The photos in this edition are black and white. In 1943 the Lockheed Model 49 Constellation was the fastest and most modern airliner in the world. They were purchased by the USAAC as C-69s and in 1948 the larger more capable Model 749 was purchased as the C-121A. This early Naval Fighters Series volume first published in 1983 covers the USAAC/USAF C-121A, the Navy PO-1W/WV-1 AEW version of the Model 749 from 1949, the stretched Model 1049 Navy transport R7O-1/R7V-1 from 1952, the Air Force Model 1049 versions C-121C/EC-121S/C-121G/AC-121/EC-121R, Navy WV-2/EC-121K AEW and Air Force EC-121C/EC-121D AEW platforms, and the experimental WV-2E/EC-121L AEW aircraft and the turbo-prop R7V-2/YC-121F transport. Book includes brief Navy squadron histories, detail drawings, and essays on flying the Connie, Vietnam, College Eye/Big Eye, 552nd AEW, Bat Cat and AEWBARRONPAC.

The first volume in an exciting new series about piston-engined civil airliners of the 1940s and '50s, this book uses the best archival material available from Lockheed and several U.S. airlines to illustrate the complexity of building what was arguably the most stylish piston-engined airliner ever -- the majestic Constellation. Created in response to a requirement issued by the flamboyant owner of TWA, Howard Hughes, in late 1939, the Constellation was soon ordered by other airlines due to its unmatched ability to fly non-stop from the East Coast to the West Coast at a constant 300 miles per hour. All the major prototype, pre-production, and civil service variants are shown in production ar the Lockheed plant in California, and in service with various operators around the globe. Period color photography is also included, featuring Lockheed and airline advertisements. Detailed captions and a concise narrative outline the manufacturing procedures, while appendices includes comprehensive production batch lists, performance data, and a double-page cutaway.

Beskriver detaljeret og med mange illustrationer det amerikanske passager- og fragtfly fra 1943, Lockheed Constellation. Flyet fandtes i adskillige såvel militære som civile varianter.

The stories behind more than 50 secret projects undertaken by the famed Lockheed Martin Skunk Works on behalf of the US Armed Forces, DARPA, and the CIA - all illustrated with official Skunk Works photography and commissioned artworks. Hatched in June 1943 after a special request of the US Army Air Forces to develop a turbojet-powered fighter to counter growing German threats, Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has gone on to develop remarkable aeronautical and space technologies, including stealth. Some have made it into production, while others never quite made it off drafting boards and computer screens, but proved fascinating nonetheless. This generously illustrated history tackles Skunk Works programs ranging from jet fighters and jet engines to missiles and rockets, helicopters, research aircraft, airships, unmanned aerial vehicles and recon drones, and even the seagoing stealth ship Sea Shadow - more than 50 in all. Author Steve Pace examines the historical context which led government organizations to approach the Skunk Works, as well as the technologies and projects developed there (often on a handshake and unburdened by bureaucracies), and the anecdotes and legends associated with each program. Pace includes official Skunk Works photography of the projects taken both at its headquarters and at test facilities such as Area 51. In addition, commissioned color artworks help further illustrate many of these projects featured herein. In addition to profiling legendary aircraft like the F-80, F-94, F-104, U-2, SR-71, F-117, and F-35, Pace takes on more obscure projects from the past as well as those still to come, such as the hypersonic SR-72 and High Speed Strike Weapon, and even offers a peak into what the future might hold with the proposed TR-X.

As a dedicated passenger airliner, the Lockheed Constellation was referred to as "Queen of the Skies." As a devoted warbird, she was called upon o serve the armed forces. Elegant, graceful, and extremely photogenic, the legendary "Connie" remains one of the most sought-after aircraft for airshow appearances. Witness these beautiful aircraft in this fine collection of color photographs depicting the planes in both civilian and military dress, as well as in U.S. and foreign markings. Piston-powered and propeller-driven, triple-tailed and shaped like a dolphin, the Constellation, Super Constellation, and Starliner series are bona fide classics.

September 1962: On a moonless night over the raging Atlantic Ocean, a thousand miles from land, the engines of Flying Tiger flight 923 to Germany burst into flames, one by one. Pilot John Murray didn’t have long before the plane crashed headlong into the 20-foot waves at 120 mph. As the four flight attendants donned life vests, collected sharp objects, and explained how to brace for the ferocious impact, 68 passengers clung to their seats: elementary schoolchildren from Hawaii, a teenage newlywed from Germany, a disabled Normandy vet from Cape Cod, an immigrant from Mexico, and 30 recent graduates of the 82nd Airborne’s Jump School. They all expected to die. Murray radioed out “Mayday” as he attempted to fly down through gale-force winds into the rough water, hoping the plane didn’t break apart when it hit the sea. Only a handful of ships could pick up the distress call so far from land. The closest was a Swiss freighter 13 hours away. Dozens of other ships and planes from 9 countries abruptly changed course or scrambled from Canada, Iceland, Ireland, Scotland, and Cornwall, all racing to the rescue—but they would take hours, or days, to arrive. From the cockpit, the blackness of the Atlantic grew ever closer. Could Murray do what no pilot had ever done—“land” a commercial airliner at night in a violent sea without everyone dying? And if he did, would rescuers find any survivors before they drowned or died from hypothermia in the icy water? The fate of Flying Tiger 923 riveted the world. Bulletins interrupted radio and TV programs. Headlines shouted off newspapers from London to LA. Frantic family members overwhelmed telephone switchboards. President Kennedy took a break from the brewing crises in Cuba and Mississippi to ask for hourly updates. Tiger in the Sea is a gripping tale of triumph, tragedy, unparalleled airmanship, and incredibly brave people from all walks of life. The author has pieced together the story—long hidden because of murky Cold War politics—through exhaustive research and reconstructed a true and inspiring tribute to the virtues of outside-the-box-thinking, teamwork, and hope.

Designed just before World War II after special instructions from the American tycoon Howard Hughes, the Lockheed Constellation is celebrated today as one of the finest flying machines ever built. As a civilian aircraft, it has been the first airliner able to cross the Atlantic Ocean non stop, but it also has had a respectable military career, thanks to its brilliant characteristics which allowed it to fulfill missions of electronic warfare and AWACS.