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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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Excalibur: The Constellations predecessor
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 Kelly Johnson and Hall Hibbard. Willis Hawkins, another Lockheed engineer, maintains that the Excalibur program was purely a cover for the Constellation.
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Development of the Constellation
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The Constellation's wing was effectively the same as that of the P-38 Lightning, differing only in scale.[Johnson, Clarence L. "Kelly" (1985), Kelly: More Than My Share of it All. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 0-87474-491-1.] The distinctive triple tail kept the aircraft's overall height low enough so that it could fit in hangars already in existence.
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.
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Operational history
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Initial difficulties
The Constellation suffered two accidents in 1946 which jeopardized 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.
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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 aircraft stopped at Wright Field to give Orville Wright his last plane 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.
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 a remarkable 23 hours and 19 minutes.
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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. Many Constellations continued to serve as fast freighters for years to come.
Several Constellations have been restored in recent years, many to flying condition.
Two Constellations, the VC-121E Columbine III, used as Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential aircraft, and an EC-121 Warning Star are fully restored and on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.
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Timeline
June 1939 - Initial design started
May 1943 - Construction begins on model L-049
October 13, 1950 - First flight of model L-1049, the "Super Constellation"
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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.
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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.
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Commercial
Civilian airlines that operated the Constellation included:
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Military
The Constellation was used by the following militaries:
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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.
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Specifications (L-1049G)
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Photographs
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Restored Constellations
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