Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but it says aircraft. Along with getting things in order for my USS Puffer project, yesterday my Revell 1/144 scale Boeing 747-400 came in. After comparing the design of the kit with photos from my Squadron/Signal Publication walk around Space Shuttle, its a perfect match. I have a 1/144 scale Shuttle w/ tank and boosters that I'll use as my piggy back Shuttle on the 747. A few modifications, and get some custom decals printed for the 747 and I'll have another one of a kind kit.

Revell used to make an actual kit of the 747 with the shuttle on it, and all the necessary parts for the modification. I guess it's out of production. Maybe you could find it on evilbay and save yourself the trouble of modifying the kit?

Revell used to make an actual kit of the 747 with the shuttle on it, and all the necessary parts for the modification. I guess it's out of production. Maybe you could find it on evilbay and save yourself the trouble of modifying the kit?

That wasn't the newer 400, was it? I thought the Revell kit was of the original carrier (a converted American Airlines 747; maybe a 200 series?).

There is one by Academy:

http://www.greatmodels.com/~smartcart/cgi/display.cgi?item_num=ac1640

1/288th though.

Guess Who (James at Work) :)

Revell used to make an actual kit of the 747 with the shuttle on it, and all the necessary parts for the modification. I guess it's out of production. Maybe you could find it on evilbay and save yourself the trouble of modifying the kit?

I have looked several times for one, all I have seen are junk 1/288 scale kits, I got one and the shuttle is almost square when viewed from the nose looking to the rear.

There is one by Academy: 1/288th though.
Guess Who (James at Work) :)

Thats the kit I purchased its not very good so decided to build my own using 1/144 kits.

That wasn't the newer 400, was it? I thought the Revell kit was of the original carrier (a converted American Airlines 747; maybe a 200 series?).

I didn't know there was more than one!

I didn't know there was more than one!

The book does not say if it is a 200 or 400 but when I look at the lounge hump and wing flarings on the kit and look at the photos it matches up, with the exception of the angled wing tips, which will be an easy fix. There is likely some other differences I'm missing, but it looks good for my project.

I didn't know there was more than one!
2 & 300 series 747's are still in use today (referred to as "classics"). Major differences in modern 747's ( the "400") are winglets and a fuel tank in the tail. Classics are slowly being refitted with similar "updated" (as in 20 years ago) technology as current 400's. 747 "Advanced" will be the next, I think due as a cargo aircraft for Cargo Lux and All Nippon, in 2008?. The "advanced" will no doubt be just that and it will be interesting to see how it fairs against the Airbus A380. Just some useless info for ya!

I didn't know there was more than one!

As a matter of fact, the 747-400 carrier's first flight was taking Endeavour on its maiden flight from California to Florida, with a stopover in Houston. I met a lady who worked at Johnson Space Center and got to go out and see both of them on their maiden voyages; saw the pics she took.

Robert,
Here's some info on those two aircraft ...

Copied from the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Fact Sheet (http://trc.dfrc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/FactSheets/FS-013-DFRC.html) :

"NASA uses two modified Boeing 747 jetliners, originally manufactured for commercial use, as Space Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA). One is a 747-100 model, while the other is designated a 747-100SR (short range). The two aircraft are identical in appearance and in their performance as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.

The 747 series of aircraft are four-engine intercontinental-range, swept-wing "jumbo jets" that entered commercial service in 1969.

The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttle orbiters from landing sites back to the launch complex at the Kennedy Space Center and also to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transportation. The orbiters are placed atop the SCAs by Mate-Demate Devices, large gantry-like structures that hoist the orbiters off the ground for post-flight servicing and then mate them with the SCAs for ferry flights.

Features which distinguish the two SCAs from standard 747 jetliners are:

* Three struts with associated interior structural strengthening protrude from the top of the fuselage (two aft, one forward) on which the orbiter is attached.
* Two additional vertical stabilizers, one on each end of the standard horizontal stabilizer, to enhance directional stability.
* Removal of all interior furnishings and equipment aft of the forward No. 1 doors.
* Instrumentation used by SCA flight crews and engineers to monitor orbiter electrical loads during the ferry flights and also during pre- and post-ferry flight operations.

The two SCAs are under the operational control of NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.

NASA 905
NASA 905 was the first SCA. It was obtained from American Airlines in 1974. Shortly after acceptance by NASA, the SCA flew a series of wake vortex research flights at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., in a study to seek ways of reducing turbulence produced by large aircraft. Pilots flying as much as several miles behind large aircraft have encountered wake turbulence that has caused control problems. The NASA study helped the Federal Aviation Administration modify flight procedures for commercial aircraft during airport approaches and departures.

Following the wake vortex studies, NASA 905 was modified by Boeing to its present SCA configuration and the aircraft was returned to Dryden for its role in the 1977 Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT). This series of eight captive and five free flights with the orbiter prototype Enterprise, in addition to ground taxi tests, validated the aircraft's performance as an SCA, in addition to verifying the glide and landing characteristics of the orbiter configuration ? paving the way for orbital flights.

A flight crew escape system, consisting of an exit tunnel extending from the flight deck to a hatch in the bottom of the fuselage, was installed during the modifications. The system also included a pyrotechnic system to activate the hatch release and cabin window release mechanisms. The flight crew escape system was removed from the NASA 905 following the successful completion of the ALT program.

NASA 905 was the only SCA used by the space shuttle program until November 1990, when NASA 911 was delivered as an SCA. Along with ferrying Enterprise and the flight rated orbiters between the launch and landing sites and other locations, NASA 905 also ferried Enterprise to Europe for display in England and at the Paris Air Show.

NASA 911
The second SCA is designated NASA 911. It was obtained by NASA from Japan Airlines (JAL) in 1989. It was also modified by Boeing Corporation. It was delivered to NASA on Nov. 20, 1990."

Hope you find it usefull.

747-400's have a longer upper deck that would interfere with the shuttle's nose strut. 747-100 is the model to use.

Thanks for all the information, will help with the project.

I have an early model 1/72 scale 747 that I am converting to NASA 905 with the additional vertical stabs and piggyback ferrying mounts to go with a Revellogram shuttle orbiter in the same scale.

Your's will be a very impressive project when compleated, hope you'll post photos. I started a 1/72 shuttle for my grandson last Christmas, but it turned into a birthday present as I never finished it in time. Using the walk around space shuttle book as a guide I made my own control panel decals and they turned out very nice.

Want to do a neat 747-400 mod?....

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/787family/gallery/747in_flt.html

what a monster aircraft that will be.

There was a great article on modelling the 747/Orbiter combo in the Finescale Modeler book Famous Spaceships of Fact and Fiction. The builder used spare decals to create the American Airlines logo that can be seen faintly on the sides of the real aircraft....well worth seeking out if you can find a copy.

Hey,Trekace, where did you get a 1/72 747? I looked around for one back in the late 70s-early80s but had no luck. I was wanting to do what you are doing.

I purchased it from heavykits.com. I don't know if they exist anymore, as this was a few years ago. They produced large-scale aircraft kits and also imported ones in from the UK. I purchased a conversion kit from a UK company which includes the necessary 1/72 scale mounts and additional stabilizers to reproduce NASA 905.

I have a 1:144 747 Nasa started. Other projects have, unfortunately, pushed this one to the "reserve" pile of models. I'll get back to it eventually. It will be part of the "ships called Enterprise" collection.

NASA repainted the 747 transports later in the shuttle program. Only the early test flights still had the old American Airlines livery and buffed-out logos.

Mine will be the AA version. Never really cared for the later repaint.