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| OAFSFOTO |
Why yes, Udvar-Hazy has
one and she dwarfs all the wee flying machines in her vicinity. I took a few pictures of her on both of my trips to that wonderful place. (In the photo above that's son-in-law
Tuttle, no doubt reliving his days as a Naval Aviator as he casts his eyes on the beauty which is the Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049F.)
Anyhoo, someone mentioned the aerial version of the Constellation (as opposed to the nautical variety so ably covered by our own John Blackshoe over the past cuppla days) and I recalled doing a post on that venerable flying machine once upon a time. So I went looking ...
Sure enough, 'tis a rerun, but hey it is a beautiful machine, so she's worth the rerun. Here ya go, from April 2016 ...
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| Lockheed Constellation - C-69 (military version) prototype, 1943 (Source) |
Tuna's post on Thursday was interesting in many respects. I like lakes and I like boats but what really piqued my interest were those Connies of Lake Havasu Airpark.
The Lockheed Constellation was one of the prettiest aircraft to ever fly. The graceful curve of the fuselage, that triple tail, and those four powerful Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone engines make quite a combination. I have photos of the Connie they have in the museum at Udvar-Hazy out at Dulles but they're on the old computer. The computer that I haven't pulled stuff off of yet. We'll get there, but for now, here's Connie. |
| The Air Force used them - College Eye EC-121D (AF Serial No. 53-0555) at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (Source) |
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| As did the Navy - An Atlantic barrier WV-2 of VW-15 overflies USS Sellstrom off Newfoundland in 1957. (Source) |
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| The view from the flight deck. (Source) |
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| Last "Connie" to serve the Navy, on its last flight to Davis-Monthan AFB for retirement in April 1982. VAQ-33 (GD 12) NC-121K (BuNo 141292). (Source) |
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| They served in Southeast Asia - A "College Eye" EC-121D takes off from Korat RTAFB. (Source) |
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Old school - Radar operators in an USAF EC-121D/H/T. (Source)
Hey, is that Old NFO back there? |
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| Check out those gauges! - Flight engineer station on board Lockheed Constellation N749NL. (Source) |
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| Trans Canada Air Lockheed Constellation, tail number CF-TGE, sitting on the ramp in Rome, NY (KRME). (Source) |
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| VAQ-33 NC-121K in 1973, flanked by an F-4B Phantom and an EA-4F Skyhawk. (Source) |
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| The USAF RC-121D 53-0128 with two F-104 Starfighters. (Source) |
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| The Breitling Super Constellation from the Swiss Super Constellation Flyers Association: It is the last Super Constellation in flying condition in Europe. (Source) |
Isn't she a beauty?
I think so.
Now that wasn't so painful was it? Ya know, for being a rerun and all. Back with all new original material (probably) on Tuesday, after your weekly juvat, of course.
Badgers love Connies!
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't love Connies?
DeleteOnly commies.
DeleteBG
Heh.
DeleteA beautiful airplane and if I remember correctly what my father told me, I was a passenger on one of them in the early fifties.
ReplyDeleteThe sounds of four 3350s winding up is like nothing in the modern world and causes a tingle of happiness!
A super constellation used to sit atop a restaurant near us, and it was used as a bar. It vanished in the late 60s and I just looked up its fate.
The aircraft was donated to the Air Force, and then restored at the Air Mobility Command Museum in Dover Delaware.
https://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/c-121c-constellation/
You got to fly on one? Awesome! (I'm sure you were far too young to remember the experience, but still ...)
DeleteDidn't know that last bit, nice link.
Way too young. My sister was not yet in the family and she is about three years younger than I am.
DeleteWell, at least you can say you flew on one.
DeleteI flew on one as a 10 year old from San Diego to New Mexico in 1961. It was beyond awesome. I had already been up in a small Cessna, but wow, at altitude in the Connie, yea, obviously I'm still not over it.
DeleteThere were still EC Connies in Iceland when I there in 72'-73, with the last active duty Delta Darts. We intercepted Russian Bears on their cigar runs to Cuba.
Tree Mike
"Cigar runs to Cuba ..."
DeleteAh yes, the bad old days.
What was that song title now........."She's A Beauty"........says it all. Nice choice Sarge, vid is interesting, off to surf the InterNets for that Swiss group.
ReplyDeleteShe certainly is!
DeleteI am not much on the aesthetics of planes, but that is a beautiful one.
ReplyDeleteIf it looks good, it probably is. She's a beauty.
DeleteI still like that unique sound of the big radial engines...
ReplyDeleteNothing like the sound of a big radial engine, then put four of 'em together!
DeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. Now THAT is a proper cockpit, complete with a PROPER Flight Engineer's station. 4 R-3350's with Parts Recovery Turbines to oversee, doncha know! That lovely dolphin-curved fuselage, the graceful P-38-derived wings, that classic triple tail...piston aircraft nirvana. Back when Lockheed made beauties, starting with the Vega. And, one could argue the L-1011 was the last of that line, it certainly was a better machine to ride in than the B-747, IMHO.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarge, this sure scratches the Connie itch.
"Piston aircraft nirvana ..." and that says it all.
DeleteWorked at LockMart Aero for 15 years. I talked to a person that had been there when they were producing the L-1011. His evaluation of the issue was that Lockheed had lost sight of how to market in the civilian market and that was what caused the L-1011 to get canceled. It may have had some other issues but overall was a good aircraft.
DeleteBill, I've ridden on both the L1011 and DC-10. While both looked decidedly similar, I always thought the DC-10 was more spacious inside. And, on an airliner, spacious is a precious commodity. That may have been a factor. Don't know if there were other significant differences in specs, just the feel of it. Oh Well.
DeleteBillB - Probably more money in ripping off the government, not that I would know anything about that. 🙄
DeleteAny Mouse - The DC-10 was a bit larger than the L-1011, so yes, more spacious.
DeleteBeautiful aircraft. There's an EC-121 at Peterson AFB in Colorado.
ReplyDeleteBG
According to Wikipedia, that would be AF Ser. No. 52-3425.
DeleteSo it just turned 70!
Delete👍
DeleteI have know some Connie pilots in my lifetime. They loved the plane. One told me about a checkride he took on a mission to Bermuda. There were some issues with the weather at Bermuda. On rollout after landing, he applied the brakes just a bit too hard for the check pilot's liking and was busted. He was told that the passengers should never know that brakes are being applied.
ReplyDeletePassengers get skittish, I've seen it many times.
DeletePassengers are even more skittish when brakes do not apply. One (jet) flight into Grand Forks "International" (with some colleagues from work aboard) met a glare ice runway. Even with reverse thrust, they had barely started to slow down when they passed the terminal at the halfway mark. Ended up in the snowdrifts off the end of the runway. I did admire their account of the flight attendant (clinging to an overhead strap and seat back until the bouncing and shaking stopped) calmly announcing "Welcome to Grand Forks"...
DeleteOf course she did. 😁
DeleteWright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone Early years a maintenance "hog". Wasn't the term, "three turning and one burning" originated with the B-29? Still, might be the apex of piston engine development.
ReplyDeleteThat did originate with the B-29.
DeleteBrought back a memory of a long-forgotten conference (Living in ND and working at the Univ of ND brings a certain notoriety). An older engineer that graduated there sought me out in the bar because I was from UND. Turned out he had been part of the team that designed the B29. I asked (having read a (now forgotten) book about the B29) about the engine problems (aka fires). I spent the next couple hours listening enthralled.
DeleteAwesome. You've met some interesting people in your journey.
DeleteWe had a Connie as a bar in a town down the road from where I grew up. http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-penndel_super_connie.htm
ReplyDeleteI do believe she was restored and is at the AF Museum at Wright-Pat these days.
DeleteHad one flight in one from Moline IL to Chicago in the middle '60s. Horrible weather (Christmas), packed, people complained about the engine noise -- wanting the whine of jets -- music in my ears. Mom wanted to come with me when she saw it was to be a "Dear Connie". Great flight.
ReplyDeleteYou can kinda see how a prop aircraft works, jet engines seem more like witchcraft!
DeleteTrans World Airlines began as Transcontinental Air Transport and Western Airlines...........TAT operated Fokker Trimotors before transitioning into Fords, the original 049 Connie had triple tails to fit into the TAT Fokker hangars at KMKC that are now Signature Flight Support.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcontinental_Air_Transport
Interesting!
DeleteI can remember flying TWA Connies from SFO to STL in the mid fifties when I was in school in St Louis at Wash U. I think PNA brought a few of them along when it merged with Western (the ONLY way to fly!) in the sixties. Beautiful airplane, ranks right up there with the Deuce (of a different kind).
ReplyDeleteShe's an elegant bird, that's for sure.
DeleteIn 1974 I went through tech school on T-28's and T-29's. Then to Edwards AFB on the C-118 and C-131. Yeah, I like the whine and cough of a radial starting up.
ReplyDeleteSweet sounds.
DeleteBeautiful old propliners ! There was also a final variation on Super Connies called the L-1649 "Starliner", hich had a wingspan about 20 or so feet more than an L-1049, squared wingtips rather than the rounded ones common to other Connies, and the engines situated about 10 feet farther away from the fuselage.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a 12-year-old kid, my parents and I flew from Rhein Main AFB in Frankfurt, Germany in an L-1649 to Athens, Greece, and it was an extremely luxurious trip, including a meal that included caviar.
Seems to me that only about 44 Starliners were produced, and were the end-of-the-line for Connies.
Nice!
DeleteWe can definitely make some great looking airplanes. The Brits and the Russkies? Not so much, although they have their moments.
ReplyDeleteSome of those are really painful to look at.
DeleteWe do make the best looking commercial aircraft. No Doubt about that!
ReplyDelete👍
DeleteMy first Navy squadron was VR-7 Det A in Tachikawa. We flew the last four C-121C's in the Air Force inventory as part of MAC. I qualified as Loadmaster in '65 and flew MedEvac missions out of Clark AFB in the PI, visiting Saigon and Bangkok on a regular basis. We decommissioned the squadron in 1966 and flew the aircraft to the boneyard. The Connie will always be my "First Love".
ReplyDeleteYou never forget your first ...
DeleteSigh... I know I'm old when I see 141292 going to the boneyard. I have a couple of hundred hours on her and 501 when we had them at NAS Glynco. 501 is in the Navy museum in Pensacola.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel.
DeleteHey Old AFSarge;
ReplyDeleteLove the Connie,beauty like no other. I am planning a trim to Udvar-Hazy in the Spring, I went out there about 10 years ago with my son, and it was one of the best day trips we did. I wanted to do another one this year but the load factors into Dulles made that problematic since I fly for free, but it is standby and paying passengers get on first and camping overnight at Dulles has no appeal, LOL
Camping at Dulles? Uh yeah, no thanks! (But if I could sleep in the museum ...)
DeleteRealizing that I'm going against the flow. IMHO, the Constellation is the sixth prettiest airplane ever. In order from #1 to #6, the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 Phantom, the T-38, the T-37, the Cessna 150 and then the Connie.
ReplyDeleteI may be a tad biased in that opinion for some reason or another, however.
I'm guessing that if you had flown the Connie, she might be higher on your list?
DeleteJuvat, it take a helluva pilot to handle three pieces of tail!
Deletetomoldguy
Heh.
Delete