Northrop YC-125A Raider

The Northrop YC-125A was developed in 1948 and intended for use as a tactical transport for rough, short fields.  It is the last tri-motor propeller driven aircraft to see service in the U.S. military.  By the time the C-125 was ready for production the jobs it had been intended to do were being done by helicopters and the C-123.  The Air Force decided that it had no flying job for the few C-125s that were built.  Most, like this one, went directly from the factory to technical schools for use as non-flying ground trainers.  After brief military careers most of the 23 C-125s built were sold to a Florida company which then resold them to airlines in Latin America.  Most were out of service by the mid-1960s.  Only two Raiders are known to exist, both in museums in the United States.

Service History:

Built by Northrop Aircraft, Hawthorne, California and delivered to the U.S. Air Force on April 11, 1951.

May 1951        3750^th Technical Training Wing, Sheppard AFB, Texas.  Used as a ground instructional airframe.

1955                Sold to Frank Ambrose Aviation, Miami, Florida and registered as N2573B.

1956                Sold to Triplay y Maderas de Durango S.A., Durango, Mexico and registered as XB-GEY.

1960                Aircraft grounded due to lack of spare parts.

Mar 1965        Sold to Arizona Airmotive Corp., Tucson, Arizona and registered as N2573B.

Dec 1970         Registration canceled.

Sep 1986         Donated to Pima Air & Space Museum by Robert A. Gallaher.

Manufacturer
Northrop

Markings
Triplay y Maderas de Durango, S.A., Durango, Mexico, 1960

Designation
YC-125A

Registration
N2573B, XB-GEY

Serial Number
48-636