Bataan has flown

[Dan K]

Never forget seeing these two in the air together as a kid at Oshkosh...

The Connies start at 10:08.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKtTCb_fHLA

[lucky52]

Did the MATS Connie go over there for display purposes or was it supposed to remain airworthy?

[Matt Gunsch]

Did the MATS Connie go over there for display purposes or was it supposed to remain airworthy?

it was bought by Pratt & Whitney and given to Korean Airlines as a incentive. It was never intended to fly again.

[lucky52]

Thanks Matt.

[tom roberts]

Is the Breitling Connie still flying in Europe ?

[Hooligan2]

Is the Breitling Connie still flying in Europe ?

Grounded with wing problems in 2018 - currently dismantled with Meir Motors at Bremgarten and the current owners are looking for a buyer.

[BK]

They're flying off the hours. This is a video of flight #3 from last Saturday. https://youtu.be/PoO14Wv_e4I

[Archer]

Did the MATS Connie go over there for display purposes or was it supposed to remain airworthy?

it was bought by Pratt & Whitney and given to Korean Airlines as a incentive. It was never intended to fly again.

The team looking after the L-749 at the Aviodrome, Lelystad, The Netherlands went to Korea and swapped out two of its engines for static examples. Unfortunately, the Dutch Connie has been kept on the ground by financial troubles and such since.

Just looked at that video from the third flight. Does anyone know what the two bulges either side of the nose gear, just ahead of the nose gear doors, are for? Dual ADF antennas? I cannot remember seeing those on other Connies.

[Matt Gunsch]

I think in Kermit's video he said those were for cameras

[Archer]

Thanks Matt, I found the relevant bit of that video (I did watch it but did not remember that little fact). They're ADF antenna housings, repurposed for cameras so that they can monitor the engines and such. I found out that the MATS Connie had these same ADF housings, so they're most likely part of the military fit on these variants.