The Lockheed L-049 Constellation...

The prototype Constellation NX25800 (msn1961) completed its maiden flight in January 1943. Although both TWA and Pan American had placed orders for the aircraft, the small number (22) then produced were quickly pressed into military service, as the C-69, for the war effort Also, its existence could no longer be denied and the world learned about the Connie. The C-69 could accommodate 63 military men and with a full load its range was 3685 kms.
The engine chosen was the new Wright R-3350. The Boeing B-29 was also powered by these engines and priority during the war to this bomber meant fewer numbers for the Constellation. But this fell away after the war. Wright's R-3350 engine was a twin-row, 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine. It was designed in 1936 and first testrun in 1937. The R-3350-35 Duplex Cyclone was capable of 2.200 horsepower at 2.800 RPM at sea level.
One more interesting detail about the speed: a W.W.2 fighter such as the Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk was capable of doing 357 mph at 15.000 ft. The Connie moved at 360 mph at 20.000 ft ! Not bad for a transport, weighing some 40 tons….!
The fact that the "Connie" had to cruise "over the weather" at 20.000 ft (service ceiling of 35.000 ft), meant that a pressurization system had to be installed. The test model was tested for an altitude of 55.000 ft in a makeshift altitude chamber, made from an oil storage tank.
The original model 49s had their civilian interiors stripped and a combination of seats and benches installed, among other modifications, in order to be accepted by the Army as C-69s. At the end of WWII, Lockheed bought back from the Army as many as were available, and took those C-69s still on the production line and converted them back to model 49s and began delivering "Connies" to the airlines of the world. All model 49s were basically "dressed up" C-69s. A rash of incidents in 1945 and 1946 caused this first civilian model of the Connie to be grounded for six weeks in July/August 1946 while the government aviation experts tried to sort out the causes. Over the first few years some 486 modifications were carried out.
It was found the aircraft had no basic flaws and it was again pronounced airworthy, though engine problems continued to plague the aircraft. The Wright R-3350 Cyclone engines remained the cause for many problems, e.g. engine fires, overheating, etc.
Read a true account of travel on a Connie in those days: Consternation on a Constellation
On Aug. 04th 1945 a C-69 42-94551 flew from New York to Paris in 14 hrs and 12 mins. A record ! The crew was from TWA. They had made an arrangement that long range flights were flown by TWA crew on the aircaft that had been destined for TWA and consequently TWA had gained considerable experience when the war came to an end.
With the end of World War II, the Constellation entered service with TWA in 1946 and was used on both transcontinental and transatlantic flights. The aircraft proved to be extremely popular and was soon bought by a number of other airlines.
A total of 88 C-69 and L-049 were produced. Fly away costs would range between us$ 685.000 and us$ 720.000, depending on interior configurations. They were initially delivered to: TWA (31), Pan American World Airways (22), KLM (6), American Overseas Airlines (7), BOAC (6), Air France (5), Capital (2), LAV (2) and El Al (4). One prototype and 2 production models crashed before their deliveries.

Lockheed L-649

The L-649 (NX101A, msn2518) made its first flight on Oct. 18th 1946. Lockheed had to face the competition of Douglas (DC-6) and Boeing (B-377 Stratocruiser). The heavier L-649 improved Connie's speed, range and payload thanks to the new R-3350-C18D-1 engines, each good for 2.500 horsepower. Improvements were also made on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Engine noise was reduced by better cabin insulation.

Lockheed L-749

Military versions, part One

The Lockheed L-1049

Four L-1049Ds cargo planes were produced for Seaboard & Western with a cargodoor forward and one aft of the wing.

The L-1049E featured some further structural improvements and saw orders by Qantas (9), KLM (4), Air India (3), Avianca (3), Iberia (3), Trans Canada A/l (3), LAV-Venzuela (2) and Compania Cubana (1); making a total of 28.

The Douglas DC-7 cruised a little faster than the L-1049C, but the improved L-1049G featured fueltanks on the wingtips. Thus the range was increased by 700 miles. The L-1049G featured some 100 design improvements over the L-1049E model, working to get things better and better. TWA named them "Super G's" and they could fly 4.140 miles (6.625 kms) with an 18.300 pound payload (with reduced payload and 8.500 lbs more fuel, range increased to 5.250 miles or 8.400 kms). The L-1049G received orders by Air France (14), Air India (5), Avianca (1), Compania Cubana (3), Eastern A/l (10), Howard Hughes (1), Iberia (2), KLM (6), LAV (2), Lufthansa (8), Northwest A/l (4), Qantas (2), TAP (3), Thai Airways (3), Trans Canada A/l (4), TWA (28) and Varig (6); making a total of 102 !

The model L-1049H was basically a convertible "Super G" : in a matter of a few hours the aircraft could be converted from a passenger plane to a cargo plane. The protoype made its first flight on Sep.20th 1956. The 'H model was ordered by Air Finance Corp.(3), California Eastern (5), Dollar (1), Flying Tiger Line (13), Gulf Eastern (5), KLM (3), National A/l (4), Pakistan Int'l (2), REAL (4), Resort A/l (2), Seaboard Western (5), Slick Airways (3), Trans Canada A/l (2), Transocean A/l (1), TWA (4) and Qantas (2).A total of 59 L-1049Hs were produced.

Military versions, part Two

In Nov.2005 I received the following email from Scott Bates: Just a matter of correction on your nice site. The Marines never fielded an EC or WC Connie. The few they ever operated were passenger or cargo versions only. The real operators of all non- Air Force early warning Connies were the US Navy. I include the follwing web site as proof. http://home.comcast.net/~elmccaul/WVRoster/index.html Additionally, I consider the fact that my Father served in both VW-1 and VW-3, flying this beautiful airplane as qualification to make this statement. In contrast to your website which only mentions VW-4, you should check out these other two squadrons, as they managed a far better safety and tracking record of Tropical systems than VW-4 did. No offense to VW-4 is intended, as until NOAA got their L-188's and the Air Force organized the 53WRS at Keesler AFB, VW-4 was alone on the East Coast tracking these hurricanes. But comparing the Atlantic to the Pacific is really no contest, and VW-4 only had the Atlantic to deal with (and the Gulf of Mexico) whereas the Pacific was covered by VW-1 and VW-3. At least until VW-1 absorbed VW-3 in 1960. Steve Miller came to the rescue with following confirmation and added details: The 30 EC-121R's were former US Navy (not Marine) airplanes. Initially produced as WV-2's and subsequently modified to other AEW configurations (EC-121K, EC-121P, etc). They were transferred to the USAF (serials 67-21471/21500) for the Igloo White program, dropping seismic and sound sensors along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to monitor North Vietnamese traffic. Thanks Steve! In April 2006 John Lameck wrote me with the following: " The ANG units that flew C-121C and G's were primarily all transport units, originally designated Aeromedical Transport Squadrons; later Military Airlift Squadrons. ANG units known to have flown the C-121C/G are: 140 ATS PA ANG (1962/67) which became the 193rd TEWS 147 ATS PA ANG (1963/72) which now fly KC-135Es 150 ATS NJ ANG (1961/73) which now fly KC-135Es 167 ATS WV ANG (1963/72) which now fly C-130Hs 183 ATS MS ANG (1961/67) whch now fly C-141B/C 187 ATS WY ANG (1963/72) which now fly C-130Hs 193 TEWS PA ANG (1967/77) which now fly EC-130E/Js NOTE: the 140 Sqdn designator is not currently in use by any ANG unit. The only ANG unit to fly EC-121s was the 193rd TEWS (Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron) of the Pennsylvania ANG. They only used EC-121S' and then only of the 1954 serial year. They did have one C-121G. Aircraft they used are listed below: 54-0155 EC-121S 54-0157 EC-121S 54-0170 EC-121S 54-0173 EC-121S 54-4073 C-121G"

Lockheed L-1449

Lockheed L-1649A

The Starliner could reach any European capitol non-stop from any major airport in the US. The Starliner could fly New York to Paris in 3 hours less time, with the same payload, than the DC-7C. It was the fastest piston engined airliner at ranges over 4,000 miles (6,437 km) ever built.
The L-1649 was ordered by TWA (25), Air France (10), Lufthansa (to TWA, 4), LAI (4) and 1 prototype.
But 121 Douglas DC-7s were produced compared to 44 Starliners. The Constellations were considered to be heavy on the controls, more difficult to fly than the Douglas airliners because they were larger, heavier aircraft. The DC-7C was also earlier available to airline companies, explaining in part why more were produced.
The Starliner holds the record for the longest piston-engine airliner flight: 23 hours and 20 minutes, set in October 1957.

Stefan Bailis wrote me in Dec.2005: "From my experience flying the DC-7 versus the Super Connie and Starliner, the controls were harder--not easier--on the DC-7 ! Remember the Connies had hydraulically boosted surfaces. Also, the yoke itself was a bit more comfortable on the Connie than on the DC-6/7. The differences are not huge, but they are there. Certainly the controls are easier on the jets. Aircraft like the 727 can be flown pretty easily with one hand, while the DC-6/7 and Connies are best flown with two hands when making rapid changes in roll." Thanks Stef !

The production line closed on Feb.12th 1958 when the last Starliner was delivered to Lufthansa, after a production run of 16 years. In 1960 6 TWA Starliners were converted to "freighters" by Lockheed Aircraft Services, later followed by another 6, replacing L-1049Hs on trans-atlantic cargo routes.
1958 was also the year that more passengers crossed the Atlantic by air than over sea.....

Lockheed built a total of 856 Constellations (331 of these were for the military). In their later life, some were used to smuggle arms, aliens and drugs. More than one Connie has been used as a restaurant or cocktail lounge. They were used for spraying, for developing aerial electronic surveillance from its infancy to an "art form". But they were also used to carry thousands of tons of food to starving nations: remember the Biafra Airlift.
In the end, the Connie was brought down by the fast developing technology of the jet engine, and in particular the Boeing 707 jet airliner. Larger, faster, and more profitable aircraft have come and gone in the intervening fifty-odd years, but the "Connie" remains to this day one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.

Here are 2 images from a SPAR Supermarket / KLM add campaign, dating from the early 1950s, titles (translated) "For the housewife: The SPAR - for Travel: KLM . The image at top of the page, of PH-TAV, is from the same campaign.

My report on Aviodrome's Lockheed Constellation N749NL "Dutch Connie" at Lelystad,NL on Sept.28th 2002: Connie's Comeback !
Here is a tale about a Connie: Truth is often stranger than fiction...

External links:
Ralph Pettersen's: Surviving Lockheed Constellations
Here is a nice website with a list of KLM's Connies
Lockheed Constellation info on Wikipedia.org
Stefan Bailis provided the following links (Acrobat Reader files):
For 1049 series see Aircraft Spec 6A5
For 1649A see Aircraft Spec 4A17

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