Lockheed Constellation

Lockheed Constellation
USAF C-69 (military version of the Constellation)
Type:	Long-haul airliner
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Lockheed Corporation
First flight:	January 9, 1943
Commissioning:	1943
Production time:	1943 to 1951
Number of pieces:	233

The Lockheed Constellation (English colloquially: "Connie") is a four-engined propeller airplane with piston engines , which was developed in the early 1940s at the suggestion of the billionaire Howard Hughes of Lockheed in Burbank (California) . The Constellation, first used in scheduled services in February 1946, was the second long-haul airliner , after the Boeing 307 Stratoliner, which was built only ten times from 1938 to 1940 , to be equipped with both a pressurized cabin and air conditioning .

It was the basic model of the extremely successful Constellation series , which led to the Super Constellation in 1950 and ended with the Starliner in 1956 .

The type was used in both civil and military aviation and was used as a transport machine for the Berlin Airlift and as a government aircraft ( Air Force One ) for US President Dwight D. Eisenhower .

history

Lockheed L-749 Constellation at the Aviodrome Museum

View into the cockpit of an L-1049 G

The history of the development of the Constellation began in 1939 when Lockheed was working on a project for a 40-seat long-haul airliner on behalf of TWA and Pan American . The first prototype NX25800 had its maiden flight on January 9, 1943. Since the USA had meanwhile entered World War II , the aircraft intended for civil airlines were used as military transporters under the type designation C-69 . They did a valuable service. A large additional order from the USAAF was reduced to 73 aircraft in the spring of 1945 because the end of the war was looming, of which 22 aircraft had been taken over by May 1945. The remaining 51 machines received civilian interiors for 33 to 48 passengers at the factory; they could carry up to 60 passengers with tight seating. These aircraft were registered under the designation L-149 on December 1, 1945 for civil air traffic. The Pan American was the first airline to start scheduled flights with the Constellation on February 3, 1946 on the New York - Bermuda route . Except for three copies, all military C-69s were also sold to civilian operators and were given the type designation L-049 .

On October 19, 1946, the Lockheed L-649, the first Constellation built from the start for civil aviation, took off on its maiden flight. The L-649 could carry 48 to 81 passengers, depending on the version. The L-649A , designed for pure freight use , of which only four machines were built, had a reinforced cell for a maximum payload of 10,200 kg. In 1947 the L-649 was replaced by the L-749 . This version corresponds in principle to the predecessor model, but additional integral tanks allowed in the outer wings extending the range to 6,400 km, so that the route New York - Paris in the non-stop flight was mastered (earlier, the aircraft before crossing the Atlantic in Newfoundland - Airport Gander - for Refueling landed). A total of 50 machines were built of this variant.

The highlight of the Constellation series was the L-749A , which was available on the market from summer 1948 and of which a total of 60 machines were built. Since the available cargo space was no longer sufficient to utilize the maximum payload of the L-749 / -749A, Lockheed developed an external cargo container (Speedpack) for these versions with a payload of 2,000 kg, which was fastened under the central hull with quick-release fasteners and if necessary could be carried.

Air France's Lockheed Constellation with Speedpack, after taking off from Frankfurt-Rhein-Main Airport, around 1954/55

Lockheed built a total of 233 machines of all Constellation versions, including the original 34 military C-69, C-121 and PO-1. In addition to Pan American and TWA, larger Constellation fleets operated by Eastern Air Lines , KLM , Air France , Air India and South African Airways .

Versions

L-049 Constellation

The prototype on January 9, 1943

L-049

First production version, 88 were built, 22 of them as C-69

L-649

R-3350-749C18BD engines with 2,500 hp (1,865 kW) each and up to 81 seats, 27 were built.

L-749

L-649 extended by 63 cm with an additional 23,640 l tank capacity in order to be able to fly non-stop over the Atlantic, first flight on March 14, 1947.

L-749A

reinforced L-749, a total of 113 L-749 / 749A were built

C-69 / C-121 Constellation

C-69

Designation for all Constellations based on the L-049 of the United States Army Air Forces , 14 were built.

C-69C

VIP transporter, an airplane was built.

XC-69E

Conversion of a C-69 as a test aircraft for engines.

C-121A

USAF cargo aircraft based on the L-749.8 were built

VC-121A

Conversion of two C-121A to VIP transporters.

VC-121B

VIP transporter for the US President, a machine built.

Military production

Acceptance of the C-69 / C-121 by the USAF:

version	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	TOTAL
C-69	1	3	10						14th
C-69C			1						1
C-121A						3	6th		9
VC-121B							1		1
PO-1N / WV-1							1	1	2
TOTAL	1	3	11	0	0	3	8th	1	27

Sales figures / orders and deliveries

Of the basic version of the Constellation (with the shorter fuselage) a total of 233 copies were built:

88 L-049 (including 73 civil and 15 military)

19 L-649 (all civil)

126 L-749s (114 civil and 12 military).

Civil variants

A total of 206 civilian Constellations were made of the following versions :

L-049

73 civilian copies (plus 15 military) were built. The customers of this version were Air France (4), American Overseas Airlines (AOA) (7), BOAC (5), KLM (6), Linea Aeropostal Venezolana (LAV) (2), Panair do Brasil (2), Pan Am (20) and TWA (27).

L-649 / L-649A

19 units built for: Eastern Air Lines (14 L-649) and Chicago and Southern Air Lines (5 L-649A).

L-749 / L-749A

114 civil aircraft built, including 60 L-749 and 66 L-749A (plus 12 military copies): The aircraft were delivered to Aerlinte Eireann (5), Air France (19), Air India (7), Avianca (2), Chicago and Southern (1), Eastern Air Lines (7), Hughes Tool Company (1), KLM (20), LAV (2), Pan Am (5), QANTAS (4), South African Airways (SAA) (4 ) and TWA (37).

Military variants

A total of 27 military copies of the Constellation were delivered to the US Air Force and US Navy:

L-049:
USAF (15 pieces):

• C-69 (14 pieces)
• C-69C (1 piece).

L-749A:
USAF (10 pieces):

• C-121A (9 pieces)
• VC-121B (1 piece)

US Navy (2 pieces):

• PO-1W (Bu 124437 to 438).

Incidents

From the first flight in 1943 to June 2018 there were 28 total losses of the Lockheed L-049 / L-149 Constellation. 590 people died in 18 of them.

When using the Lockheed L-649 / L-749 Constellation, there were 37 total losses from 1948 to June 2018. In 22 of them, 538 people were killed. Here are a few examples:

• On June 19, 1947, an engine failed on a Lockheed L-049 Constellation operated by Pan American World Airways ( aircraft registration number NC88845 ). The overheating of the engines during the three-engine flight led to a fire in one of the engines and fire in the left wing. An emergency landing was then carried out near al-Mayadin in the Syrian desert . The machine was on the scheduled flight from Karachi to Istanbul . Of the 36 inmates, 14 were killed.

• On the evening of October 20, 1948, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation (PH-TEN) piloted by the chief pilot of the Dutch KLM Royal Dutch Airlines , Dirk Parmentier , was flown on high-voltage lines five kilometers east of the airport during the approach to Prestwick Airport (Scotland) . This killed all 40 people on board.

• On June 23, 1949, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation of the Dutch KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ( PH-TER , " Roermond ") crashed on the flight from Cairo to Amsterdam near Bari in the Mediterranean . All 33 people on board lost their lives.

• On July 12, 1949, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation of the Dutch KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (PH-TDF) flew on its approach to Bombay Airport in a hill five kilometers east of the airport. All 45 people on board were killed.

• On October 28, 1949, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation of Air France (F-BAZN) was flown on the Azores island of São Miguel on the approach to the Santa Maria airport in the Monte Redondo mountain. The machine was on the flight from Paris to New York . All 48 people on board were killed (see Air France flight 009 ) .

• On July 28, 1950, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation operated by Panair do Brasil (PP-PCG) flew into the area on a scheduled flight from Rio de Janeiro to Porto Alegre (Brazil). When approaching the Gravatai Air Base near Porto Alegre, the aircraft collided with a power line on a hill just 200 meters high, 15 kilometers north-northeast of the runway. In this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) all 51 occupants were killed, 7 crew members and 44 passengers.

• On August 31, 1950, a Lockheed L-749A Constellation of the US American Trans World Airlines (TWA) (N6004C) was destroyed on the flight from Cairo (unknown airport) to Rome-Ciampino during an emergency landing in Wadi Natrun ( Egypt ) at night . about 100 kilometers west-northwest of the departure airport. A major fire broke out in engine 3 (inside right) during the climb. After the engine broke out, the pilots attempted an emergency landing, but failed in the dark. All 55 occupants, 7 crew members and 48 passengers were killed.

• On November 3, 1950, an Air India Lockheed L-749 Constellation (VT-CQP) was flown in a descent to Geneva Airport in Mont Blanc , France, and crashed. The machine was on the flight from Bombay via Cairo and Geneva to London. All 48 occupants were killed (see Air India Flight 245 ) .

• On November 18, 1950, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation operated by Trans World Airlines (TWA) (N86511) had to make an emergency landing at Long Beach Airport ( California , USA) after two of its four engines failed . The machine only touched down after a good half of the runway length and could no longer be brought to a stop on the slippery runway. The right main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft only came to a standstill after around 430 meters. All 60 inmates survived.

• On March 19, 1951, a Lockheed L-749 Constellation of Trans World Airlines (TWA) (N91202) landed on its belly at Phoenix Airport ( Arizona , USA) . The pilots forgot to extend the landing gear . All 34 inmates survived.

• On June 22, 1951, a Lockheed L-049 Constellation of Pan Am (N88846) was flown on approach to Monrovia Airport , Liberia , in bad weather below the safety altitude in a 300 m high hill. All nine crew members and 31 passengers were killed.

• On June 2, 1958, an L-749A Constellation of the Aeronaves de México (XA-MEV) with 38 passengers and a crew of seven collided with a mountain after taking off from Guadalajara airport . Nobody survived the accident.

• On December 24, 1958, an Air France (F-BAZX) L-749A Constellation collided with the mast of a power line while approaching Vienna-Schwechat airport . Although the machine exploded a little later, all occupants were able to escape in time and there were no fatalities to complain about (see also Air France flight 703 ) .

• On September 1, 1961, an L-049 Constellation of the US TWA (N86511) crashed after taking off from Chicago Midway Airport near Hinsdale, Illinois ( USA ) due to damage to the elevator . All 78 people on board died.

• On December 14, 1962, an apparently intact Lockheed L-049 Constellation of Panair do Brasil (PP-PDE) was flown off- road on a scheduled flight from Belém to Manaus in the Brazilian state of Amazonas . On the approach to Manaus-Ponta Pelada Airport ( Brazil ), the crew reported “6 minutes to the airfield”, but only asked 15 minutes later whether the aircraft's engines could be heard on the ground. The wreck was found near Rio Preto da Eva , about 45 kilometers from Manaus. The aircraft had flown into trees in level flight and in cruise configuration. All 50 occupants, 7 crew members and 43 passengers, were killed in this CFIT ( Controlled flight into terrain ) (see also the Panair do Brasil accident near Manaus ) .

• On May 29, 1972, an L-049 Constellation of the Brazilian Amazonese Importação e Exportação (PP-PDG) crashed into the Amazon region between Cruzeiro do Sul and Rio Branco . A combined cargo and passenger flight had been carried out with the machine when several engines failed a few minutes after take-off from Cruzeiro do Sul Airport . There was a loss of height, which could not be stopped by the dropping of freight. An emergency landing on the BR-364 motorway failed, the machine brushed against trees and crashed into a forest. 9 out of 18 people on board were killed in the accident. It turned out that after a four-day shutdown in Cruzeiro do Sul due to a supply shortage of aviation fuel, the machine was refueled directly from trucks. In the process, the impurities that had been blown up and which had led to the engine failures were pumped into the tanks (see also the aircraft accident involving a Lockheed Constellation near Cruzeiro do Sul ) .

Technical specifications

Lockheed L-749A

Lockheed L-749A Constellation

Parameter	Data
crew	5-8
Passengers	44-80
length	29.00 m
span	37.90 m
height	7.10 m
Empty mass	25,669 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	48,535 kg
drive	four Curtiss-Wright R-3350-BD1 , air-cooled 18-cylinder twin star engines , 2,500 hp (1,838 kW)
propeller	three-leaved
Cruising speed	520 km / h
Range	6,400 km
Service ceiling	8,300 m

See also

• Lockheed Constellation family
• Lockheed Super Constellation
• Lockheed Starliner
• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Lockheed Constellation  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Lockheed Martin website
• Constellation on Sphynx.de
• Photos of the Lockheed Constellation

Restored Constellations

• Aviodrome in the Netherlands, L-749
• Ralph M. Pettersen's Constellation Survivors Website

literature

• Peter Alles-Fernandez: Aircraft from A to Z, Volume 3 . Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Koblenz 1989, ISBN 3-7637-5906-9 , pp. 47-48.
• W. Borgmann: Queen of the Skies: Lockheed Constellation , Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2018, ISBN 978-3-613-04035-9
• Dominique Breffort: Lockheed Constellation - A legend of aviation . Delius Klasing Verlag, 1st edition, Bielefeld 2008, ISBN 978-3-7688-2491-0
• Leonard Bridgman (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft, 1945-46. Arco Publishing Company, New York 1946 (Reprint 1970), ISBN 0-668-02390-2 .
• Leonard Bridgman (Ed.): Jane's All The World's Aircraft, 1952-53. Sampson Low, Marston & Company, London 1952, pp. 218-219.
• René J. Francillon: Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1987, ISBN 0-85177-805-4 .
• Karlheinz Kens: Aircraft types , 4th edition. Carl Lange Verlag, Duisburg, 1963.
• Peter J. Marson: The Lockheed Constellation (2 volumes). Air-Britain (Historians), Tonbridge, 2007, ISBN 0-85130-366-8 .
• Kurt W. Streit: From the drawing board to the runway . Union Deutsche Verlagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart, 1955.
• Curtis K. Stringfellow and Peter M. Bowers : Lockheed Constellation . Motorbooks International, Osceola, 1992, ISBN 0-87938-379-8 .
• Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers: United States Military Aircraft since 1909. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1989, ISBN 0-85177-816-X .
• Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers: United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1990, ISBN 0-85177-838-0 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistical Digest of the USAF 1946, p. 100 ff .; 1947, p. 115; 1948II, p. 14; 1949, p. 164 ff .; 1951, p. 158
2. ^ Marson: The Lockheed Constellation , Volume 2, Section 12: Production List.
3. ^ Marson: The Lockheed Constellation , pp. 195 and 203.
4. ^ Marson: The Lockheed Constellation , pp. 96-99.
5. ↑ Stringfellow / Bowers: Lockheed Constellation , pp. 33-41.
6. ↑ Stringfellow / Bowers: Lockheed Constellation , pp. 57-62.
7. ↑ Lockheed accident statistics L-049/149 Constellation , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 27, 2018.
8. ↑ Accident statistics Lockheed L-649/749 Constellation , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 27, 2018.
9. ↑ accident report L-049 NC88845 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 23 November 2017th
10. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 48 (English), March 1993, p. 25.
11. ^ Accident report L-049 PH-TEN , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 23, 2017.
12. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 49 (English), June 1993, p. 54.
13. ^ Accident report L-749 PH-TER , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 23, 2017.
14. ^ Accident report L-749 PH-TDF , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on May 15, 2017.
15. ^ Accident report L-749 F-BAZN , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 30, 2017.
16. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 51 (English), October 1993, pp. 93/103.
17. ^ Accident report L-049 PP-PCG , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 5, 2020.
18. ^ Accident report Lockheed L-749A Constellation N6004C , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 23, 2020.
19. ^ Accident report L-749 VT-CQP , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on November 23, 2017.
20. ^ Accident report Lockheed L-049 Constellation NC86511 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 23, 2020.
21. ^ Accident report Lockheed L-749 Constellation N91202 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 23, 2020.
22. ↑ accident report L-049 N88846 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 15 January 2018th
23. ↑ Aircraft accident data and report Lockheed L-749A Constellation XA-MEV Guadalajara Airport (GDL) in the Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 16, 2016.
24. ^ Accident report L-749A F-BAZX , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on June 25, 2018.
25. ↑ Lockheed accident report L-049 N86511 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 29, 2019.
26. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 89 (English), June 2003, pp. 2003/095.
27. ↑ ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No. 14 Volume II, Circular 71-AN / 63, Montreal 1966 (English), pp. 145–146.
28. ^ Accident report L-049 PP-PDE , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on August 5, 2020.