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.

This illustrated history “recounts the unusual and sometimes dramatic development and operational career of one of the twentieth century’s most iconic airliners” (Aviation History Magazine). Clarence “Kelly” Johnson’s design for the Lockheed Constellation, known affectionately as the Connie, produced one of the world’s most iconic airliners. Lockheed had been working on the L-044 Excalibur, a four-engine, pressurized airliner, since 1937. In 1939, Trans World Airlines, at the instigation of major stockholder Howard Hughes, requested a forty-passenger transcontinental aircraft with a range of 3,500 miles, well beyond the capabilities of the Excalibur design. TWA’s requirements led to the L-049 Constellation, designed by Lockheed engineers including Kelly Johnson and Hall Hibbard. Between 1943 and 1958, Lockheed built 856 Constellations in numerous models at its Burbank, California, factory—all with the same distinctive and immediately recognizable triple-tail design and dolphin-shaped fuselage. The Constellation was used as a civil airliner and as a military and civilian air transport, seeing service in the Berlin and the Biafran airlifts. Three of them served as the presidential aircraft for Dwight D. Eisenhower. After World War II, TWA’s transatlantic service began on February 6, 1946 with a New York-Paris flight in a Constellation. Then, on June 17, 1947, Pan Am opened the first-ever scheduled round-the-world service with their L-749 Clipper America. With revealing insight into the Lockheed Constellation, the renowned aviation historian Graham M. Simons examines its design, development, and service, both military and civil. In doing so, he reveals the story of a design which, as the first pressurized airliner in widespread use, helped to usher in affordable and comfortable air travel around the world. “Simons makes good use of black-and-white and color photographs of Constellations in various airline markings and includes colorful airline brochures and marketing posters featuring the aircraft.” —Air Power History

This series provides the enthusiast with a first-ever look at the structure, design, systems, and operation of these high tech wonders of the air. Contains engineering drawings, tech manual excerpts, exploded views, overhaul handbooks, cockpit photos, pilot manual excerpts, factory assembly photos, and more.

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.

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.

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.