I was in an Air National Guard Unit that had C-119s in Hayward, California. I was an aircraft mechanic on the 119s. I worked on the flight line. I went cross country in them several times. At first we had 4360s, but later they were changed to 3350s. We were afraid of the 3350s PRTs and the Aeroproducts props, but we never really had problems with them. We were careful. This was the loudest and most vibrating aircraft I have ever experienced, and I've flown in a lot of big old birds from KC-97s and Connies to C-124s. Takeoff in the back of a C-119 felt and sounded like the world was coming to an end. We were always real careful with the props, being sure to top up the hydraulic fluid just before every flight. We learned to position the props correctly and then not to move them to avoid breaking the seal that held in the hydraulic fluid. The airplane required a lot of maintenance. Riding in the back of a C-119 was an extreme experience. The cockpit was a little quieter (except for the inverters), and without as much vibration. I can't criticize the bird. I'm still here.

I flew them for Gifford Aviation in Alaska. 1980-84. Fish off the beach. Housing materials to the bush and mining camps. Dump trucks, pickups, whatever would fit on a 40 foot flatbed would fit in the back as long as the weights were good. We had em with and without the jet pack. 3350's 89B's. Flames used to shoot out the PRT's about 20 feet maybe 10. Went into 1800 ft strip was the shortest. Had good reverse. Watching them they looked like they would never get off the ground,but flying them you didn't feel the same way. I'm still flying today with an Air Carrier DC-10's and B-767's and think back fondly of them, even though one did kill a friend. Broke up in flight on a fire bombing mission in Washington.

How could you list the airforces of Belgium, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Italy, Nationalist China and South Vietnam, and leave out Canada's RCAF? 35 of them with R3350 engines flew with 435 and 436 Squadrons. I flew 1169:20 in C119s with never an engine problem - into many rough fields too! But we had pregnant prop problems, and one reversed during a training flight!

how could you leave out the AC-119 G & K's? GUNSHIPS ???

I flew as an engineer on the C-82s @ Donaldson AFB and the C-119C,@ Sewart AFB, Ashiya Japan, and Haiphong, Indo-China. I found the old bird to be very reliable and never had a 4360 engine failure. The 12 hour ferrying flights from McClellan AFB to Hickham AFB on the way to Japan were often nail-biters because of prop and fuel problems. I miss those flights of the early fifties.

Assigned to Neubiberg AFB Germany with the 317th TCW and and got a lot of hours going c/c,didnt have a fear but who does when your 21,i thought it was a great bird

I flew as a Flight Mechanic for almost 8 years on our units C-119C's, C-119G's and C-119L's. The C-119C's were bad about electric main gear failures. I have manually hand cranked The main gear into lock many times. Never had a gear failure after we got the G's with hydraulic gear. I have also been on several with runaway props and lost an engine several times -- she will fly on one engine, but at full power is a handfull for both pilots and FM. I have flown the C-119 all over the world and loved every minute of it. Our unit got C-130E's in 1975 - I enjoyed the 8 years of my 31 year military career in the C-119 the best. Our unit was the very last unit to fly the C-119 in the US Air Force. We took 6 of our 8 to the boneyard in Sept. 1975. 53-8087 at Fort Bragg was our bird as well as 53-8084 at Little Rock AFB. My brother who was a Stan/Eval instructor pilot in our unit flew 8084 to Little Rock on it's last flight. Nothing matches the sound of a R4360 or R3350 Radial engine. All of our G's were converted to L's with Hamilton Standard 3 bladed props off of C-121 "Connies". The HS prop was much quieter than the Aeroproducts 4 bladed props of the G's and was more aerodynamically efficent. The biggest problem with the C-119 was if you had a full load of fuel you couldn't carry a lot of weight and vise versa. Even at that I loved flying that old bird.

I worked on C-119s at the Fairchild factory in Hagerstown,Md and from 1951 to 1954 in the 60th TCW at Rein Main and Nubiberg Air Bases, Germany. Got to know that damned thing like the back of my hand. The planes had great names like "Miss Manookie" which were quickly erased after the new Asst. Secy of Defense (I believe her name was Rosenberg) took the job. What a morale deflater that was. Loved every minute of it though.

I flew as a flt. mech on a C-119G in 1955-1956 at Ashiya,36th TCS. The only thing that happening was a severe backfire on our way to Thiland. When we landed in there we pulled the cowling and replaced a spark plug. Flew back a couple days, no problems. We called her "Miss Fitt" I met crew chief and Radio op. in 2007 for our first Reunion in Vages and again 2009. We sure loved that "Miss Fitt". we agreed that we would fly her again,given the chance.

I was staion at Ashiya AFB and flew as a radio operator in 61st troop carrier SQ.also known as the GREEN HORNETS..When the truce was signed some of us were assigned to fly to INDO CHINA via Clark field to deliver the C119 for use by the French air force.These C119s did the job until the French were defeated at Diem Ben Phu...

I was a flight mech on the 119 stationed at George AFB 1956 -59 had many great experanies on them.from lost engine on take off to a landing gear not locking down on landing approuch with one engine fannig with no power output an making two go arounds fefor iI could get the nose gear kicked into lockdown .If the chance to fly in one came by today iI would be at the front of theline .

Was a crew chief on C-119,53-855,at Stewart AFB. After working on C-123s & KC-97s at ShepardAFB,guessed that Fairchild corrected all their mistakes from the 119 with the 123. R-3350s were oil leakers, we always knew a 119 was by where it marked it's spot. My uncle flew on the A model for a short while during Korea. Prop feather button up on the overhead console, many went down by accident. Remember a Tech Order change moving the prop feather button. Ours were J models. As far as flying military transport, flew on C-130S & C-7S in Nam. Sure, noisy and shaky.So what! They were reliable. 119s were not able to fly on one engine,according to "the book". Well, seen many come back on one engine (yikes).
Many old timers claimed the 119 could sit on the ground and break. Mine was on the ground, except for aborted Check Flights, for over a month. Engine oil leaks. Engine shop loved my bird. Finally changed a 900hr+ engine & they flew the heck out of it. Yes, it was a dog but so were many of the old relics we were trying to keep flying in the sixties.
A bunch of us went to school in Ohio, "7" level. We could not figure out why but we were told about the "Shadow" program and it made sense.

I flew on the c-119c/f model. It was relief to fly in after 2 years in the c-82. I was assigned to 60th Troop Carrier, 11th Troop Carrier Squadron at Rhein Main AFB, Germany. 1950-1953

Flew it as a pilot 1949 to 1957 in the following models B,C, C?F F and G. It was great after the C-82. Liked the C/F best. Flew in the CG-15 behind it, too. Combat in Korea from Ashiya Japan Sep 50 to Feb 52. Dropped a weapons carrier and a 105 mm Howitzer at Munsan-Ni in Mar 51. Aircraft in front of me got shot down. Besides Ashiya, Sewart, Maini, Youngstown and Evreux AB France. About 2000 hours. Lost a lot of buddies in it, including my best man at my marriage. He was shot down by our own artillery just south of Sowan on an aireal resupply mission. Helped the Marines out of the Chosen Resevoir area in Dec 50. Dang heaters froze up - what a cold flight on one of the missions. Lots of prop blade severances cost a lot of lives in that era. It eventually became a reasonable aircraft especially after the reserves took it over and had continual maintenance from the ones who weren't always transferring after they learned the ins and outs of it. The vetrical and dorsel fins healped to keep aircraft ahead of the power courve on engine out flying.porbaly the most oimportant modification besides new prop.

I've been looking for comments about the "J" model;the one with the beaver tail. did medevac training for three years
in them and found them to bereliable,full of interesting experiences, and I definitely recall the rivets.

In 1955 I flew from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska to Sparrevohn AFS, Alaska as a passenger...never forget it....that bird rumbled and rattled...was glad to land on the uphill runway at Sparrevohn.

I flew as a radio operator in C-119Gs with the 12th Troop Carrier Sq., based at Dreux/Louviellers in France from '56 to '59. I would like to remind the detracting non-aircrew clowns below that the C-119 was a Combat Cargo aircraft, designed to move and drop troops and large heavy equipment in support of the Army. The C-82 and C-119 were the first aircraft designed to be airlifters, and were not converted airliner designs. It was a workhorse and never designed or intended to be user friendly for passengers. It did its job very well, and served this country and a ton of Third World countries in both military and civilian applications for nearly 50 years. There are three still flying--N15501, start of "Flight of the Phoenix" now at Buckeye, AZ, and two restricted at Palmer, Alaska. Unfortunately, none of the AC-119G or AC-119K gunships survived the war in SEA.

I flew the C-119 as a flight mechanic with the 60th TCW, Rhein Main and later at New Castle Airbase with the 512th TCW (R). I liked the old bird and saw lots of interesting places, and a lot of exits out the rear doors.

The USAF converted 52 C-119G models to (26) AC119G "Shadow" and (26) AC119K "Stinger" Gunships in 1968 for the Close Air Support mission in Vietnam to replace the AC47 Spooky Gunship. They were operational in the 14th Special Ops Wing (SOW) 17th SOS and 18th SOS from 1968 to 1973. Shadows were used for Close Air Support and Stingers primarily for Truck Killer Mission on Ho Chi Ming Trail. I flew the AC119G Shadow in '70-'71. All the Shadows were turned over to the Vietnamese Air Force in Sept. 71. The Stingers in 1972. Non survived the after the defeat of the South in 1975. It was a formidable gun platform. More Gunship History at: http://www.ac-119gunships.com/
The USAF mothballed the last Reserve and Air Nat. Guard C-119 transports in late 1974 to the boneyard in Tuscon, AZ. Some are still active fire-fighting aircraft in civilian life.

Canada operated the Boxcar. My brother-in-law wore a red hat and jumped out of several of them. I wasn't so lucky. The engines were located next to the fuselage side amplifiers and the interior smelled of stomach contents. I didn't add to it but I wanted to.