Lockheed Constellation
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Image:049-connie-gov.jpg Image:Columbine III aircraft.png
The Lockheed Constellation, affectionately known as the “Connie”, was a four-engine propeller-driven airliner built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in four models, all distinguished by a distinctive triple-tail design and graceful, dolphin-shaped fuselage. It was used as both a civilian airliner and U.S. military air transport plane, seeing service in the Berlin Airlift and as the presidential aircraft for President Eisenhower.
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Background
Since 1937, Lockheed had been working on the L-044 Excalibur, a four-engine pressurized airliner. In 1939, Trans World Airlines, at the encouragement of major stockholder Howard Hughes, requested a 40-passenger short- and medium-range airliner, beyond the capabilities of the limited Excalibur design. This request led to the L-049 Constellation, designed by such Lockheed engineers as Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and Hall Hibbard.<ref name=yenne>Yenne, Bill, Lockheed. Bison Books, Greenwich, CT, 1987, p. 44-46.</ref> Willis Hawkins, another Lockheed engineer, maintains that the Excalibur program was purely a cover for the Constellation.<ref name=boyne>Boyne, Walter J., Beyond the Horizons: The Lockheed Story. St. Martin's Press: New York, 1998, p. 135-137.</ref>
The Constellation's wing was effectively the same as that of the P-38 Lightning, differing only in scale.<ref name=johnson>Johnson, Clarence L. "Kelly" (1985), Kelly: More Than My Share of it All. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 0874744911.</ref> The distinctive triple tail kept the aircraft's overall height low enough so that it could fit in hangars already in existence.<ref name=boyne/>
Image:C-69.jpg The first prototype (civil registration NX25600) flew on January 9, 1943. The flight was a simple ferry hop from Burbank to Muroc Field for testing. Eddie Allen, on loan from Boeing, flew left seat, with Lockheed's own Milo Burcham as copilot. Rudy Thoren and Kelly Johnson were also on board.
Due to World War II, all production was diverted to C-69 military transport versions with an initial USAAF contract for 202 aircraft. With only 22 C-69s delivered before the end of hostilities, the military cancelled the remainder of the order. Aircraft already in production were thus finished as civilian airliners with deliveries beginning in November 1945.
Rumors persist that Hughes himself was influential in the design of the Constellation, but these are untrue. His only input was suggestions on the required performance and cockpit layout. He left the rest of the design work to Lockheed.<ref name=boyne/>
Operational history
Image:Tran14G3.jpg Trans World Airlines opened post-war commercial intercontinental air service on 6 February, 1946, with a New York - Paris flight in a Constellation. On 17 June, 1947, Pan American World Airways opened the first ever regularly-scheduled around-the-world service with their L-749 Clipper America.
As the first pressurized airliner in widespread use, the Constellation helped to usher in affordable and comfortable air travel for the masses. Some of the more famous operators of Constellations were TWA, Pan American World Airways, KLM, and Lufthansa.
Initial difficulties
The Constellation suffered two accidents in 1946 which jeapordized its career as a passenger airliner. On June 18, the engine of a Pan American aircraft caught fire and fell off of the wing. The flight crew was able to make an emergency landing with no loss of life. However, on July 11, a TWA aircraft fell victim to inflight fire, taking the lives of five of the six people on board. The accidents prompted the suspension of the Constellation's airworthiness certificate until Lockheed could retrofit the design to avoid repeats of the problems.
The Constellation, like the other piston-powered airliners of the day, proved prone to engine failures, earning it the nickname of "the world's finest three-engine airliner" in some circles.Template:Citation needed
Records
Sleek and powerful, Constellations set a number of records. On April 19, 1944, the second production L-049, piloted by Howard Hughes and TWA president Jack Frye flew from Burbank, California to Washington D.C. in 6 hours and 57 minutes. On the return trip, the airplane stopped at Wright Field to give Orville Wright his last airplane flight, more than forty years after his historic first flight. He commented that the wingspan on the Constellation was longer than the distance of his first flight.<ref name=yenne/>
On September 29, 1957, an L-1649A Starliner flew from Los Angeles to London in 18 hours and 32 minutes. The L-1649A still holds the record for the longest-duration non-stop passenger flight — during TWA's inaugural London to San Francisco flight on 1-2 October, 1957, the aircraft stayed aloft for 23 hours and 19 minutes!
Obsolescence
The advent of jet airliners, with the de Havilland Comet, Boeing 707, and Convair 880, rendered the piston-engined Constellation obsolete. The first routes lost to jets were the long overseas routes, but Constellations continued to fly domestic routes. The last scheduled passenger flight of a piston-engined airliner in the United States was made by a TWA L-749 on May 11, 1967.<ref name=germain>Germain, Scott E., Lockheed Constellation & Super Constellation. Specialty Press, North Branch, MN, 1998. p. 89.</ref> Many Constellations continued to serve as fast freighters for years to come.
Several Constellations have been restored in recent years, many to flying condition.
Timeline
- June 1939 - Initial design started
- May 1943 - Construction begins on model L-049
- January 9, 1943 - First flight
- October 19, 1946 - First flight of model L-649
- April 18, 1947 - First production model L-749
- October 13, 1950 - First flight of model L-1049, the "Super Constellation"
- October 11, 1956 - First flight of model L-1649, the "Starliner"
Variants
The Constellation was produced in both civil and military versions. The initial military versions carried the Lockheed designation of L-049; as World War II came to a close, some were completed as civil L-049 Constellations. The first purpose-built passenger Constellation was the more powerful L-649, followed by the L-1049 Super Constellation and L-1649 Starliner. Military versions included the C-69 and C-121 for the Army Air Force/Air Force and the R7O and R7V for the Navy.
Operators
Constellations were used by dozens of airlines and militaries around the world. In military service, the Navy/Air Force EC-121 Warning Star variant remained operational until 1978, nearly 40 years after work on the L-049 began.
Image:Eastern Air Lines airplane in flight Constellation.jpg
Commercial
Civilian airlines operating the Constellation included:
- Air France
- Avianca
- Aer Lingus
- American Airlines
- BOAC
- Chicago and Southern Air Lines
- Delta Air Lines
- Eastern Airlines
- El Al
- KLM
- Lufthansa
- Northwest Orient Airlines
- Pan American World Airways
- Qantas
- South Pacific Airlines
- Trans Canada Airlines
- Trans World Airlines
- Western Airlines
- Air India
Military
The Constellation was used by the following militaries:
- Indian Navy
- Indonesian Air Force
- United States Air Force and Navy
On screen
The story of Hughes' collaboration with Lockheed for the production of the Constellation is told, in part, in the 2004 film The Aviator.
Specifications (L-1049G)
Image:L-1049G 3-view.png {{airtemp
|ref=Great Aircraft of the World<ref name=greatac>Template:Cite book</ref>
|jet or prop?=prop
|plane or copter?=plane |crew=5 flight crew, varying cabin crew |capacity=typically 62-95 passengers, up to 109 could be seated |length main=116 ft 2 in |length alt=35.42 m |span main=126 ft 2 in |span alt=38.47 m |height main=24 ft 9 in |height alt=7.54 m |area main=1,654 ft² |area alt=153.7 m² |empty weight main=79,700 lb |empty weight alt=36,150 kg |loaded weight main= |loaded weight alt= |useful load main=65,300 lb |useful load alt=29,620 kg |max takeoff weight main=145,000 lb |max takeoff weight alt=65,770 kg
|engine (prop)=Wright R-3350-DA3 Turbo Compound |type of prop=18-cylinder turbosupercharged radial engines |number of props=4 |power main=3,400 hp |power alt=2,500 kW
|max speed main=380 mph |max speed alt=330 kt, 610 km/h |cruise speed main=354 mph |cruise speed alt=310 kt, 570 km/h |cruise speed more=at 22,600 ft (6,890 m) |range main=5,400 mi |range alt=4,700 kt, 8,700 km |ceiling main=25,000 ft |ceiling alt=7,620 m |climb rate main= ft/min |climb rate alt= m/s |loading main=87.7 lb/ft² |loading alt=428 kg/m² |power/mass main=0.023 hp/lb |power/mass alt=39 W/kg
}}
References
<references/>
- Smith, MJ, Jr. (1986) Passenger airliners of the United States, 1926-1991. Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. ISBN 0933126727
External links
- Lockheed Martin official site
- Connie Survivors
- Lockheed Constellation photographs and links
- Goleta Air and Space Museum: Lockheed Constellation Survivors
- Restored Constellations
Related content
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