Today In History:  13 October  [1950]   --  First flight of the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation prototype

Colloquially referred to as the Super Connie, the L-1049 was Lockheed's response to the successful Douglas DC-6 airliner, first flying in 1950. The aircraft was produced for both the United States Navy as the WV / R7V and U.S. Air Force as the C-121 for transport, electronics, and airborne early warning and control aircraft.

Most Super Constellations were retired by their original airline operators after the advent of the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8; the last passenger L1049 flight in the US was an Eastern shuttle EWR-DCA in February 1968.

PHOTO: Kleine Brogel (Belgium) spotters day, 20 September 2015.

See the Historical Aviation Film Unit website at http://www.aviationfilm.com to get a new history tidbit every day.


Photo Attribution:  CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia. Rob Schleiffert from Holland