Rescuing Curvaceous Connie
01-10-2010, 07:16 PM
#1
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Rescuing Curvaceous Connie
I look forward to seeing her restored.
From Seattle Times:
Inside Boeing's old Plant 2 building on East Marginal Way, former Boeing executive and sometime company gadfly Bob Bogash led a reporter on a tour Saturday of what he considers "the most beautiful airplane ever built."
Built not by Boeing but by Lockheed Martin, the plane is a Super Constellation, or "Connie."
Its distinctive retro beauty includes wingtip fuel pods and a tail with triple vertical fins. Bogash gushed over the "long, sinuous, curvaceous and sensual" fuselage that's reminiscent of the lines of a dolphin — the product he says of "the engineer as an artist."
Local News | Curvaceous 'Connie' plane rescued from oblivion | Seattle Times Newspaper
Inside Boeing's old Plant 2 building on East Marginal Way, former Boeing executive and sometime company gadfly Bob Bogash led a reporter on a tour Saturday of what he considers "the most beautiful airplane ever built."
Built not by Boeing but by Lockheed Martin, the plane is a Super Constellation, or "Connie."
Its distinctive retro beauty includes wingtip fuel pods and a tail with triple vertical fins. Bogash gushed over the "long, sinuous, curvaceous and sensual" fuselage that's reminiscent of the lines of a dolphin — the product he says of "the engineer as an artist."
Local News | Curvaceous 'Connie' plane rescued from oblivion | Seattle Times Newspaper
01-16-2010, 06:29 PM
#2
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Be sure and visit Kansas City Downtown airport's airline museum, home of the Save A Connie (as well as a DC3, Martin 404, and a wealth of ancient airline, mostly TWA memorabilia. Docents will walk you through the pax cabin of the Connie.
01-16-2010, 11:42 PM
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Twice I've seen working Connies, both times it was Adkins out of McAllen, TX (long gone.) First time the plane was on the ramp at DFW and a couple Feds were ramping it while a motor for a boat in Ensenada was loaded. The second time was a RVR 1800 night at IAH. You heard it coming down the taxiway before you saw it, rumbling and burping. Expander tube brakes screeching. Finally a dim taxi light appeared out of the mist with little flames licking the exhaust stacks. I've got no idea where that plane ended up.
01-17-2010, 12:59 AM
#4
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Certainly the Connie is in the top five sexiest airplanes ever built.
YouTube - Flying with Arthur Godfrey 1953 Vintage Aviation Film Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation
(and if you want a song about the Martin 4-0-4 Silver Eagle seen in the video as operated by Southern Airways click on the link at the bottom SO404 Welcome To Southern Airways)
Frankly, the reason I am less and less enamored with flying today is planes have lost their artistic lines and have gotten too automated (but I guess my aviatar shows that http://www.hermantheduck.org/). Oh well, guess I am just too romantic: I'd rather sail on a square rigger than the Love Boat.
YouTube - Flying with Arthur Godfrey 1953 Vintage Aviation Film Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation
(and if you want a song about the Martin 4-0-4 Silver Eagle seen in the video as operated by Southern Airways click on the link at the bottom SO404 Welcome To Southern Airways)
Frankly, the reason I am less and less enamored with flying today is planes have lost their artistic lines and have gotten too automated (but I guess my aviatar shows that http://www.hermantheduck.org/). Oh well, guess I am just too romantic: I'd rather sail on a square rigger than the Love Boat.
01-18-2010, 08:43 AM
#5
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Certainly the Connie is in the top five sexiest airplanes ever built.
YouTube - Flying with Arthur Godfrey 1953 Vintage Aviation Film Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation
(and if you want a song about the Martin 4-0-4 Silver Eagle seen in the video as operated by Southern Airways click on the link at the bottom SO404 Welcome To Southern Airways)
Frankly, the reason I am less and less enamored with flying today is planes have lost their artistic lines and have gotten too automated (but I guess my aviatar shows that North Central Airlines history - hermantheduck.org - home page). Oh well, guess I am just too romantic: I'd rather sail on a square rigger than the Love Boat.
YouTube - Flying with Arthur Godfrey 1953 Vintage Aviation Film Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation
(and if you want a song about the Martin 4-0-4 Silver Eagle seen in the video as operated by Southern Airways click on the link at the bottom SO404 Welcome To Southern Airways)
Frankly, the reason I am less and less enamored with flying today is planes have lost their artistic lines and have gotten too automated (but I guess my aviatar shows that North Central Airlines history - hermantheduck.org - home page). Oh well, guess I am just too romantic: I'd rather sail on a square rigger than the Love Boat.
DC-6 and -7 are up there on the sexiness factor too.
01-18-2010, 10:32 AM
#6
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Certainly the Connie is in the top five sexiest airplanes ever built.
YouTube - Flying with Arthur Godfrey 1953 Vintage Aviation Film Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation
YouTube - Flying with Arthur Godfrey 1953 Vintage Aviation Film Eastern Air Lines Lockheed Constellation
At min 21 the capt. sets it up for cruise and busts out a pack of cigarettes. Awesome, I love it.
01-18-2010, 11:22 AM
#9
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And I don't know how you'd get 300 mph out of a Martin, Vne is 261 kts. Normal cruise was about 190 which is why Convairs ate their lunch, getting 200 knots for the same fuel burn.
01-18-2010, 11:54 AM
#10
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Position: BE50C (A), BE95 (A), C172S (B)
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That said, if you parked a 404 and a 440 next to each other, I'd take the 404. I'll pass on the big augmentors...
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