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Many thanks to Paul Stahl Jr, for sending us this modification manual for the C-109 fuel transport, an modified verison of the B-24 bomber. His father, Paul Stahl Sr, was the project engineer for the C-109.
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Page 4 - Section 1 - Introduction to C-109 Airplanes
The hole in the plexiglass waist windows due to the removal of the waist guns is left open for ventilation purpose. However, a fabricated plexiglass patch to fit this opening is stowed in a canvas bag.
TAIL SECTION
The tail section is stripped of all armament and provisions for same including the tail turret, ammunition tracks and boxes, and also the corrugated flooring. All electricl harnesses and applications, brackets, etc., not affecting the operation of the airplane are also removed.
The space left due to the removal of the tail turret is capped with a reinforced fairing of similar size and shape to the turret removed. This fairing is riveted in place. Immediately beneath the tail fairing the housing for the bombing formation lights is removed and the hole resulting is patched with an aluminum alloy plate riveted in place.
GENERAL FLIGHT CHARACTERISTICS OF AIRPLANE
Since the only factual data available at this writing on the C-109 Airplane, regarding flight characteristics, are the tests made at Wright Field on the original XC-109, the following is quoted in part from Appendix 2 of the Army Air Forces Material Command Engineering Division report Service No. ENG-51-524-2-2, dated 28 October, 1943.
"The airplane was weighted at Wright Field at the different weights, namely, 47,505 pounds, 53,340 pounds, and 63,220 pounds. These are actual weights without crew. Balances for these and intermediate gross weights were calculated from the above actual weights".
"The first test flight at Wright Field was made at 54,000 pounds gross weight. The gasoline was carried as follows: 2,360 gallons in main wing tanks, 471 gallons in deck tanks, 320 gallons in one rear bomb bay tank. The balance, with the crew, at this weight was 30.5% M.A.C. The crew reported that the airplane handled satisfactorily with no unfavorable flying characteristics. A crew of two was carried.
"The second test flight was made at 58,000 pounds gross weight. The gasoline was carried as followed: 2,360 gallons in main wing tanks, 471 gallons in deck tanks, 320 gallons in rear bomb bay. The balance with the crew was 28.7% M.A.C. The report of the crew was the same as that of the 54,000 pound text. A crew of two was carried.
"The third test flight was made at 64,500 pounds gross weight. The airplane took off and remained in the air until 900 gallons of gasoline had been consumed. It then landed at approximately 59,000 pound gross weight. The gasoline was carried as follows: full main wing tanks (2,360 gallons), full auxiliary wing tanks (465 gallons), full deck tanks (472 gallons), full front bomb bay tanks (800 gallons), full nose tanks (103 gallons), and 670 gallons in rear bomb bay. (Due to inaccuracies of the gauges on the
