Dutch Connie
Ready for flying; crew wanted



Lelystad, Fall 2008-
The engines and props are like new; everything is ready for a flying adventure. Seeing this almost 60 years old lady is like going back in time to the late forties, when KLM was one of the operators of this aircraft. Great to see, to feel and to smell. Finding good pilots at that time was no problem. But most of them died, or are too old to fly a Constellation now.

And that's the problem: who can fly this aircraft now and has the correct certification? Of course there are pilots who can fly this aircraft. But without daily experience on Connies. How did the Swiss Superconstellation flyers (flying a Super Constellation)it and will the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin Stiftung arrange pilots to fly her Starliner in 2010? We think it must be possible: flying under Dutch registration or under registration that allowes experienced pilots to fly this old propliner. We hope Aviodrome will find the solution, and the officials will help. The old lady is ready for this adventure, and we are ready to see her taking off!

Frank Sangers, webmaster Connies Place


Running all engines without any problems on June, 7th, 2008. ©Frank Sangers, 2008

More photo's of this spectacular startups:
Klaas Reinder Sluijs: www.krsluijs.nl
Ruud Leeuw: http://www.ruudleeuw.com/aviodrome06-night.htm
Ralph Pettersen's Connie Survivors website: http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-connie_news.htm

see the special Dutch Connie-Page.
 

The Planes of Fame Museum's Connie
What a beauty!

Connie outside The Planes of Fame Museum, Valle, AZ ©Frank Sangers, 2008

Valle, AZ, Summer 2008-
Your Connieplace webmaster visited summer 2008 a sister of the Aviodrome's Connie: a Lockheed C-121A  48-613 "Bataan" with interior restored to how it was during service with General MacArthur. Complete with leather seats.

On our way to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon it was a surprise to see and visit this Connie. The friendly people of the Planes of Fame Museum allowed me to visited Connie inside. As if I was General MacArthur self for a few moments. Outside the sun shines and Connies radar-nose has some 'sun-burning' now, but further this aircraft is in good condition.

This aircraft was once  a sister of the Dutch Constellation, being build at Burbanks production line. This winter we will publish a special page about this Connie. Folks of the Planes of Fame Museum: keep her as beautiful as she is now! Thanks for your hospitality when I was visiting your nice museum.

For who is on his way in AZ: visit this nice museum and this beautifully restored Connie and feel yourself a few moments General MacArthur!

Constellation O49-46-59 safely 'landed' in Brasil

Connie L-049 in restauration in Brasil in 2003
(picture: Ian Comber, TAM Aeronautical Museum)


Connie L-049 inside the new TAM Aeronautical Museum in Brasil, opened in November 2006.
(photographer unknown, please contact us)

November, 2006 The new TAM Aeronautical Museum in Brasil saved one of the oldest Connies in the world, a 049 with constructionnumber 2071.

Ian Comber, who works for this museum, thinks this Connie is the second oldest of this type in the world. The TAM Aeronautical Museum managed the salvage in Paraguay, where this Connie had been aprehended, some 30 years ago and had stood derelict, having suffered various events in which it had initially been an airport gate guardian, then a restaurant, and ended its days as a childrens plaything. In 2003 it was dismantled and trucked up on 6 flatbed trucks to the future Museum site in the city of São Carlos, 250 kilometers west of the city of São Paulo.

It has now been fully restored (on the outside only, see picture made in 2003) and stands on its own undercarriage. At the moment it is painted in the colours of the Brazilian Airline Panair do Brasil which used this equipment to inaugurate the South Atlantic Route Back in 1946.

This Connie was originally one of the first KLM Connies, the PH-TAX Arnhem, wich was in KLM service from September, 10th, 1946 till June, 21th, 1950. KLM sold it to Capital Airlines (N86533).

LINKS

There are some more pictures of this Connie available on the internet.

TAM Aeronautical Museum in Brasil
Her sister, a KLM Connie, in 1946
How she was in 1946/1947 in the Panair do Brasil colourscheme
As she was in July, 1959, flying by Capital Airlines
As she was as childrens plaything in November, 1996
See how she was in October, 2001, still in Paraguay

Active Australian Queen of the Skies!

Australia, 2005- Avalon Airshow is the biggest airshow to be held in the southern hemisphere. Held every two years at Avalon Airport outside Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, the airshow attracts 250,000 spectators and some of the world's best displays.

One of the regular highlights of the Australian airshow circuit is the Lockheed Super Constellation of the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society. Surely one of the most beautiful planes ever to grace the skies, the Connie flies solely due to the dedication of the society. more
 

Mats-Connie left USA, in South Korea now


April, 17th, 2005- For sale since 2000 for a price of $ 1,2 Million, confirmed news says that the famous MATS-Connie (N494TW, cn2601) is sold to South Korea and arrived there last week.
This beautiful Constellation was owned by Vern Raburn, who became the owner in July 1987. There are only two of these 'short' Connies flying: The Mats-Connie and the Aviodrome-Connie. The sale of this beautiful flying old aircraft is seen as a great loss for Connie-lovers in the USA: the MATS-Connie was a regular visitor of airshows in the USA. The last active MATS-Connie is history now. Many volunteers and professionals did great work to make it as it was and keep it flying. Ode to them all!

This Connie is repainted in early Korean Airlines colours and will never fly again. It's new place is Jeju International Airport.


In earlier times: Connie in Koreanair colours.... (photographer unknown)

Mats Connie 
Homepage of the famous and beautiful glittering Connie of the Constellation Group, USA. She's really living history... See also some nice pictures of the European Tour on Airliners Photo.

Constellation Survivor website with some more history about this Connie and recent news about the ferryflight, with thanks to Ralph Pettersen.

Many more pictures of this beautiful Mats Connie on Airlinersnet

Follow the Propliners Discussion Forum about this theme.
 

Keep them flying...


Maine, february 2005. Other people may have an old car on blocks in the back yard, Maurice Roundy has two giant old vehicles stored beside his house on the corner of the Auburn Airport. Two L1649A Super Constellation Starliners sit majestically where they were parked in the mid 1980s. Pilot and mechanic Roundy is hoping to have one of them back in the air by this fall. (Text and picture: Aroundmaine.com)

Visit the site that tells you the story about Mr. Maurice Roundy. You can see and hear him by yourself!

Starliner Story  
Wanna buy a Starliner? Take some Dollars, a lot of time, and you can fly in your own Starliner... There are three Lockheed 1649A Super Constellation Starliners left in the United States that can still be restored to flying condition. All three Starliners are owned by Maine Coast Airways, Inc. Visit the site of Mr. Maurice Roundy, a real Starliner-expert.

Meeting again...

Picture published with permission of Kees Hensen, http://www.aviation-top-pics.com/

December, 15th, 2004- A spectacular meeting took place at Lelystad Airport, in the neighbourhood of the Aviodrome Museum: two oldies were shortly together.  This Fokker F27 Friendship, built in 1958 by Fokker Aircraft Industries, arrived back home and passed the Dutch Grande Dame.

It was the first in productionline build F27 and was built for Aer Lingus, named St. Flintan and originally registrated as EI-AKA. This Friendship came in service on March, 23, 1958 and flew in its younger years between Dublin and Prestwick. Two Rolls-Royce R.Da.Mk 511 engines give 1600 hp each.
Via New Zealand it flew in Australia, where it was flown by Aircruising Australia.

After 46 years this Fokker Friendship is back in Holland, after flying half around the world in 50 hours in the last weeks. Quality 'pur sang'...and now owned by The Fokker Heritage Trust. This F27 is in 2006 flying again, painted in NLM-livery of the sixties.

More pictures of the F-27 in Lelystad, 15-12-2004
Air-to-Air, by Willem Honders
The FFA: The Fokker Friendship Association, owner of another F27

A flying legend back in Europe

There she is: the pride of the Super Constallation Flyers
 Picture: Frank Sangers.

May 8^th , 2004 -After more than 25 years of absence from the European skies, one of the last 3 airworthy Super Constellations touched down at about 11.35 hours local time on  the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport. About 3000 people came to see  this Connie. The Camarillo Connie landed as Breitling Super Constellation.
It was a great moment to see the crew coming out, after the engines were stopped and this queen of the skies was moved to her place by a tractor. The smell of burning oil filled the platform, while the Swiss Band played music.
There are now two flying Connies in Europe: the Swiss one and the Dutch one, a Constellation L749. By the way: there was never a Super Constellation registered by a Swiss airline.

see the special Swiss Connie-Page.