Constellation Updates?

[APG85]

Was curious about the status of two constellation projects

VC-121A 'Constellation "Bataan". Have they installed the interior yet on this plane?

VC-121A-LO Constellation "Columbine II". Whats the current restoration status of this aircraft? Not many updates on this one in the last couple of years.

Thank you.

[Brenden S]

https://www.conniesurvivors.com/

[JohnH]

The Rod Lewis Connie is expected to be finished shortly ,
and it's going to Oshkosh. I've been told the interior will be a sight to see. Can't wait

[APG85]

The Rod Lewis Connie is expected to be finished shortly ,
and it's going to Oshkosh. I've been told the interior will be a sight to see. Can't wait

Awesome! Hopefully some interior pictures will get posted. The exterior is stunning.

[JohnTerrell]

Aerometal International, in Aurora, Oregon, is the company that has been doing the interior work on Rod Lewis' Constellation since April of 2024. They have a lot of progress reports with numerous photos posted on their website here: https://myaerometalproject.com/projects ... or-page-2/

As JohnH mentioned, the goal is to have it at Oshkosh next month.

[JohnB]

https://www.conniesurvivors.com/

Thanks, that's a well put together survivor summary..

You'll note that thanks to military C-121/WV-2s being preserved, there is a healthy population of Connies out there. Without the former military examples, it would be short list, especially considering the type's influence on air travel.

Some numbers to consider about the Douglas/Lockheed sales competition of 1946-58...
Counting military and civilian aircraft, the DC-4/6/7 series outsold the Constellation/Super Constellation/Starliner 2210 to 856.

If you think that's an unfair comparison because of wartime C-54 production (only 79 purely civil DC-4s were built, so most civil DC-4s were ex-C-54s) counting only civil production, Douglas still won the sales race 878 to 510.

[APG85]

Aerometal International, in Aurora, Oregon, is the company that has been doing the interior work on Rod Lewis' Constellation since April of 2024. They have a lot of progress reports with numerous photos posted on their website here: https://myaerometalproject.com/projects ... or-page-2/

As JohnH mentioned, the goal is to have it at Oshkosh next month.

Wow...incredible work! Thank you for the link!

[quemerford]

Aerometal International, in Aurora, Oregon, is the company that has been doing the interior work on Rod Lewis' Constellation since April of 2024. They have a lot of progress reports with numerous photos posted on their website here: https://myaerometalproject.com/projects ... or-page-2/

As JohnH mentioned, the goal is to have it at Oshkosh next month.

Wow...incredible work! Thank you for the link!

+1. That is monumental, and really very, very good.

[lucky52]

Was the "Bataan" interior completely gutted by the time it was flown out of Fort Rucker or was anything left?

[APG85]

Was the "Bataan" interior completely gutted by the time it was flown out of Fort Rucker or was anything left?

I think the original interior was long gone at that point. The plane had been used for other things after the General had retired. I thought I saw Steve Hinton saying that a "MacArther interior" was installed after they picked it up from Fort Rucker. Not sure what that looked like and how accurate it was.

[lucky52]

Thanks AGP85. Any idea how long between when MacArthur stopped using it and when it went to Ft. Rucker? Thanks.

[sandiego89]

https://www.conniesurvivors.com/

.....Some numbers to consider about the Douglas/Lockheed sales competition of 1946-58...
Counting military and civilian aircraft, the DC-4/6/7 series outsold the Constellation/Super Constellation/Starliner 2210 to 856.

If you think that's an unfair comparison because of wartime C-54 production (only 79 purely civil DC-4s were built, so most civil DC-4s were ex-C-54s) counting only civil production, Douglas still won the sales race 878 to 510.

Yes Douglas sure had a good start on airliner numbers.

To further the conversation, comparing the "heavy" numbers, things get closer. I would consider the DC-4/C-54 a different class, especially to the DC-7 and Constellation, being quite a bit lighter, installed horsepower, etc. Perhaps not quite apples to oranges, but at least apples to big apples.....

When comparing "heavies" things get closer on DC-6/7 and Constellation numbers with perhaps just over 1,000 DC-6/7 and 856 Constellations.

The evolution of the Constellation into increasingly larger, heavier, powerful and more capable versions is quite impressive. Almost new aircraft sharing a common name, shape and triple tail, but hugely different capability wise.

[quemerford]

Thanks AGP85. Any idea how long between when MacArthur stopped using it and when it went to Ft. Rucker? Thanks.

UPDATE: it went to NASA after it was retired from USAF service in the 1960s; I suspect anything VIP-specific was removed (if any remained) at that time, but see its movements below: its role changed from 'special mission' (VIP) to a more mundane admin/staff role in March 1955. Then in September the same year it was redesignated from VC-121A to C-121A and so I'd guess that its role changed further to cargo/troop transport (its role was later designated "stock aircraft") at that time too, presumably losing any last vestiges of Bataan's plush interior.

Lockheed C-121A s/n 48-613, built by Lockheed Burbank for MATS Project 9PC-58
• Available 26Jan49
• Accepted 26Jan49
• Delivered 29Jan49
• Assigned to 1600th Air Transport Gp Westover AFB 28Jan49
• To Middletown Air Materiel Area, Olmsted AFB 20Feb49 (transient maint)
• Back to 1600th Air Transport Gp Westover 22Feb49
• Role change to troop transport 07Mar49; (cargo?) 25Jul49
• To Lockheed Air Service, MacArthur NY 25Aug49 (bailment maintenance)
• Assigned to 1600th Air Transport Gp Westover AFB 26Aug49
• Role change to troop transport 02Mar50
• To Lockheed Air Service, MacArthur NY 12May50 (bailment maintenance)
• To Middletown AMA, Olmsted AFB 13Jun50 (depot maint)
• Assigned to 1254th Transport Sqn Gravelly Point 03Jul50 (troop transport)
• To Lockheed Burbank 11Aug50 (bailment modification)
• Assigned to Far East Air Force, Haneda Japan 03Sep50 (admin/staff function)
• Redesignated as VC-121A “31Jul50” at Haneda (31Sep50?)
• To 13th Aircraft Repair Sqn FEAMCOM 28Nov50 (depot maint)
• FEAF Haneda 02Dec50
• Lockheed Burbank 07Jan51 (bailment modification)
• FEAF Haneda 16Jan51 (admin/staff function)
• Lockheed Air Service, MacArthur NY 23Apr51 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Haneda 23May51
• Role change from admin/staff function to special mission 31Aug51
• To 13th Aircraft Repair Sqn FEAMCOM 23Sep51 (depot maint)
• FEAF Haneda 27Sep51 (special mission)
• To Lockheed Air Service, MacArthur NY 22Nov51 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Haneda 05Feb52
• To 6400th Air Depot Wg FEAMCOM 19Feb52 (depot maint)
• FEAF Haneda 26Feb52
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 21May52 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Haneda 27May52
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 19Dec52 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Haneda 29Feb53
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 27Jun53 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Haneda 30Jul53
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 04Aug53 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Haneda 06Aug53
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 08Jan54 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 09Jan54
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 16Jan54 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 04Mar54
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 22Jul54 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 31Jul54
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 29Nov54 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 02Dec54
• To Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 13Jan55 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 17Jan55
• Role change to admin/staff function 01Mar55 (had been special mission since 27Sep51)
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 09Apr55 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 15Apr55
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 23Jun55 (bailment maintenance)
• FEAF Tokyo 14Jul55
• Assigned to 6000th Support Gp Tokyo 18Aug55 (admin/staff function)
• Redesignated C-121A 01Sep55
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 04Feb56 (contract work)
• 6000th Support Wing Tokyo 14Feb56
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 05Apr56 (contract work)
• 6000th Support Wing Tokyo 25Apr56
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 20Jun56 (contract work)
• 6000th Support Wing Tokyo 26Jun56
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild30Jun56 (contract work)
• 6000th Support Wing Tokyo 04Jul56
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 11Sep56 (contract work)
• 6000th Support Wing Tokyo 14Dec56
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 15Feb57 (contract work)
• 6000th Support Wing Tokyo 18Feb57
• Assigned to 6486th Air Base Wg Hickam AFB 31Aug57 (admin/staff function)
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 11Mar58 (contract work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 15Mar58
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 27Mar58 (work)
• Assigned to 7415th Support Gp Orly, France 07Jun58 (stock aircraft)
• Assigned to 6486th ABW Hickam 24Sep58 (stock aircraft)
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 01Dec58 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 05May59
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 06Aug59 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 10Aug59
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 20Jul60 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 06Aug60
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 25May61 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 03Jul61
• 4440th Aircraft Delivery Gp Langley 12Dec61 (enroute)
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 20Feb62 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 11Mar62
• Lockheed Air Service, Idlewild 22Dec62 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 22Jan63
• Lockheed Air Service, Jamaica 11Dec63 (work)
• 6486th ABW Hickam 21Jan64
• Enroute to Davis Monthan 18Jan66; arrived 19Jan66 (excess, storage)
• To NASA 20Jan66

[Paul Stroud]

Was the "Bataan" interior completely gutted by the time it was flown out of Fort Rucker or was anything left?

I think the original interior was long gone at that point. The plane had been used for other things after the General had retired. I thought I saw Steve Hinton saying that a "MacArther interior" was installed after they picked it up from Fort Rucker. Not sure what that looked like and how accurate it was.

This is what the interior looked like when I saw Bataan at Valle airport, annoyingly I don't know the year but hope this may help.

1990s_Planes_of_Fame_Valle_Az_0007_a by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

1990s_Planes_of_Fame_Valle_Az_0005_a by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

[K5DH]

1990s_Planes_of_Fame_Valle_Az_0005_a by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

I love that Hammarlund SP-600-JX HF radio receiver in the port bulkhead! I have one in storage awaiting restoration. Hopefully I'll get to it this year... (rolls eyes)