Shutterbug243 Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

April 1, 2005 was a sad day for Constellation enthusiasts in the United States and around the world. At exactly 10:07 Mountain Standard Time, The MATS Connie departed its home at Marana Northwest Regional Airport (AVQ)/Avra Valley AZ for the final time and began an epic journey to a new home on Jeju Island, South Korea. Captain Frank Lang commanded the aircraft on its final journey and the trip ended almost thirteen years of continuous performance in US airshows and a tour of Europe during the summer of 1998. Photo shows departing Prescott, AZ Air Show.
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kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

A very nice image.

TreborLow

First airplane ride for me was in a Constellation going from Laguardia Airport in NYC to Miami. The
"swooping style and the triple tail" seemed magical. I was about 10 and clearly remember that near the entrance was a small desk with cabin crew member there answering question. As the flight progressed, I got parental permission to go and ask a question. It was, "How fast are we flying?" I recall the answer as 237 but I don't remember if that was mph or knots. The only other memory was a free box of two Chiclets to help clear your ears. I have loved flying ever since (though modern coach seats might now only fit a skinny 10 year old). Thanks for that wonderful photo!

bnsf

Was this built by Vautee Aircraft in Bell, Ca? Dad told me that they used to build bombers. He worked there during WWII.

kmpankopf Loc: Mid-Michigan; SW Pennsylvania

Thanks for sharing the photo and story.

Shutterbug243 Loc: Santa Rosa, CA

Built by Lockheed

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

One of my favorite birds! The most beautiful airliner ever! When I was in the Military, we used to say MATS meant May Arrive Tomorrow Sometime.

Built by Lockheed, designed by Howard Hughes. The P-38 had a minimized Connie wing.

Swamp-Cork Loc: Lanexa, Virginia

gunner369 Loc: NV

I was stationed at Travis AFB, CA and worked in transit maintenance and we use to service the C121 when they flew into Travis. Also when I was in Korea , I flew back to the states in one, a nice journey.

MT native Loc: Big Sky Country — Montana

Pretty impressive aircraft for sure !! And a dandy image as well.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

sr71 Loc: In Col. Juan Seguin Land

How so? P-38 was flying b4 the Connie was

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Excellent.

flyboy61 Loc: The Great American Desert

Woopsie! Got my facts a bit garbled...Apologies! Hughes was a major stockholder in Lockheed back then, but Kelly Johnson of "Skunkworks" fame..the same guys that gave us the SR-71 Blackbird...was the driving force. The rumors of Hughes' role were later debunked by the fellows tho did design it, and Hughes himself.
But...the P-38 wing was a smaller version of the Connie's.

Wikipedia:

..."The Constellation's wing design was close to that of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, differing mostly in size.[5] The triple tail kept the aircraft's height low enough to fit in existing hangars,[4] while features included hydraulically boosted controls and a de-icing system used on wing and tail leading edges.[2] The aircraft had a maximum speed of over 375 mph (600 km/h), faster than that of a Japanese Zero fighter, a cruise speed of 340 mph (550 km/h), and a service ceiling of 24,000 ft (7,300 m).[6]

According to Anthony Sampson in Empires of the Sky, Lockheed may have undertaken the intricate design, but Hughes' intercession in the design process drove the concept, shape, capabilities, appearance, and ethos.[7] These rumors were discredited by Johnson. Howard Hughes and Jack Frye confirmed that the rumors were not true in a letter in November 1941."[8]

Ahead of its time, back then, but still a classy and beautiful aircraft!

Don W-37 Loc: Bangkok, Thailand

Nice photo of a good plane. I flew electronic crew chief on radar Super Connies out of NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii in the early '60s. Was lucky to have the opportunity to do that!