Remember back when traveling by the airlines was something really special?\u00a0 Everyone dressed in their very best to \u201ctake a flight\u201d somewhere.\u00a0 Passengers were well mannered, the food was good, the airline employees were happy, and massive radial engines made by Pratt & Whitney powered the huge airliners.\u00a0 And TSA stood for something other than the Transportation Security Administration.<\/p>\n
Back in those days my favorite airliner was the triple-tailed Lockheed Constellation.\u00a0 The \u201cConnie,\u201d as many who flew as both crew and passengers referred to her, was truly a magnificent aircraft.\u00a0 Lockheed dates the initial design back to 1937.\u00a0 The company made the first flight of the aircraft on January 9, 1943.<\/p>\n[youtube=http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5Q9LDAVDy0w&feature=related]\n
Four P&W Wright R-3350 18-cylinder radial engines powered the Connie with a total of 13,000 horsepower. \u00a0This gave the airliner a maximum speed of 377 mph, or 327 knots.\u00a0 At altitude, she could cruise at 295 knots.\u00a0 She had a maximum range of 5400 miles, or 4700 nautical miles.\u00a0 This airplane was no slouch and she was way ahead of her time.<\/p>\n
From the first flight of 1943, the airplanes flew in airline service until 1967.\u00a0 The military kept her on until 1978.\u00a0 Several organizations operated the airplane; she flew in the livery of Trans World Airlines (TWA), Eastern Airlines (EAL), Pan American World Airways (PA), the United States Navy and Air Force.\u00a0 Several foreign flagged airlines also operated the Connie, the most notable being Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, and Trans-Canada Airlines (the predecessor to Air Canada).<\/p>\n
The normal complement of crew members on the flight deck included the pilot, the first officer, a flight engineer, navigator, and radio operator.\u00a0 The number of cabinet attendants depended on the passenger load for the flight.<\/p>\n
Concerning loads, a passenger load usually ranged from 60 to 95; with higher density seating, the total passenger capacity exceeded 100.\u00a0 The empty weight of the aircraft was approximately 79,000 to 80,000 pounds with a maximum takeoff weight of 137,500 pounds.<\/p>\n
When the Connie came off the line she did so in spectacular fashion.\u00a0 This extremely powerful and gorgeously sleek airplane set numerous records on a routine basis.\u00a0 In April of 1944 the second production aircraft flew from Burbank, CA to Washington, DC in 3 minutes less than 7 hours.\u00a0 The president of TWA, Jack Frye, and the legendary Howard Hughes flew the aircraft.\u00a0 On the flight back to California, the two stopped at Wright Field in Ohio.\u00a0 They had the privilege of flying Orville Wright on his last flight more than 40 years after his historic first flight on December 17, 1903.<\/p>\n
For the Connie, jets came just a little too soon.\u00a0 When the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8 began taking over the market share of airline travel in the early sixties, many airline companies put the Connies out to pasture.<\/p>\n
When they did, it was a shame.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There remains no more an elegant and beautiful airliner than the Connie.<\/p>\n
-30-<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2010 J. Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Remember back when traveling by the airlines was something really special?\u00a0 Everyone dressed in their very best to \u201ctake a flight\u201d somewhere.\u00a0 Passengers were well mannered, the food was good, the airline employees were happy, and massive radial engines made … Continue reading