Lockheed Constellation

Key Publishing

ISBN 10: 1802823743 / ISBN 13: 9781802823745

Published by Key Publishing Ltd, GB, 2023

About this Item

While many airliners from the Second World War have either disappeared completely or only survived as remnants in a museum, approximately 55 Constellations out of the 856 built still survive today, and two of them, both C-121s, are airworthy. A real head turner, the Connie' raised the bar in both performance, economy and passenger comfort and can arguably be described as one of the most beautiful airliners ever built. The Lockheed Constellation was an aircraft that broke the mould when it came to early airliner design. The standard approach of a straight, tubular fuselage and a conventional tail and wing arrangement is still the tried and tested configuration of all airliners to this day. The US military's enthusiasm also helped to advance the development of the Constellation which, in turn, benefitted civilian airlines with the arrival of the Super Constellation and the definitive variant, the Starliner, which sadly came too late to make a huge impression as, from the mid-1950s onwards, the trend swung rapidly towards jet power. With the arrival of the jet, Constellations were replaced by the major operators although a number remained in passenger service into the late 1960s, and the last passenger-carrying flight did not take place until 1978 in the Dominican Republic. Delve into the story of this beautiful aircraft with this fully illustrated history.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781802823745

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lockheed Constellation
• Publisher: Key Publishing Ltd, GB
• Publication Date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1802823743
• ISBN 13: 9781802823745
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Prompted by a request from Howard Hughes (and TWA) in 1939, Lockheed’s team broke the mold of early airliner design with the Constellation. A real head turner, the ‘Connie’ raised the bar in performance, economy and passenger comfort. However, the relationship with TWA and Hughes limited Lockheed’s sales to other airliners, and as a result, profits suffered. Although sales outside the US were better, with the Constellation proving popular in South America and Europe, the post-World War Two market was still not as buoyant as hoped. With sales looking grim, Lockheed found a new supporter – the US military. The military’s enthusiasm for the development of the Connie in turn benefitted civilian airlines as well, with the Super Constellation and Starliner variants, the latter of which failed to make a large impression as the world started to turn towards jet power. With the arrival of the jet, Constellations were replaced by major operators, although a number did remain in passenger service until the late 1960s (the last passenger flight took place in 1978 in the Dominican Republic). This highly illustrated book tracks the Constellation from its inception through to its retirement from service, showcasing why it was so special. This is a new edition of Aeroplane Classic Airliner Constellation.