View source for Convair C-131 Samaritan

{{short description|1954 airlifter series by Convair}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = C-131 Samaritan <br /> R4Y / T-29
| image = C-131F Samaritan VR-30 in flight.JPEG
| caption = Convair C-131F Samaritan
| type = Military transport
| manufacturer = [[Convair]]
| designer = 
| first_flight = 22 September 1949
| introduction = 1950
| retired = 1990
| produced = 
| primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]
| more_users = [[United States Navy]] <br/>[[United States Marine Corps]] <br/> [[United States Coast Guard]]
| number_built = 512<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uswarplanes.net/t29c131.html|title=T-29 / C-131|website=www.uswarplanes.net|access-date=26 March 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724093212/http://www.uswarplanes.net/t29c131.html|archive-date=24 July 2017}}</ref>
| status = 
| unit cost = 
| developed_from = [[Convair CV-240]]
| variants = [[NC-131H TIFS]]
}}

The '''Convair C-131 Samaritan''' is an American twin-engined military transport produced from 1954 to 1956 by [[Convair]]. It is the military version of the [[Convair CV-240 family]] of airliners.<ref name= "Gradidge p. 20–21">Gradidge 1997, p. 20–21.</ref>

This was one of the last radial engined aircraft in US service, along with the [[Grumman C-1 Trader]].

==Design and development==
The design began life in a production requirement by [[American Airlines]] for a pressurized airliner to replace the [[Douglas DC-3]]. Convair's original design had two engines and 40 seats, and thus it was designated the ''CV-240''. The first CV-240 flew on March 16, 1947, and production aircraft were first delivered to American on February 28, 1948. Seventy-five were delivered to American, with another fifty going to [[Western Airlines]], [[Continental Airlines]], [[Pan American Airways]], [[KLM]], [[Sabena]], [[Swissair]] and [[Trans Australia Airlines]].{{citation needed|date = December 2013}}

==Operational history==
[[File:C-131B New Mexico ANG parked.jpg|thumb|A C-131B used by the [[New Mexico Air National Guard]].]]
The CV-240/340/440 series was used by the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) for [[medical evacuation]] and [[Very Important Person|VIP]] transport and was designated as C-131 Samaritan. The first model Samaritan, the C-131A, was derived from the CV-240 model, and was delivered to the USAF in 1954.{{citation needed|date = December 2013}}{{Contradict-inline|date=January 2021|reason=This is not the initial military model if T-29 deliveries began in 1950 and R4Y-1 deliveries began in 1952 as stated subsequently.}}

The initial trainer model, designated the ''T-29'', was also based on the Convair CV-240 and was used to instruct [[Combat Systems Officer|USAF navigator]]s for all USAF aircraft and [[United States Navy]] (USN) [[Naval Flight Officer]]s (NFOs) selected to fly land-based aircraft. The first deliveries to the USAF were made in 1950 followed by large production quantities until early 1955. The USAF and the USN operated T-29s in separate units at separate locations until 1976. In 1974, the USAF T-29s with the [[323d Air Expeditionary Wing|323d Flying Training Wing]] (323 FTW) at [[Mather AFB]], California began to be replaced by the [[Boeing 737]]-derived [[Boeing T-43|T-43]].  In 1975, the Navy retired all of its T-29s assigned to Training Squadron Twenty-Nine (VT-29) at [[NAS Corpus Christi]], Texas, deactivated VT-29, and merged their advanced navigator training program for land-based NFOs with the Air Force's program at Mather AFB.<ref>CAMPUS Magazine, The Navy Education and Training Monthly, Vol. VIII, No. 8, August 1979, pp. 16-19</ref>

A planned bomber training version of the T-29 (designated ''T-32'') was never built.{{citation needed|date = December 2013}}

From 1952, the USN and [[United States Marine Corps]] (USMC) took delivery of 36 ''R4Y-1'' transport aircraft similar to the commercial CV-340 and USAF C-131D, configured with 44 passenger seats and powered by a pair of {{cvt|2500|hp|kW}} [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp|Pratt & Whitney R-2800-52W]] engines. A single otherwise similar aircraft was acquired with a 24-seat VIP interior and designated ''R4Y-1Z''. In 1957, the USN took delivery of two additional aircraft similar to the commercial CV-440 and designated ''R4Y-2''. With the [[1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system|1962 redesignation]] of USN/USMC aircraft, the three types were redesignated as the ''C-131F'', ''VC-131F'', and ''C-131G'' respectively.<ref name=sb>{{cite book |last1=Swanborough |first1=Gordon |last2=Bowers |first2=Peter M. |date=1976 |title=United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 |edition=2nd  |location=Annapolis, Maryland |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=0-87021-968-5 |page=422}}</ref> A number of R4Y-1 (C-131F) aircraft were converted to R4Y-1Z (VC-131F) or R4Y-2 (C-131G) standards after delivery, and several C-131F and C-131G aircraft were ultimately sold as [[military surplus]] and converted to civil use.<ref name=jb_usn17/><ref name=jb_usn18/>

Nearly all of the C-131s left the active USAF inventory in the late 1970s, but the [[U.S. Coast Guard]] (USCG) operated the aircraft until 1983, while the [[Air National Guard]] (ANG) and USN units operated additional C-131 airframes, primarily as Operational Support Aircraft (OSA) for ANG flying wings and as naval air station "station aircraft" until 1990. The C-131 was primarily replaced by the [[McDonnell Douglas C-9|C-9 Nightingale]] in regular USAF service, with the ANG replacing their OSA with [[C-130 Hercules]] aircraft and the USN with [[C-12 Huron]]s.{{citation needed|date = December 2013}}

[[File:Mercury Astronauts in Weightless Flight on C-131 Aircraft - GPN-2002-000039.jpg|thumb|[[Project Mercury|Mercury]] astronaut training in 1959]]
In 1959, a C-131 was the first aircraft to be used as a [[reduced-gravity aircraft]] or 'vomit comet', for astronaut training as part of [[Project Mercury]].<ref name="NASA 2002" >{{cite web 
  |title = Mercury Astronauts in Weightless Flight on C-131 Aircraft
  |date = 2006-08-02
  |url = http://nix.larc.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=GPN-2002-000039
  |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150214204039/http://nix.larc.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=GPN-2002-000039
  |url-status = dead
  |archive-date = 2015-02-14
  |access-date = 2016-05-14
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web
 |title       = Mercury Astronauts in Weightless Flight on C-131 Aircraft
 |year        = 1959
 |work        = NASA on the Commons
 |url         = https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9457839317/in/photolist-fpKU88
 |url-status     = live
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20161108015847/https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasacommons/9457839317/in/photolist-fpKU88
 |archive-date = 2016-11-08
}}</ref><ref>{{youtube|wSTLBc-4q60|How The Vomit Comet Works – Convair C-131 }}</ref>

A Samaritan was the first aircraft used as a flying [[gunship]] testbed in mid-1963, in a program known as [[AC-47 Spooky#History|"Project Tailchaser"]].<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/ac-131.htm "Project Tailchaser".] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204192302/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/ac-131.htm |date=2011-12-04 }} ''globalsecurity.org.'' Retrieved: 21 July 2011.</ref> A C-131B (AF Ser. No. 53-7820) was given a gunsight for the side window, but instead of guns it had cameras in the cargo area. Eventually the C-131 was ferried to [[Eglin AFB]] in [[Florida]] and a General Electric SUU-11A/A 7.62&nbsp;mm [[Gatling]]-style [[Minigun]] was installed. Live ammunition was used and both over-water and overland tests were successful.<ref>Jack S. Ballard [http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/gunships.pdf Development and Employment of Fixed-Wing Gunships 1962–1972] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711121145/http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/gunships.pdf |date=2011-07-11 }}. Office of Air Force History. 1982</ref>

==Accidents and incidents==
{{Main|List of accidents and incidents involving the Convair CV-240 family}}

On 17 December 1960, a USAF C-131D Samaritan [[1960 Munich Convair 340 crash|crashed at Munich]] after one engine lost power on takeoff from [[Munich-Riem Airport]]. Flying in heavy fog and unable to gain altitude, the aircraft struck the steeple of [[St. Paul's Church, Munich|St. Paul's Church]] and crashed onto a [[tram]], killing all 20 people on the aircraft and 32 on the tram.<ref name=ASN>{{ASN accident|id=19601217-0|title=ASN Aircraft accident Convair C-131D (CV-340) 55-0291 München}}</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:HC-131A Samaritan USCG on flightline.JPG|thumb|A U.S. Coast Guard HC-131A.]]
[[File:Convair T-29A 49-1941 47 BW SCUL BWD 18.05.57 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|Convair T-29A navigational trainer of the U.S. Air Force with four [[astrodome (aviation)|astrodome]]s on top of the fuselage]]
[[File:Convair NC-131H TIFS lifting off.jpg|thumb|right|The NC-131H Total-In-Flight Simulator at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio]]

;C-131A
:Transport for USAF based on CV-240, capable of carrying 39 passengers on rearward facing seats, or 20 stretchers and 7 seats; 26 built.<ref name="Wegg p190">Wegg 1990, p. 190.</ref>
;HC-131A
:Surplus C-131As transferred to the USCG, 22 transferred.
;MC-131A
:C-131A used for medivac duties with 27 stretchers.
;VC-131A
:C-131A used as a staff transport.
;C-131B
:A hybrid CV-240/340 with seats for 48 passengers, 36 built.
;JC-131B
:C-131B converted for missile tracking, six conversions.
;NC-131B
:One C-131B used for permanent testing.
;VC-131B
:C-131B when used as a staff transport.
;YC-131C
:Two CV-340s modified with [[Allison T56|Alison 501D-13]] [[turboprop]] engines.
;C-131D
:Military version of the Model 340 with seats for 44 passengers, 33 built.
;VC-131D
:C-131D when used as a staff transport.
;C-131E
:[[Electronic countermeasures]] (ECM) training version for [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC), later designated TC-131E, 15 built and one conversion from C-131D, two transferred to United States Navy as R4Y-2.
;TC-131E
:C-131E redesignated.
;C-131F
:R4Y-1 redesignated.
;RC-131F
:Conversions for photo-mapping and survey, six conversions.
;VC-131F
:R4Y-1Z redesignated.
;C-131G
:R4Y-2 redesignated.
;EC-131G
:One C-131G modified as an electronics trainer.
;RC-131G
:One C-131G modified for [[Airway (aviation)|airways]] checking duties.
;VC-131G
:C-131G when used as a staff transport.
;C-131H
:Conversions to CV-580 turboprop standard.
;[[Convair NC-131H TIFS|NC-131H]]
:One conversion with an extended nose incorporating a separate cockpit as a Total In-Flight Simulator. This aircraft was transferred to the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] at [[Wright-Patterson AFB]], Ohio on November 7, 2008<ref>[http://www.daytondailynews.com/search/content/gen/ap/NY_Old_Plane_Retired.html "Old plane retired."]  ''Dayton Daily News.'' Retrieved: 21 July 2011.</ref>
;R4Y-1
:USN/USMC version of CV-340 with 44 passenger seats, redesignated C-131F in 1962, 36 built.<ref name=sb/><ref name=jb_usn17>{{cite web |url=http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries17.html |title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, Third Series (140053 to 145061) |last=Baugher |first=Joe |date=22 January 2021 |website=joebaugher.com |access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>
;R4Y-1Z
:USN/USMC 24-seat VIP staff transport, redesignated VC-131F in 1962, one built and conversions from R4Y-1.<ref name=sb/><ref name=jb_usn17/>
;R4Y-2
:USN/USMC version of CV-440, redesignated C-131G in 1962, two built and conversions from R4Y-1; an additional 13 canceled, of which six were completed as CV-440 airliners.<ref name=sb/><ref name=jb_usn17/><ref name=jb_usn18>{{cite web |url=http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries17.html |title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, Third Series (145062 to 150138) |last=Baugher |first=Joe |date=22 January 2021 |website=joebaugher.com |access-date=25 January 2021}}</ref>
;R4Y-2Q
:Proposed ECM version of the R4Y-2, five canceled.<ref name=jb_usn18/>
;R4Y-2S
:Proposed [[anti-submarine warfare]] version of R4Y-2, 14 canceled.<ref name=jb_usn18/>
;XT-29
:Prototype military trainer version of the Model 240 for the United States Air Force, two built.
;T-29A
:Initial production version for navigator training, unpressurized cabin for 14 students, 46 built.
;VT-29A
:T-29As converted for staff transport.
;T-29B
:Pressurized version with room for 10 navigator and four radio operator students, 105 built.
;NT-29B
:One T-29B used for permanent testing.
;VT-29B
:T-29B converted for staff transport with seating for 29 or 32 passengers.
;T-29C
:T-29B with {{cvt|2500|hp|kW}} Pratt & Whitney R-2800-29W engines, 119 built.
;AT-29C
:T-29C modified for airways checking duties, redesignated ET-29C in 1962.
;ET-29C
:AT-29C redesignated.
;VT-29C
:T-29C converted to staff transport.
;T-29D
:[[Bombardier (aircrew)|Bombardier]] training version of the T-29C with room for six students, 93 built.
;ET-29D
:Airways checking conversion of the T-29D.
;VT-29D
:Staff transport conversion of the T-29D.
;XT-29E
:Proposed turboprop version of T-29B, none built.
;YT-32
:Proposed bomber training version with transparent nose, none built.

==Operators==

;{{PAR}}
*[[Military of Paraguay|Paraguayan Air Force]] operated one former USAF Convair C-131D<ref>Andrade 1982, p. 176</ref>
;{{USA}}
*[[United States Air Force]] operated T-29 and C-131 aircraft.
*[[United States Navy]] operated R4Y/C-131 and T-29 aircraft.
*[[United States Coast Guard]] operated R4Y/C-131 aircraft.
*[[NASA]]

==Surviving aircraft==
[[File:Convair C-131D Samaritan USAF.jpg|thumb|right|Convair C-131D of the U.S. Air Force Museum at Dayton, [[Ohio]].]]

;HC-131A
* 52-5794 – On display at the [[Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum]] in [[Pueblo, Colorado]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Actual Aircraft on Display in Pueblo|url=http://www.pwam.org/aircraftdisplay1.html|website=Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225043629/http://www.pwam.org/aircraftdisplay1.html|archive-date=25 December 2016}}</ref>

;C-131A
* 55-4757 – On display at the [[Minnesota Air National Guard]] Museum in [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]].<ref>[http://mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/convair-samaritan/ "Convair C-131H Samaritan."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124420/http://mnangmuseum.org/exhibits/convair-samaritan/ |date=2016-03-04 }} ''Minnesota Air National Guard Museum.'' Retrieved: 30 July 2015.</ref>

;C-131B
* 53-7811 – Last registered to Tatonduk Outfitters Limited in [[Fairbanks, Alaska]]. This aircraft was previously on display at the [[Kelly Field Annex|Kelly Field Heritage Museum]], [[Lackland AFB]], Texas.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
* 53-7819 – Airworthy with Airborne Resources Inc in [[Midlothian, Texas]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}<ref>{{cite web |title=FAA Registry [N131CR] |url=http://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N131CR |website=Federal Aviation Administration |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref>
* 53-7821 – On display at the [[Air Force Armament Museum]], [[Eglin AFB]], [[Florida]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}

;C-131D
* 54-2806 – On display at the [[Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum]], [[Travis AFB]], California.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Veronico|first1=Nick|title=Outdoor Exhibits – C-131D "Samaritan"|url=http://travisheritagecenter.org/html/c131d.html|website=Travis Air Force Base Heritage Center|publisher=Travis Heritage Center|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605233435/https://travisheritagecenter.org/html/c131d.html|archive-date=5 June 2015}}</ref>
* 54-2808 – On display at the [[March Field Air Museum]], [[March ARB]] (former [[March AFB]]), [[Riverside, California]].<ref>{{cite web|title=C-131D Samaritan|url=http://www.marchfield.org/aircraft-exhibits/aircraft/c-131d-samaritan-convair|website=March Field Air Museum|publisher=March Field Air Museum|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531142655/http://www.marchfield.org/aircraft-exhibits/aircraft/c-131d-samaritan-convair|archive-date=31 May 2016}}</ref>
* 54-2810 – Stored at [[Burlington Air National Guard Base]] in [[Burlington, Vermont]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
* 54-2822 – On display at the [[Aerospace Museum of California]], former [[McClellan AFB]], California.<ref>{{cite web|title=Convair VC-131D Samaritan|url=http://www.aerospaceca.org/convair-vc-131d-samaritan|website=Aerospace Museum of California|publisher=Aerospace Museum of California|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417210045/http://www.aerospaceca.org/convair-vc-131d-samaritan/|archive-date=17 April 2016}}</ref>
* 55-0292 – On display at the [[South Dakota Air and Space Museum]], [[Ellsworth AFB]], [[South Dakota]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
* 55-0293 – On display at the [[Selfridge Military Air Museum]], [[Selfridge Air National Guard Base]], Michigan.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-131D Samaritan|url=http://selfridgeairmuseum.org/C-131D.htm|website=Selfridge Military Air Museum|publisher=Selfridge Military Air Museum|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818203256/http://selfridgeairmuseum.org/C-131D.htm|archive-date=18 August 2016}}</ref>
* 55-0294 – On display at [[The Leonardo (Salt Lake City)|The Leonardo]] in [[Salt Lake City, Utah]].<ref>{{cite web|title=C-131D Samaritan|url=http://www.theleonardo.org/flight-exhibit-leonardo/|website=The Leonardo Museum|publisher=The Leonardo Museum|access-date=12 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220125228/http://www.theleonardo.org/flight-exhibit-leonardo/|archive-date=20 December 2016}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=September 2021}}
* 55-0295 – On display at the [[Air Mobility Command Museum]], [[Dover AFB]], [[Delaware]].<ref>{{cite web|title=C-131D Samaritan|url=http://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/c-131d-samaritan|website=Air Mobility Command Museum|publisher=AMC Museum Foundation, Inc.|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430165225/http://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/c-131d-samaritan/|archive-date=30 April 2016}}</ref>
* 55-0300 – On display at the [[Hill Aerospace Museum]], [[Hill AFB]], [[Utah]].<ref>{{cite web|title=C-131D "Samaritan"|url=http://www.hill.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/397288/c-131d-samaritan|website=Hill Air Force Base|access-date=24 August 2016|date=27 September 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911145256/http://www.hill.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/397288/c-131d-samaritan|archive-date=11 September 2016}}</ref>
* 55-0301 – Cockpit only with unknown owner in Kenosha, Wisconsin. This airframe was previously on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, but was scrapped before 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vintage Transports, photos by Friends & Guests|url=http://www.ruudleeuw.com/guestphotos-19.htm|website=RuudLeeuw.com|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160614100025/http://www.ruudleeuw.com/guestphotos-19.htm|archive-date=14 June 2016}}</ref>

;C-131F
* 140996 – Airworthy with Gulf & Caribbean Cargo of [[Waterford, Michigan]].<ref>{{cite web |title=FAA Registry |url=http://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N351FL |website=Federal Aviation Administration |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref>
* 141008 – Airworthy with Conquest Air Inc of [[Miami Lakes, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web |title=FAA Registry [N345GS] |url=http://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N345GS |website=Federal Aviation Administration |publisher=U.S. Department of Transportation |access-date=15 September 2021}}</ref>
* 141013 – On display at the [[Yanks Air Museum]] in [[Chino, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://yanksair.org/collection/convair-340-71-samaritan-c-131f/|title=Convair C-131F Samaritan|date=2017-01-28|website=Yanks Air Museum|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-26}}</ref>
* 141015 – On display at the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]], [[NAS Pensacola]], Florida.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-131 Samaritan|url=http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/attractions/aircraft-exhibits/item/?item=c-131_samaritan|website=National Naval Aviation Museum|publisher=Naval Aviation Museum Foundation|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830195846/http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/attractions/aircraft-exhibits/item/?item=c-131_samaritan|archive-date=30 August 2016}}</ref>
* 141017 – On display at the [[Pima Air & Space Museum]] in [[Tucson, Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Samaritan|url=http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/convair-c-131f-samaritan|website=Pima Air & Space Museum|publisher=PimaAir.org|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006014311/http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/convair-c-131f-samaritan|archive-date=6 October 2016}}</ref>
* 141025 – In storage at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}

;NC-131H
* 53-7793 – On display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Convair NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulator (TIFS)|url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195751/convair-nc-131h-total-in-flight-simulator-tifs/|website=National Museum of the US Air Force|access-date=24 August 2016|date=9 October 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911135545/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/MuseumExhibits/FactSheets/Display/tabid/509/Article/195751/convair-nc-131h-total-in-flight-simulator-tifs.aspx|archive-date=11 September 2016}}</ref>

;T-29A
* 49-1934 – On display at [[Sheppard AFB]], [[Texas]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
* 50-0190 – On display at the [[Strategic Air and Space Museum]] in [[Ashland, Nebraska]].<ref>{{cite web|title=T-29A "Flying Classroom"|url=http://sacmuseum.org/what-to-see/aircraft/t-29a-flying-classroom|website=Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum|publisher=Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160801164536/http://sacmuseum.org/what-to-see/aircraft/t-29a-flying-classroom/|archive-date=1 August 2016}}</ref>

;T-29B
* 51-7906 – On display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.<ref>{{cite web|title=Flying Classroom|url=http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/convair-t-29b-flying-classroom|website=Pima Air & Space Museum|publisher=PimaAir.org|access-date=24 August 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006014144/http://www.pimaair.org/aircraft-by-name/item/convair-t-29b-flying-classroom|archive-date=6 October 2016}}</ref>

;T-29C
* {{Cns|53-3489 – On display at the [[12th Flying Training Wing]] area, [[Randolph AFB]], Texas. (previously displayed at former [[Mather AFB]], California; disassembled and relocated following [[1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission|BRAC]] closure of Mather AFB).|date=September 2024}}
* 52-1175 – On display at the Linear Air Park at [[Dyess Air Force Base]] in [[Abilene, Texas]].{{Cn|date=September 2024}}

==Specifications (C-131B)==
[[File:Convair C-131B Samaritan 3-view line drawing.png|frameless|right|3-view line drawing of the Convair C-131B Samaritan]]

{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|ref=United States Military Aircraft since 1909<ref name="Swan mil p150">Swanborough and Bowers 1969, p. 150.</ref>
|crew= four
|capacity= 48 passengers
|length ft= 79
|length in= 2
|length m= 24.14 
|span ft= 105
|span in= 4
|span m= 32.11 
|height ft= 28
|height in= 2
|height m= 8.59 
|wing area sqft= 920 
|wing area sqm= 85.5 
|empty weight lb= 29,248 
|empty weight kg= 13,294 
|max takeoff weight lb= 47,000 
|max takeoff weight kg= 21,363 
|eng1 name= [[Pratt & Whitney R-2800]]-99 "Double Wasp"
|eng1 type=18 cylinder air cooled [[radial engines]]
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 hp= 2,500 
|eng1 kw= 1,865 
|max speed mph=293 
|max speed kts=255
|max speed kmh=472
|cruise speed mph= 254 
|cruise speed kts=221
|cruise speed kmh=409
|range miles= 450 
|range nmi=391
|range km=725
|ceiling ft= 24,500 
|ceiling m= 7,470 
|climb rate ftmin= 1,410 
|climb rate ms= 7.2
}}

== See also ==
{{aircontent|
|related=
* [[Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan]]
* [[Convair CV-240 family]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Airspeed Ambassador]]
* [[Vickers VC.1 Viking]]
|lists=
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
* [[List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)]]
|see also=* [[Military transport aircraft]]
}}

==References==
; Notes
{{Reflist}}

; Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* Andrade, John. ''Militair 1982''. London: Aviation Press Limited, 1982. {{ISBN|0 907898 01 7}}.
* Frawley, Gerald. "Convair CV-540, 580, 600, 640 & CV5800", ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft 1997/98''. Fyshwick ACT: Aerospace Publications, 1997. {{ISBN|1-875671-26-9}}.
* Gradidge, Jennifer. ''The Convairliners Story''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1997. {{ISBN|0-85130-243-2}}.
* Swanborough, F. G. and [[Peter M. Bowers]]. ''United States Military Aircraft since 1909''. London: Punam, 1963.
* Wegg, John. ''General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecessors''. London: Putnam, 1990. {{ISBN|0-85177-833-X}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category multi|Convair C-131 Samaritan|Convair T-29}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060105044504/http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/convair_240.htm Convair 240] – [[National Air and Space Museum]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150707231656/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=783 C-131 Samaritan factsheet] – [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070117164206/http://www.marchfield.org/c131d.htm C-131D Samaritan] – [[March Field Air Museum]]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/c-131.htm C-131 Samaritan] – GlobalSecurity.org
* [http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/c131.asp C-131 Samaritan] – The Aviation Zone
* [http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/gunships.asp Gunships] – The Aviation Zone

{{Convair aircraft}}
{{USAF transports}}
{{USAF trainer aircraft}}
{{USN transports}}

[[Category:Convair aircraft|C-131]]
[[Category:1950s United States military trainer aircraft]]
[[Category:1950s United States military transport aircraft|C-0131 Samaritan]]
[[Category:Low-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1949]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft related to spaceflight]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]