C-121C

C-121C. Super Constellation. , The Lockheed Constellation with its gracefully contoured fuselage is a mixture of beauty, power, and utility., Constellation or "Connie" began as the 1943 C-69 Constellation prototype. A small number of C-69s were assigned to the Air Transport Command in 1945 but were eventually replaced by the C-54 Skymaster., The C-121A was the military version of the commercial Constellation. Between 1948 and 1955 the USAF ordered 150 C-121As for use as cargo/passenger carriers, executive transports, and airborne early warning aircraft., Fifty-five percent of the Super Constellations (the stretched version of the Constellation) were delivered to the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy. A majority of the aircraft were used for electronic reconnaissance and airborne early warning. In the mid-1960s, the Air Force sent the first EC-121 "Warning Star" to Southeast Asia to maintain radar surveillance over North Vietnam and then later to warn of MIG attacks and alert American pilots who were straying over Chinese territory.,

Specifications , Manufacturer: Lockheed , Type: Cargo transport , Powerplant: Four 3250-hp Wright R-3350-93 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines , Maximum Speed: 368 mph , Range: 2,080 mi. with max payload , Service Ceiling: 24,442 ft , Max Takeoff Weight: 137,210 lb , Crew: Pilot, co-pilot, navigator, and flight engineer , Payload: 40,000 lb of cargo, 100 troops, or 35 litters , Dimensions: , Wing Span: 123 ft 5 in , Length: 116 ft 2 in , Height: 24 ft 9 in

[Captions> , The museum's aircraft during the 60s when it was leased to Aerlinte Eireann (Irish Airlines), Above: The museum's aircraft was never in military service. It is restored to the appearance of a C-121C passenger transport for the Military Air Transport Service. It flew for a number of commercial airlines including Cubana, Seaboard World, Capitol Airlines, and Aerlinte Eireann (Irish Airlines). In 1968, Jim Flannery installed this aircraft on top of his restaurant to be used as a cocktail lounge. After changing ownership in 1981 and 1992, Amoco Oil purchased the land and aircraft in 1996 and then donated the aircraft to the museum in 1997., One C-121A was completed on the production line as a VC-121B VIP transport with suitable interior fittings and extra fuel capacity. A nose-mounted weather radar was later added., C-121s accommodated up to 100 passengers in the personnel transport role or 35 litters and medical attendants on medical evacuation duties., Like the C-69 before it, the C-121 "Connie" was powered by four R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines., A military version of Lockheed's Model 749 and 1049 airliner design intended for overseas use, the C-121 shared the former type's long-range performance carrying extra fuel tanks in the outer wing panels. Total fuel capacity was 5,820 gallons., The aircraft on display is an L1049E, Serial Number 4557, but painted and marked to depict aircraft serial No. 40161, assigned to the Military Air Transport Service.