Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy

Aero Spacelines · United States · first flew 1967 · transport aircraft

The Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy was a turboprop-powered outsized cargo transport derived from a Boeing 377 fuselage with an enlarged upper section, smaller than the later Super Guppy but featuring turboprop engines.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, swept
E — Engines	4 × turboprop, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	Bulbous upper fuselage lobe for outsized cargo on turboprop-powered airliner base
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Bulbous upper fuselage lobe for outsized cargo on turboprop-powered airliner base
Smaller bulge than the Super Guppy but same family silhouette
Four Allison turboprops on swept low wings

Similar silhouette to other Guppy variants — enlarged upper fuselage lobe above a conventional lower structure — but powered by four turboprops rather than the original radial piston engines of the Pregnant Guppy.

Specifications

The Aero Spacelines Mini Guppy has a length of 40.4876 m (133 ft).
It has a wingspan of 47.625 m (156 ft).
Its maximum speed is 407 km/h (253 mph).
Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Converted from a Boeing 377 and first flown in 1967, the Mini Guppy was upgraded with turboprop engines to improve performance over the piston-powered Pregnant Guppy. It was used for NASA space programme logistics and subsequently by commercial outsized freight operators.

Variants

The Guppy family includes the Pregnant Guppy, Mini Guppy, Super Guppy Turbine, and later Airbus Beluga derivatives; the Mini was a middle variant.

Where you'll see it

Used for NASA Apollo programme logistics and later by commercial cargo operators; the Super Guppy Turbine eventually superseded it.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.