Flying to the future

Air Classics, Jun 2001 by O'Leary, Michael

THE AIRLINE HISTORY MUSEUM IS MAKING PLANS TO KEEP ITS FLEET Of HISTORIC AMERICAN AIRLINERS FLYING FOR MANY YEARS TO COME

Way back in 1985, 1 was having a leisurely stroll through the Globe Air facility at historic Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. Arrayed in neatly parked rows were lots of historic big piston Warbirds - everything from Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons to Douglas C-54 Skymasters to Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses. Globe Air was preparing to auction off the majority of its assets and these included the hard-working fleet of sprayers and fire bombers. Also arrayed in auction lots were tons and tons of spare parts, wrecked aircraft, and aviation bits and pieces that the firm had acquired in its decades of operation. Of course, most attention at the auction would revolve around the tired Flying Fortresses - and rightly so since this was to be one of the last antes to purchase an example of the world's most ous combat aircraft.

Walking those rows and smelling the chemical stench still emanating from the aluminum pores of the sprayers, one's mind would wander back to the days when these aircraft were pouring forth from America's aeronautical factories to do combat with the deadliest enemy the world has known. Rather than being placed in museums after the war, the majority of this vast fleet of aerial warriors was destroyed in smelters. A very few were purchased to fulfill a specific need. Aircraft that carried bombs could carry insecticide or borate. Four-engine transports could have their interiors gutted and chemical tanks installed with spray bars placed under their wings. There was not any sentimental thought regarding keeping these aircraft flying - rather it was simple economics. The planes could be purchased cheap and could turn a profit in a new, and often hazardous, mission.

By the 1980s, the Warbird movement was in full swing and available airframes for restorations were dwindling and becoming increasingly hard to find. At the same time, these veteran workers were becoming harder to maintain and newer and more efficient equipment was becoming available. Examining the rows of aircraft, it was obvious some would fly again while others would probably become static displays for be broken down for parts. Down in the back row, by the boundary fence, sat two veterans to which few spectators were paying much attention. Two rather bedraggled Lockheed Constellations had definitely seen better days and the Connie's brief reign as the queen of the American passenger aircraft fleet was but a dim memory.

At this point in time, a few Connies were still earning their keep by plying the airways of the third world - passenger interiors stripped so that the flowing lines of the fuselage could now hold a dubious assortment of cargo. Even their days were numbered. Around the States, a few Connies were scattered in museums but there was not one pristine example restored in airline configuration to remind us of Lockheed's postwar triumph.

However, a small group of individuals was closely examining one of the Constellations. From the Kansas City area, most were present or former Trans World Airlines employees and all were passionately concerned about preserving what they considered to be the hallmark of American propeller-driven airliners. This particular aircraft started out life on the Lockheed production line at Burbank as L-1049H On 4830. Initially registered to Lockheed as N5400V, the aircraft was delivered to Slick Airways on 17 September 1957 as N6937C. Slick, a large cargo operator, used the Connie to haul cargo and passengers all over the world and operated the plane until 1968 when it was sold to Airlift International. From that point, the aircraft went through several different operators before being acquired by Aircraft Specialties (to become Globe Air Inc.) on 12 February 1973. The original intention had been to convert the aircraft to a sprayer but by 1975 the once elegant Connie was simply parked in the desert.

Battered by desert wind storms and attacked by vandals, the Constellation's future looked exceedingly dim. However, on 24 October 1985, it was purchased by Paul Pristo who, in turn, donated the craft to the newly formed Save A Connie (SAC) organization. SAC wanted to restore the plane to its former glory but the small all-volunteer membership realized they had an extremely difficult task ahead of them. In May 1986, SAC members traveled to Falcon Field and began work on N6937C to get it in shape for a ferry flight to its new home at Downtown Airport in Kansas City. On 15 July 1986, after nine weeks of work which expended 3000 man-hours, the four thundering Wright R3500s once again pulled the Constellation into the air and its nose pointed east for Kansas City. On 20 December 1986, the former owner officially transferred the aircraft to SAC.

Getting the plane airworthy for a ferry flight was only one part of a very large puzzle. SAC wanted to restore the Connie into a pristine passenger liner to show newer generations what it was like to fly on the queen of the skies. SAC experts rolled up their sleeves and dug into the airframe and engines literally rebuilding the entire plane. The engines were replaced with freshly overhauled units while outer wing panels, tail section, and flight controls were removed and repaired. The hydraulic and electrical systems were inspected and numerous components were repaired or replaced.