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TimKM
10th Aug 2012, 13:25
I emigrated to the States from Ireland on Nov. 2, 1953 on TWA "Sky Tourist" flight #967. The flight departed Shannon, Ireland at 11:55 PM local time and made an unscheduled stop in Iceland for several hours, due to mechanical problems. I then flew on to Idlewild Airport, New York City, arriving on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 1953 in the evening, several hours beyond the original scheduled arrival time of 10:05 AM.

I would like to verify if the plane was a Lockheed Constellation L749A, but I don't know the construction number, registration number, or fleet name. The only reliable information I have is from a copy of my ticket, which I still have. It only lists the flight number and the scheduled departure and arrival times from Shannon to Idlewild. Perhaps the TWA timetable issued Nov. 1, 1953 would provide some missing information, but I've not been successful in finding a copy. Are there recommended resources that would match the construction number, registration number, or fleet name to flight #967 for Nov. 2, 1953 out of Shannon, Ireland to Idlewild Airport, NY? Perhaps there's a record somewhere documenting the unscheduled stop-over in Iceland.

renfrew
10th Aug 2012, 21:05
if you go to the Timetable Images site you will find the TWA timetable for Dec 1953 which may be same as Nov.

WHBM
10th Aug 2012, 21:27
In 1953 TWA only had 10 L-1049 Connies in stock, compared to their large fleet of L-749s, and their schedules of the time show the Transatlantic flights were all L-749As, the larger aircraft being used on US coast-to-coast services. I'm sorry to say that for the Connie in particular, extended mechanical issues when making the Atlantic crossing were an everyday occurence and not noteworthy in the slightest ! Although not shown in the timetable, stops at Keflavik, Goose Bay, and other stops along the way were also standard, it all depended on the winds.

Here's the westbound timetable for December 1953 referred to above, seems to be the same, and shows flight 967 on Monday 2 Nov 1953 exactly as you describe.

http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/tw53/tw53-03.jpg

If you want to thumb through all the other timetable pages on the site start here. I think quite a number of posters here have contributed timetable collections to this site.

Airline Timetable Images - List of Complete Timetables (http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete/complete.htm)

TimKM
13th Aug 2012, 13:14
Thanks for verifying the aircraft type flown ......apparently the Nov. 1, 1953 TWA timetable is a rare item to find. Is there any resource that would directly connect that flight and time to the CN, Registration #, or the fleet name of that specific TWA Constellation in service at that time?