07/31/2009. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The 377SGT Guppy-201 (SGT stood for Super Guppy Turbine), commonly named Super Guppy, was based on the Boeing 377/C-97 airframe. Aero Spacelines Inc. of Santa Barbara, California, started design in January 1968 and conversion/construction of the first aircraft was started in September 1969.

Of the original aircraft only the nose section with pressurized cockpit, wings with the lower section of nacelles, tail surfaces and main landing gear were used. An entire lengthened fuselage of increased diameter and a new wing center section were constructed, while the tail surface were enlarged. The nose landing gear was taken from a Boeing 707 and mounted backwards. It was fitted with four 4,912 eshp Allison 501-D22C turboprop engines.

The first 377SGT, N211AS c/n 001, was flown on August 24, 1970, receiving its Type Certificate on August 26, 1971, it was subsequently delivered to Airbus Industrie, registered as F-BTGV. The second pictured aircraft flew on August 24, 1972, and was delivered to Airbus Industrie as F-BPPA in 1973. Designated 377SGT-F, another two aircraft, F-GDSG c/n 003 and F-GEAI, were constructed in France in 1979 and 1980, using components prepared in the USA, and parts newly-built in France.

By December 1997 all four aircraft had been withdrawn from service with Airbus Industrie, three were put on display: 001 at the British Aviation Heritage, Bruntingthorpe, UK, 002 at Toulouse, France, and 003 at Finkenwerder, Germany. The fourth aircraft was flown to the USA where it was registered N941NA to NASA on October 17, 1997."