Forgotten Aircraft - Lockheed Constitution
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- The Lockheed R6V Constitution was a large, propeller-driven, double-decker transport aircraft developed in the 1940s by Lockheed as a long-range, high capacity transport and airliner for the U.S. Navy and Pan American Airways. (The Constitutions were identified as R6O until 1950.) Only two of the planes were ever built, both prototypes. Although these two planes went into service with the Navy, the Constitution design ultimately proved underpowered and too large for practical airline use at the time. The Constitution remains the largest fixed-wing aircraft type ever operated by the U.S. Navy.
The Lockheed Constitution began life in 1942 as a joint study by the U.S. Navy, PanAm, and Lockheed. The design requirements, initially designated Lockheed Model 89, called for a large transport aircraft to improve upon the Navy's fleet of flying boats. PanAm was involved in the study because such an aircraft had potential use as a commercial airliner. This transport would carry 17,500 pounds of cargo 5,000 miles at a cruising altitude of 25,000 feet and a speed greater than 250 mph. The aircraft would be fully pressurized and large enough so that most major components could be accessed and possibly repaired in flight. For instance, tunnels led through the thick wings to all four engines.)
The aircraft was designed by a team of engineers led by Willis Hawkins and W.A. Pulver of Lockheed and Commander E. L. Simpson, Jr. of the Navy. The name Constitution was given to the project by Lockheed president Robert E. Gross.
The Constitution design had a "double bubble" fuselage, the cross section of which was a "figure eight". This unorthodox design utilized the structural advantages of a cylinder for cabin pressurization, without the wasted space that would result from a single large cylinder of the same volume.
The original contract from the Bureau of Aeronautics called for 50 Constitutions for a total price tag of $111,250,000. However, on VJ Day, the contract was scaled back to $27,000,000 for only two aircraft.
The first Constitution, BuNo 85163, was built in the summer of 1946 at the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California. Because of the aircraft's large size-the tail towered 50 feet-Lockheed had to build a special hangar for final assembly. The $1,250,000 hangar, Lockheed-California's Building 309, measured 408 feet long, 302 feet wide, and the equivalent of six stories tall. The footprint of the hangar covered four acres.
The R6O made its first flight on November 9, 1946. Joe Towle and Tony LeVier flew the plane on a leisurely course to Muroc Air Force Base. Once there, the plane underwent a carefully documented test program. At this time, electronic data recording technology was not well developed, so instrument readings were recorded by a movie camera pointed at the instrument panel.
The first Constitution made a nonstop flight from Moffett Field to NAS Patuxent River on July 25, 1948. The pilot for the flight was Commander William Collins (USN) and the copilot was Roy Wimmer, Lockheed engineering test pilot. Four days later, the ship was formally christened by Mrs. John L. Sullivan, wife of the Secretary of the Navy, at Washington National Airport.
The R6O tested JATO takeoffs with six rockets mounted on the rear of the fuselage. At full gross weight, the rockets shortened the takeoff run by 24%.
Ship No. 1 was delivered to Navy Transport Squadron VR-44, based at NAS Alameda, on February 2, 1949. Both it and its sister ship, Ship No. 2 (which followed six months later), flew the route between California and Hawaii.
The second Constitution, BuNo 85164, first flew on June 9, 1948. This aircraft, like its predecessor, had a double-deck configuration. The second aircraft, however, had an upper deck fully furnished as a luxury passenger transport, with accommodations for 92 passengers and 12 crew. The second Constitution, like its predecessor, also made a nonstop transcontinental flight. On February 3, 1949, the aircraft flew its 16 crew and 74 members of the press from Moffett Field to Washington National Airport. At the time, this was the largest number of people flown across the United States in a single flight.
In the early 1950s, Ship No. 2 made a Navy recruiting tour of 19 cities. The side of the fuselage proudly advertised "YOUR NAVY-AIR AND SEA." Some 546,000 toured the plane's interior.
General characteristics
Crew: 12
Capacity: 168 passengers
Length: 156 ft 1 in (47.6 m)
Wingspan: 189 ft 1 in (57.6 m)
Height: 50 ft 4.5 in (15.4 m)
Wing area: 3,610 ft² (335.4 m²)
Empty weight: 113,780 lb (51,610 kg)
Loaded weight: 160,000 lb (72,600 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 184,000 lb (83,460 kg)
Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engine, 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 303 mph at 25,000 ft (490 km/h at 7,600 m)
Cruise speed: 260 mph (418 km/h)
Range: 5,390 mi (8,670 km)
Service ceiling: 28,600 ft (8,700 m)
Rate of climb: 700 ft/min (210 m/min)
I had the pleasure of riding in the Constitution as a Navy passenger in 1952 from Alameda Naval Air Station to NAAS Fallon, Neveda. It required JATO to get off the runway at Alameda. It took off from Fallon Empty without JATO. The plane carried all non-flying personal of our squadron VF-93 and all necessary equipment to mainteain 16 F9F-3 fighters for two weeks. I remember it was a very bumpy ride! We sat on the lower deck, the equipment and cargo was loaded on the top deck.
I like how the passengers line up to board the plane to get on. Now days they X-ray you, your stuff. And give you the seal of approval before boarding. How times have changed.
How loud was it? tell us more about it
@@henrysmith7276 Probably not going to happen. If he was in the air force in 1952 then he would have been at least 19 years old then making his birth year no later than 1933. So 67 plus 22 equals 89 so he is at least 89 years old now. I hope his story is better documented elsewhere as it is fascinating.
My Dad was a WW2 veteran (merchant marine with lots of action) and in his last years spent quite a bit of time with historians and graduate students from Texas A&M University recording his recollections and documenting everything about his personal circumstances in that time. I'm glad it wasn't lost when he passed.
CanNOT believe they scrapped it. I have been an aviation enthusiast since the late 1970's, hold a commercial pilot license, have a bachelor degree in aviation, was a flight instructor and charter pilot, worked on 3 flight lines in 3 separate regions of America, and still read and watch various documentaries whenever I can and I have never seen this airplane until today, at 53 years old. Wow! What a good looking bird compared to the bulbous, cumbersome looking Boeing's of the day. Thanks for posting this!!
Hi I am proud to say that I wrote the book on this airplane with the help of Steve GINTER. There still copies of the book on Amazon. The crew members were just doing their part. No airplane ever had a crash or force landing. I saw the CONSTITUTION at Logan international AIRPORT on June 17 1949. I was just four years old. Enjoy. Frank Powers
Frank K Powers,... Still available you say? Hmm, I will have check that out as it would probably be a nice addition to my library.
Happy to say that Amazon had one new book left (I believe you and Steve should benefit so I didn't buy a used one) and it should arrive 24 June 2020. 🙂
Frank K Powers Jr I will try to find your book, thank you.
I know a good deal about aviation down to the rare stuff but this one, I never heard of before. Impressive. The double deck ancestor of the A380.
@@tonerotonero1375 if you like double-deck airplanes, you should also check out the Convair XC-99.
While in the Navy, my father served as radar operator/engineer on this plane in 1947-48. He said that it carried a spare engine in it's cargo bay, and had the most powerful airborne radar at the time.
My Dad's WW2 Comander, Henry Gettel, was the Chief Engineer on this aircraft. That's him sitting at the engineering instrument panel. I got to meet him several time growing up. I have one of three instruction manuals he made himself. One manual for the pilot, one for the navigator and one I have for the Engineer. I've heard one of the manuals is on display in the Los Vegas airport.
Thanks for posting...I never even heard of this airplane.
As a Brit, I'd never heard of the Constitution, but what an elegant-looking machine! More or less contemporary with the Bristol Brabazon, which was grossly underpowered and sadly in need of the turbine engines which were not yet available. I guess it never saw civilian service?
As a young boy I was taken to Midway airport to see one of these planes when it was brought there on a public tour and display. It was displayed as a US Navy aircraft. Mostly I remember the adults being so impressed saying it was the largest aircraft in the world.
I love this airplane! I have personally been over every inch of #163. I worked for Alamo Airways in 1966 when this airplane was a billboard. It is such a shame that this airplane is not in the Smithsonian. I have an instrument from the flight deck.
Wow, that landing! 😆
baward Lucky!
Lmao try doing that with a Airbus a380
Corsair pilot
Fly Navy!
I say it was very graceful landing for a plane of its size.
Glad I stumbled into this video. My Father… Frank A Michalek was one of the Original test pilots for this aircraft. I remember him telling me stories of this plane.
OMG that landing. Wow.
absolut stunning landing - at 2:48....==)))
It looked rather close to the left side of the runway.
Decent rocket assisted takeoff aswell
Yeah I was a bit alarmed t how low left wing was and how late pilot waited to level out.
Maybe it was an easy landing for a Navy pilot in clam weather on land, who was used to landing Vought F4U Corsairs on a pitching carrier decks on rolling seas. Navy pilots landing Corsairs at sea had to approach the carrier deck using an arced circular path, because the of the Corsairs long nose blocked the pilots view of the carrier deck, using the arced approach the pilot could see the carrier deck up to the last second.
Marten Trudeau It's my understanding that because of the "hose nose", the Navy transferred many Corsairs to the Marines.
Thanks for the awesome footage! Convair also built a double-deck giant based on its B-36 bomber and proposed a passenger variant, the Model 37 (also for Pan American). The company even had a jet-powered variant on the drawing boards! Martin proposed similar two-deck trans-oceanic comfort with its giant Mars flying boat and Saro actually built the Princess. These were interesting times, indeed! The use of the Constitution as an airliner, however, is new to me.
Convair did build a passenger version called the C 99. It flew until the mid 70,s. Only one was built and it was twice the size of the Constitution.
I've noticed sometimes especially with older aircraft, those from the same manufacturer have certain tell-tale features that identify it coming from the same team of designers. Maybe it's just me, but that windshield design, even the whole nose section, says "Lockheed", it reminds me a little of their older planes like the first Electra series (Model 10/12/14), or even the later 50's turboprop Electra that was the basis for the P3 Orion. The tail fin on this reminds me of the one on the Orion/Electra too. They probably all came from "Kelly" Johnson's era, but on a project like those they had to have many designers, not just one deciding what all those shapes will be. I guess it's not just a single designer's ideas so much as each company's entire design department sharing development experience and that company's library of design data and research too. I think you can look at a DC-8 and see plenty of echoes of even the DC-4, and other Douglas military planes remind me of each other... look at an A-4 for example, a very small jet, but doesn't it seem to have echoes of even much larger Douglas planes? To me I certainly see both earlier and later Lockheed cues in this one anyway.
Your not far off on your look alike designers stick with what they know look at the P-38 and P-80, and the F-104 and U-2 and the SR 71 looks like 4 F-104's in formation all designed by Kelly Johnson, The Constitution and Constellation and C-130 windshields are more alike. Checkout Ed Heinemann at Douglass and you see his lines. Just think those two men started out working with wood, steel tube and fabric.
It looks like maybe the C-5 inherited some nose & fuselage design elements from the Constitution.
How on this green earth am I supposed to look at a plane when the Andrews Sisters are whispering in my ear? Love and miss those girls.Thank you for the journey.
You could turn off the sound.
In the mid 1960s, one sat at Opa Locka airport (near Miami) for a long time. I think it was scrapped there. I got into the fuselage several times. I knew that there were crawl holes in the wings; didn't try getting in them though.
I'm here just to see if you still here because this is one of oldest comments I found on UA-cam
Man, the post WW2 period had such cool aircraft...what a time to be in aviation
I co authored the book on the LOCKHEED R60 1 Constitution. I first saw the airplane at Logan International Airport on June 17 1949. I was just four years old.
A shame they scrapped her, imagine her at an airshow today!
Agreed. I always consider a plane abandoned and/ready to be scrapped as one of the saddest sights.
Pity Howard Hughes was such a jealous bastard, one of these may have made it to a museum if he hadn't been an asshole.
This brings back some fond memories,
As a kid I used to play in one of these.
I'll explain, some investor in Miami back ( I believe it was in Opa Locka ) in the early 70s, purchased one of these, with the idea of turning it into a stationary restaurant/diner. It was just parked in some big lot. I used to sneak in and play there,
it was mostly gutted, none of those control panels like in this video were still in it.
Anyway, the restaurant never "took off" pardon the pun, and years later by coincidence, I was passing by and witnessed it being demolished.
I often wondered what the chances are that I would pass by at the same time it was being demolished, I did not even live in that area anymore, I was just visiting someone. anyway it made me a bit sad to see it go like that.
agriperma You might find this little article about Hank Wharton provides a bit of info about the plane at Opa Locka. looks like it might have been the victim of an arsonist. www.bsl-mlh-planes.net/download/eapforum/Hank_Wharton_Propliner_24.pdf
Your pun is gladly excused because it landed so well.
I also remember seeing it at that lot !
Louis Fer that was an interesting article
WOW! and a lot more character than the A-380
Probably the best part of this video is the sheer contrast between the enthusiastic, boomy comment from the American commenter and the humble, stiff-upper-lipped comment from the British commenter at 1:39 :D
+DrNazoo1983
==)))
soaringtractor _____ Fuck off Wilbur.
Those golden era where airplane used to be so luxurious things for people...those beautiful birds and seeing them flying in the sky is now only dreams
Great footage. I'm glad I had the presence of mind to take a couple shots of the Constitution that ended up at Opa Locka- off airport- sitting in a vacant lot. It was in the news regularly as plan after plan to save it ran out of time. A sad end to an incredible piece of flying history.
One of the two Constitutions sat on the west side of McCarrin airport for some time (Was based at Nellis AFB in the 1960's). We many times visited the west side to look at the aircraft...
I doubt the Constitution was ever at Nellis AFB
BY then the C 124 should have been in Service. The Constitution was destroyed by Howard Hughes when he bought McCaren Air Field. The CONSTITUTION was bigger than his flying Boat so he had the CONSTITUTION scrapped.
Passenger comfort WAS rule #1, what a beauty, THANKS Bomberguy for your amazing collection. Passenger comfort for all of us coach passengers went away with the L1011 and DC10 in 1992 never to return for walk on coach service. A 380 and 787 holds some hope, big cabin but still small seats, oh well, Bring back the Lockheed Constitution ! spiral stairway, double decker, good fuel economy?
That is Kelly Johnson @ 1:17. Wonder why they used the 3000hp version of the Wasp Major. By 1945 the Model 53 (3800hp) was available. Would have increased the cruising speed by at least 80mph and removed the JATO needs. The GE/Allison J35 (3800hp version) was also available by 1945. I am still amazed at how much aircraft propulsion changed between 1943 and 1953.
I knew nothing of this aircraft.
She was about a billion times prettier than the similarly-powered, Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.
Thank you for this.
☮
Thanks! I didn't know about this one. After WWII there was the Lockheed Stratocruiser double-decker - essentially two B29's stuck together. Every time I see the specs on one of the planes I wince: 5,000 mile range at a top speed of 300 mph is more than 16 miles. And I complain about a 10 hour flight to Europe from the West Coast of the USA!
Ron was making a simple point, BOY, which was lost on you in your juvenile haste to make a smartass out of yourself.
The Construction A+ the song A+ narrator 👍.
Originally from Boston, I saw this airplane up CLOSE and personal. Then in 2004 I co authored in writing the first and only book on this airplane. Still on sale from Amazon. I own the copyright on this bird. Original research is priceless. The original crew made my dream possible.
Didnt Howard Hughes buy one? Used to set at the airport in Vegas didnt it?
I seem to remember someone wanted to buy it and he refused.
what a crazy landing approach!!(from2:50)
Beautiful aircraft. Wish it went into regular passenger service.
One Of The Best Looking Planes From That Era,👍🌟
When i was a kid, one of these planes was my play ground, sitting at the end of the runway at opa-locka airport, it was gutted by fire, and once was a flying nite club, climbed up tru the nose wheel and flew her all over the world.
Forerunner to the 747 and A380. Really pretty design, too.
There is no way they meant to come in canted right wing high like that, nearly crashed. The turbo wheels, neat idea.
it was a constellation. poor connie. there's a few still flying in australia (restored), but I believe that was one of the last connie carcasses in the states. faced backwards when you flew, and if you got a window seat, you could see flames shooting out the exhaust at night. had to be fun to see as a first time flyer.
Not sure why you say it was a Connie - nothing like this one. But, the manifold flames were definitely something. I flew with the NJ ANG in the early 70s. The 150 Aeromedical Airlift Squadron had Connies. A number of times on night training missions when the flames erupted it looked like daylight in the cabin. Worst part was when the flames set the oil leaks on the leading edge on fire. THAT was dramatic and an immediate RTB with an inflight emergency. I've flown from NJ to the Azores, Spain, and long distance in the states (Idaho - LOL 10 hours). Cheers!
Not a lucky pilot....an incredibly accurate and experienced pilot.....my dad....Roy Wimmer.
Did he fly corsairs in the Navy?
Roy Wimmer also piloted the first C-130 test flight back in 1955. Your Dad was quite a guy!!
I don’t understand why there weren’t more of these airplanes produced and put into service, and why I have never heard of nor seen one before, and why they were scrapped. There could be plenty of uses for this aircraft, even after it is no longer airworthy, there are a variety of good uses for this airplane. Thank you for posting this video! Please have an excellent and awesome day! 🙂👍
Once again,Bomberguy brings us a classy clip of another forgotten aircraft...keep 'em comin'. Great stuff !!!
That fly-by of the formation at 3:32 sounded great on this video, imaging how awesome it would have been in real life
Song about 29 Palms while watching video from 29 Palms.
There was one that sat out at Opa Locka, FL (KOPF) for years until final destruction.
It's a genuine shame that at least one of these unique beauties wasn't maintained by someone like the Confederate Air Force or likewise group. What an experience it must be to fly on something akin to a 747 with propellers.
Now known as the Commemorative Air Force
With swept wings and jet engines it would be a mini A-380.
I saw the one stored near the Opa Locka Airport...(somebody lit the plane on fire!) It was there for quite a while. I must add that I worked for "Hanky Panky" Warton back on those adventurous days when I was a young pilot....
I enjoyed the nautical references associated with this airplane developed for the Navy. The name Constitution recalls "Old Ironsides" the First, and I spotted a model of the ship displayed in the plane's passenger cabin. The name also makes an intersection between the Navy's original six frigates and Lockheed's aircraft names alluding to the stars, in that "Constellation" is both a predecessor Lockheed airliner and a sister ship of USS Constitution.
Engines: (4) P&W 4360's. Vid maker transposed the 3 and the 6. P&W didn't make a 4630. A shame one of the 2 planes didn't make it to a museum. Good looking airplane.
Thanks a lot for this info, Kevin Hurley! This reminds me of the de Havilland HERON. I'm from India and I remember flying from Bombay(now called Mumbai) to Madras(now named Chennai) with my parents in an Indian Airlines Heron. I was just about nine years old at that time. Today, how many of us aircraft aficionados even remember (or even know about) this aircraft? I had read somewhere that the Heron too was under powered. Perhaps another prime candidate for turbo props.
The Heron could do with four PT-6s indeed.
Love the song! Great plane, thanks.
I like the music selections
Misprint correction: the engines were R-4360's, not "4630's"
I remember that one of the planes was near Opa Locka Airport near Miami,FL. I think it was going to be converted to a restaurant... or something... but it wound up getting broken up. I remember seeing it parked when we went visiting my Mom's friends who lived down the street from it.
Seeing that America was this advanced and so far ahead of everyone at the time, but failed to follow through on the execution really creates some serious pain right down to my soul. The shortsightedness by politicians is astounding to me.
I served as a flight orderly in the Navy out of Moffett Field NAS, .CA in 1947. The JATO takeoff was always exciting. my last name at that time was SHINALL.
It was scary. I thought we were on fire!!!
Your dad? Amazing. My compliments to him. My dad was an RAF bomber pilot in WW2. Flew Bristol Blenheims and Douglas Bostons till 1943 when shot down over France. Spent 2 years as a POW.
P.S. My "lucky pilot" comment seems to have vanished and replaced by my original comment, which is now duplicated. I wish UA-cam would get themselves sorted out!
They look awesome, wish more were built
Soarhead: For such a large aircraft, that landing looked distinctly dicey. Either a very skilful or very lucky pilot.
Navy pilots are used to landing on aircraft carriers and they have to be good!
It was towed to a scrapyard & torched by vandals in 1979 (Wiki). A shame.
2:51 What a landing!!! :O
i wish lockheed still made commercial planes
Rocket units! I love it. Never knew about this aircraft.
After takeoff, did they drop the RATOS into the sea or something?
Damn what a sexy aircraft.
Great music.
Although two prototypes of the Lockheed 89 Constitution were built for the US Navy, under the designation XR60-1, no production examples of this aircraft resulted because development of the Wright Typhoon XT35-W-1 Turboprop Engine, intended to power production aircraft, was abandoned. As it was, the Constitutions were flown with Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines only for test purposes.
Wow that is just amazing
A museum would have been better. It's hard to keep such a plane airworthy. They were just 2 of a kind all together and I guess there is not much documentation available anymore on specs and maintanance.
Wow...never heard of this aircraft before.
I stand corrected. I got confused by the 8-shaped fuselage similarity + an older comment on C-97 here. Thanks.
Sad to see such a beautiful aircraft wasted as a billboard. That’s what happens when you’re way ahead of your time.
Go big or go home. Beautiful down town Burbank.
6 rockets and 4 props! Yess that looks efficient!
You would love the B-36, "6 turning 4 burning".
There were only 2 ever built 1 crashed the other ended up in Sebring Fl. @ the airfield the 24 hours of Sebring is run. Then it was flown to Opa- Locka airport in No. Miami It was there for many years as well as a kid my dad use to take me up inside of it you gained access up into the cockpit through the nose wheel well. There were access tunnels in the wings you could crawl down to gain access to the engines. The A/C was bought by some guy that had it moved from the airport to a location about 2 miles away on 135 St. In Opa- Locka they had to shut down the street and lift power lines to get it there. The man wanted to turn it into a restaurant but he ran outta money and it got sold and scrapped at that location. Not Corrosion corner that was at Miami International airport about 15 miles North of Opa-Locka. That was mentioned in an earlier post.
A commercial plane with RATO! Never saw that before.
After seeing this fail the Brits went ahead and made the Brabazon monstrosity which was a major failure .
When I was a small kid, I toured one of these aircraft. Its last landing was in Las vegas Nev..A man named G.Crocket ..bought this aircraft for advertisement for is FBO called Almo Airways In the 60's..If you fly into Las vegas..they have the have a small aviation museum..above the main baggage pickup.with lots of info...The last time I seen this aircraft all in one piece..someone had bought it to make a Night club/Bar out of it..Sat for years. they ran out of money, county made them SCRAPE IT
I know about nothing on airplanes, but several years ago , I got involved in the demolition of an orphan plane at Chicago's Midway airport. It was stored at 0'hare for a while, and the owners were going to static-restore it for a museum. It was the last of it's kind, and I think it was a Constitution or Constellation, but I'm not sure. It was about a big pile of scrap metal, and that was what it ended up. Sheared up, and packed into scrap condolas.
Does anyone know about this?
I reckon I have a very good knowledge of aviation, but before this video I don't remember ever of hearing of this machine.
So thanks for the fascinating video.
The nose/cockpit reminds me of the later DC-8 jetliner, on steroids.
To an old Jet Mech of the 70's USAF, it is so strange to see 4 little props pulling this monster along
Doesn't it seem like the rockets are being fired AFTER the plane lifts off?!
It's ok. There is "ground effect" - near surface the plan doesnt need too much power. But to get higher it needs more.
This is an old question but I'll reply anyway. It didn't need the boost to attain takeoff speed as much as during the climb out, and the rockets provided only several seconds worth of boost before burning out. There was also a safety factor involved. The ability to abort the takeoff roll prior to rotation if need be would be made nearly impossible with six rockets burning that once ignited couldn't be shut off until they burned out. Imagine trying to abort a takeoff by reversing the props and standing on the brakes with six rockets pushing the aircraft down the runway.
@@TS-ev1bl I was thinking it was for show, show the ability, show the newsreel public and impress the dignitaries on board. And you hit all the legitimate bases for the cover story.
Firing the JATOs too early was the main problem. The early British Valliant V Bomber used JATO before its engines were uprated and there were stories of aircraft doing two takeoffs..the first being JATO assisted. and then sinking back onto the runway until main jet engine momentum was sufficient for the second takeoff. Once aloft the pilot and co pilot then selected their reserve underpants lever.
this is airbus A380 ancestor , double decker plane were built many years before , today we are only improving old technologies
What a beauty!!
thanks bomberguy. great video of interesting airplanes from the past.
if it flew today, it would undoubtedly carry the callsign xyz "heavy". imagine a heavy designation and it's not a jet!!
WTF??? Bomberguy, bless you for posting these! I had NO idea...
I also remember the one that was parked at opa-locka.Did any one remember there use to be prop slices in the fusealage? Their use to be a air school right next to it and some people did not go thru their check list before start up and guess what happened?
To answer your question, no. Both were retired to the then Navy storage depot Litchfield park. One aircraft was was used by Alamo Aircraft as a commercial sign for the company. Alamo Aircraft was painted on the tail of the plane. It was then abandonned. Later, it was broken apart by the request of Howard Hughes. The second aircraft was flown from Litchfield to Florida where it was then left derilect in a field. It was then destroyed when vandals set the plane on fire. Hope this helps.
What waste. What a shame
Very big and beautiful... but I think with pistons engine ... possible with turbofan like Tupolev...later
Beautiful Aircraft.
Amazing scenes!!!!
Great video thanks for posting this.
Holly crap , the jato rockets installed in the wings, close to the fuel tanks.....
Awesome!
Hawkins & Powers Aviation in WYoming used a KC-97 as a forest-fire extinguisher in the 80s.
Is that Kelly Johnson at 1:16 ?
What an amazing aircraft, a monster. I wonder how it would have fared on the transatlantic routes
2 decks?! Never knew this has been tried before
Air France had the Breguet "Deux Ponts" in the '50"s.
Great, yup never seen before. Wish there was more info in the video.
I can see where Lockheed's C5A Galaxy got it nose
Awsome landing at 2:50
takes ya back