{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.c-9","code":"thing-q3686766","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q3686766/","name":"C-9","alternateNames":["McDonnell Douglas C-9B Skytrain II","C-9K","VC-9C","C-9A Nightingale"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"C-9 is a United States military aircraft designation for adaptations of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 twin-engine jet airliner used for aeromedical evacuation and transport.","purpose":"Enable an agent to recognise a C-9 aircraft, distinguish its variant and configuration, assess its recorded condition, and identify the evidence needed for an intended transport role.","scope":{"in":["C-9 designation evidence, manufacturer lineage and variant identification","Variant-specific passenger, cargo, aeromedical and special-mission configurations","Installed propulsion, cabin systems and loading interfaces","Configuration-dependent payload, balance and operating limitations","Aircraft condition, maintenance evidence and authorized uses"],"out":["Other objects or aircraft assigned the designation C-9 under different naming systems","The complete civil DC-9 family and its airline operations","Individual aircraft identity, ownership and maintenance logs as independently maintained records","Patient diagnosis, treatment and clinical transport decisions","Airport infrastructure, air traffic control and flight-crew qualification models"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Require designation or manufacturer records establishing the military C-9 relationship to the DC-9; a similar appearance or a name containing '9' is insufficient. [NASA C-9B](https://espo.nasa.gov/aircraft/C-9B)","Use twin jet engines, swept wings and a T-tail as supporting recognition features, then require documentary identification because the civil DC-9 shares the family appearance. [US Air Force C-9 description](https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/133275/historic-c-9-heads-to-andrews-for-retirement/)","Distinguish the C-9A aeromedical role from other C-9 configurations using the variant designation and installed patient-handling equipment. [Air Force Medical Service C-9A history](https://www.airforcemedicine.af.mil/News/Display/Article/1459865/the-cadillac-of-medevac-the-c9as-lasting-mark-on-the-aeromedical-evacuation-sys/)","Recognise Skytrain II as the Navy's C-9B variant name; do not use that name as proof that every C-9 has the same cabin equipment or mission. [NAVAIR C-9 history](https://www.navair.navy.mil/node/21446)"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"designation-and-lineage","name":"Designation and lineage","description":"Resolve what C-9 means and identify the applicable aircraft variant.","layers":[{"id":"registry-referent","name":"Registry referent","description":"Connect the registry label to a documented aircraft concept.","findings":[{"id":"designation-resolution","name":"Designation resolution","description":"Treat the McDonnell Douglas interpretation as provisional until the registry source confirms it.","questions":[{"text":"Which source identifier and designation authority establish what vr.tr.c-9 denotes?","id":"designation-resolution-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does this entry denote the C-9 family, a particular variant, or a different use of C-9?","id":"designation-resolution-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"variant-applicability","name":"Variant applicability","description":"Associate a recognized C-9 variant with its design baseline and technical evidence.","findings":[{"id":"variant-evidence","name":"Variant evidence","description":"Keep variant designation, popular name and installed modifications separately identifiable.","questions":[{"text":"Which records establish the variant and its relationship to the underlying DC-9 design?","id":"variant-evidence-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which capabilities belong to that variant, and which require an additional documented modification?","id":"variant-evidence-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"transport-cabin-and-loading","name":"Transport cabin and loading","description":"Describe the approved carrying arrangement and the physical path for loading it.","layers":[{"id":"occupant-and-patient-layout","name":"Occupant and patient layout","description":"Identify seating, patient positions and mission-equipment dependencies.","findings":[{"id":"approved-cabin-arrangement","name":"Approved cabin arrangement","description":"Record each approved layout without merging passenger and patient maxima.","questions":[{"text":"How many seats, litter positions and attendant positions are approved in the installed arrangement?","id":"approved-cabin-arrangement-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which oxygen, electrical, access and restraint provisions must be verified before accepting a proposed aeromedical fit?","id":"approved-cabin-arrangement-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"cargo-access-and-restraint","name":"Cargo access and restraint","description":"Relate payload dimensions and mass to actual door, floor and attachment provisions.","findings":[{"id":"load-path-compatibility","name":"Load-path compatibility","description":"Require configuration-specific evidence for loading and securing cargo or mission equipment.","questions":[{"text":"What door openings, loading heights and interior clearances constrain the proposed load?","id":"load-path-compatibility-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which approved floor limits and restraint arrangements apply to its mass and position?","id":"load-path-compatibility-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"flight-envelope-and-systems","name":"Flight envelope and systems","description":"Connect installed aircraft systems with the limits governing a proposed transport mission.","layers":[{"id":"propulsion-and-cabin-services","name":"Propulsion and cabin services","description":"Identify installed engines and the systems supporting flight and cabin use.","findings":[{"id":"installed-system-baseline","name":"Installed system baseline","description":"Tie propulsion, pressurization and cabin-service capability to applicable configuration documents.","questions":[{"text":"Which engine models and approved modifications define the aircraft's performance baseline?","id":"installed-system-baseline-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which cabin-pressure, electrical or environmental limitations constrain the intended passenger or patient mission?","id":"installed-system-baseline-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"payload-fuel-and-runway","name":"Payload, fuel and runway","description":"Record the coupled constraints on load, fuel and airfield suitability.","findings":[{"id":"mission-envelope-evidence","name":"Mission envelope evidence","description":"Keep performance values attached to their flight-manual assumptions and revision.","questions":[{"text":"What mass, balance and fuel limits apply to the proposed cabin layout and load?","id":"mission-envelope-evidence-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which approved performance data support the required route and runway under the stated conditions?","id":"mission-envelope-evidence-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"continued-use-and-disposition","name":"Continued use and disposition","description":"Assess whether a particular C-9 can support the intended activity using dated technical and authority records.","layers":[{"id":"airframe-and-equipment-condition","name":"Airframe and equipment condition","description":"Connect accumulated usage and recorded defects to applicable inspection and maintenance requirements.","findings":[{"id":"maintenance-applicability","name":"Maintenance applicability","description":"Identify relevant structural, engine and mission-equipment obligations without asserting undocumented defects.","questions":[{"text":"What recorded flight hours, cycles, storage history and inspection results determine the applicable C-9 maintenance tasks?","id":"maintenance-applicability-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which unresolved defects, life limits or mandatory instructions restrict the intended use?","id":"maintenance-applicability-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"authority-and-lifecycle-state","name":"Authority and lifecycle state","description":"Distinguish flight authorization from storage, preservation and display status.","findings":[{"id":"permitted-use-evidence","name":"Permitted-use evidence","description":"Require current, operator-specific evidence before recommending an operational action.","questions":[{"text":"Which military or civil authority, governing documents and release records apply to this aircraft's present operation?","id":"permitted-use-evidence-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does its documented disposition permit flight, ground operation, towing, cabin access or static display only?","id":"permitted-use-evidence-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of C-9 this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of C-9 this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of C-9 this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of C-9 this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of C-9 this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of C-9 this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Identify a C-9 aircraft and its variant from serial number and documentation.","Report its configuration and status from official records."],"mustNot":["Recommend flight, loading or patient transport without current airworthiness and configuration records.","Make clinical decisions about patients transported on board.","Confuse the C-9 designation with unrelated uses of the same code.","Share operational details of military flights beyond public records."],"requiresHuman":["Approving the aircraft for an aeromedical mission or a conversion.","Any decision about moving a patient by air."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Aeromedical evacuation carries sick and wounded people whose lives depend on safe operation.","Military flight details can put crews and passengers at risk if disclosed."],"affectedParties":["Patients and medical crews","Aircrew","Service members"]},"owners":{"steward":"The military operator; the national military aircraft register holds its record.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Military aircraft serial registers"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q15628497","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q75135839","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.c-9","Wikidata: Q3686766 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3686766)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Designation and identification confidence: Recorded designation, naming authority and era; confirmed, provisional or conflicting","Variant and parent design: Documented C-9 variant linked to its applicable DC-9 design baseline","Installed cabin configuration: Passenger, cargo, aeromedical, mixed or documented special configuration","Approved occupant and patient capacity: Number of crew positions, passenger seats, litter positions and ambulatory-patient positions, per approved layout","Mass and centre-of-gravity limits: kg or lb; centre of gravity in percent mean aerodynamic chord or the manual's specified datum","Loading geometry and restraint limits: Door clearances in mm or in; floor loading in kPa or lb/ft²; restraint ratings in the approved document's units","Installed engine configuration: Engine model, installation approval and applicable operating-limit document","Mission performance basis: Range in nmi or km; runway requirement in m or ft, with payload, fuel, weather and runway assumptions","Technical and operational disposition: Unknown, serviceable, restricted, maintenance, stored, retired or static display; dated authority evidence recorded separately"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A twin-jet airliner shape with engines mounted on the rear fuselage and a T-tail.","Military markings and serial numbers, and on aeromedical versions red cross markings.","A large forward cargo door on some variants."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Classify a candidate aircraft against documented C-9 identity and variant evidence.","Compare an installed cabin layout with a proposed passenger, cargo or aeromedical requirement.","Screen proposed loads against documented access, restraint, weight and balance constraints.","Identify configuration-specific technical manuals and unresolved maintenance dependencies.","Flag missing evidence that prevents recommending flight, loading, conversion or ground handling.","Separate historical mission capability from the aircraft's currently documented permitted uses."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Ageing airframes need strict maintenance to stay airworthy.","Improperly secured medical equipment or litters can endanger patients."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["The United States Department of Defense Mission Design Series designation system classifies C-9 aircraft within the cargo and transport mission category."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["The C-9 family served military aeromedical evacuation and passenger or logistical transport roles.","Historical records, preserved aircraft and maintenance documentation distinguish medical evacuation configurations from other transport variants."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q3686766: C-9","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3686766","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: McDonnell Douglas C-9","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_C-9","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry's original source identify the McDonnell Douglas C-9, and what is that source's persistent identifier?","Does an existing Vercy world model already own this aircraft concept, requiring a link instead of a second model?","Which variants, including any VC-prefixed derivatives, belong within this registry entry's authoritative boundary?","Which authoritative manuals establish variant-specific dimensions, capacities, engine installations, performance limits and approved cabin arrangements?","Which operator-specific maintenance programs, mandatory instructions and operating authorities govern any individual aircraft being assessed?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q3686766/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q3686766/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T08:18:55Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:30+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}