighttime flare /FAC flying out of Thailand. reply | | David Farrar, e-mail, 18.04.2008 22:35 Absolutely the noisest airplane in the sky. With the C-119 a close second. You couldn`t hear yourself think inside the 123 at cruise speed. Forget take-offs. You wore earplugs or you died. As a bandsman maybe my ears were too sensitive. Dave Farrar Air Force Band of Flight...1960-`65 reply | | Lawrence Smith, e-mail, 24.12.2006 06:58 I was assigned to Ardmore AFB with the 309Th when the first C-123s arrived and I stayed with the group until 1958, most of the time was at Dreux AFB in France.
Col. Bull Bently was our first Group Commander .
Former Staff Sargent Larry Smith Aircraft Hydraulic Tech.
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John, I was curious, I read that you were a Loadmaster with the 19th Air Commando Squadron. My father (Harrel D Hatch Sr aka Satch) was an in flight engineer on the C-123. Just wondered if you knew him? He died in April 1983 (When I was 11yrs years old) from cancer caused by Agent Orange. I am just looking for someone who knew him and maybe had some info /stories to share with me. Sincerely, Kimberley A Hamling aka Hatch
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