Qantas Museum aquires Phillipine Super Connie...

[Warbirdnerd]

Qantas museum finally lands 'Super Constellation'
By Chrissy Arthur
Updated 19 Sep 2014, 10:14amFri 19 Sep 2014, 10:14am

An aviation museum in western Queensland has acquired an historic aircraft in the Philippines and plans to ship it home for display.

The Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach says it has purchased a 'Super Constellation', which dates back to the late 1940s, from the Manila Airport Authority

It was a US Navy aircraft but it is the same type that Qantas flew on its first around-the-world service.

The museum's Rodney Seccombe says it has been trying for years to get hold of a Constellation, because it changed the nature of flying and made a significant contribution to the history of Qantas.

"Until then, it took about 10 days to fly to London in a flying boat and it reduced that back to four days, so it made a terrific difference," he said.

"The 'Connies' have all sorts of firsts - they were the first pressurised, they were the first ones to fly around the world and Qantas actually had counter rotating flights going around the world and they crossed over in London and Sydney.

"You take 10 days to London, back to four days, it is a big difference."

He says the plane will not fly but the museum needs to raise funds to have it shipped to Australia, before it goes on display.

Found it here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-19/q ... ction=news

Last edited by Warbirdnerd on Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

[APG85]

That's fantastic...!

[Pat Carry]

fantastic!! great for them. another Connie is saved

[Chris Brame]

Happy ending! Hopefully the corrosion isn't too bad; they may need a tankerful of WD-40 to dismantle it.
Any word on the two DC-3s that were to be auctioned off from the same Manila stash?

[Malcolm Hood]

[JDK]

And there was no Qantas in this Connie - never a VH- bird, so an interesting acquisition.

[Mark_Pilkington]

An excellent result to save a rare type from scrapping and to add it to the Longreach collection where it will tell a important story even if it lacks specific Qantas provenance.

I too am interested to know the fate of the two DC-3's and in particular the very early DST example?, hopefully this has found a home as well?

Regards

Mark Pilkington

[Brenden S]

The QFM have been on the lookout for a connie for years. HARS was going to donate the "Shell" that they had acquired to keep EAG going.
JDK you could also say they same about the Cat too.
Q.A.N.T.A.S. Pty Ltd to be fully correct

[Pat Carry]

Hopefully the Connie known as Columbine II will find a good home also.

[T J Johansen]

Very happy to see that this Connie doesn't end up as pots and pans.

Had really expected it to get scrapped one of these days.

Hats off to the Quantas Founders Museum!

T J

[Chris Brame]

One tough part will be putting all those passenger windows in, but best of luck to them!

[JDK]

One tough part will be putting all those passenger windows in, but best of luck to them!

Quite. Get a REALLY REALLY BIG holepunch!

[DH82EH]

Nah.
Just paint the windows on. Keep it simple.

Andy