Constellation pilots/passengers

[BleriotXI]

Hi,

I am making a website dedicated to the Lockheed Constellation, specifically on the Dutch West Indies route Amsterdam - Curacao in the late '40s and early '50s. Has anyone here ever flown that route, either as pilot or as passenger on the Connie? If so I would love to hear about your experiences, and I would be honored if I may publish your recount on my humble website.

If you wish to see my site please send me a PM, and I will send you the link. I don't want to post a link here yet because the site is still under construction. When it's finished, I will edit this post and place a link.

Thank you in advance!

Regards,

Sander.

[WHBM]

Too young to have done it, but I have plenty of timetables from the period.

Here's Summer 1952. 3 times a week by Constellation via Montreal and twice a week by DC-6 via Dakar. KL655/6 was the only tourist configuration schedule ("Cosmopolitan class"), and by its slightly slower times was possibly an L-749 rather than a L-1049.


Summer 1952

=================================================
North Atlantic :

KL655 Connie KL653 Connie KL653 Connie

Amsterdam 2345 Tu 2200 Th 2200 Su
Prestwick 0155/0345 We 0010/0130 Fr 0010/0130 Mo
Gander 0845/0945 We 0700/0800 Fr 0700/0800 Mo
Montreal 1310/1530 We 1050/1230 Fr 1050/1230 Mo
Havana 2155/2300 We 1855/2000 Fr 1855/2000 Mo
Curacao 0405 Th 0100 Sa 0100 Tu

KL656 Connie KL654 Connie KL654 Connie

Curacao 2015 Th 2015 Sa 2015 Tu
Havana 0010/0115 Fr 0005/0115 Su 0005/0115 We
Montreal 0740/0930 Fr 0740/0930 Su 0740/0930 We
Gander 1440/1600 Fr 1445/1600 Su 1445/1600 We
Prestwick 0420/0545 Sa 0355/0500 Mo 0355/0500 Th
Amsterdam 0745 Sa 0700 Mo 0700 Th

================================================
Mid Atlantic :

KL657 DC-6 KL659 DC-6

Amsterdam 0800 Tu 0810 Fr
Frankfurt 0930/1030 Tu
Zurich 1135/1305 Tu
Nice 1110/1230 Fr
Madrid 1520/1620 Fr
Lisbon 1745/1915 Tu 1755/1915 Fr
Dakar 0110/0215 We 0110/0215 Sa
Paramaribo 0815/0925 We 0815/0925 Sa
Caracas 1200/1300 We 1200/1300 Sa
Curacao 1400 We 1400 Sa

KL658 DC-6 KL660 DC-6

Curacao 0830 Fr 0830 Mo
Caracas 0935/1040 Fr 0935/1040 Mo
Paramaribo 1525/1635 Fr 1525/1635 Mo
Dakar 0635/0735 Sa 0635/0735 Tu
Lisbon 1510/1620 Sa 1510/1620 Tu
Madrid 1750/1850 Tu
Nice 2125/2220 Tu
Zurich 2040/2150 Sa
Frankfurt 2300/2350 Sa
Amsterdam 0120 Su 0115 We

[Brit312]

WHBM,
That is a great reply, and just goes to show how spoil we are today, as with 5 sectors for AMS--Curacaco a passenger had to be pretty tough, especially if that trip was made in the middle of winter or perhaps this was the summer only schedule

[BleriotXI]

Wow WHBM, thank you! I've been looking for these schedules as well. I've asked our local aviation museum (Aviodrome) about the route too and they've also provided me with some information about it, but not like the timetables that you've posted.
Would you also have the timetable for the winter route which they would have flown around these months? I know it should be more southern, via Santa Maria (Azores) and Sydney (Nova Scotia) or via Lisbon, Dakar, Natal and Paramaribo, although this last route was usually flown with a DC4 in the late 40's.

Regards,

Sander.

[WHBM]

Bleriot :

I'll stick some more on in the next few days. Certainly got 1947, 1949 and 1956 as well on the bookshelves from the prop days, even some prewar ones with KLM doing Amsterdam to Batavia (now Jakarta) in a DC-3 with about 20 stops ! They are worldwide ABC timetables so can do any carrier you like.

I noticed in 1952 that Pan Am had more flights through Curacao than KLM.

I've always collected summer, given a choice. In those days the schedules were much more extensive in summer than winter.

[WHBM]

As promised, for the 1946 (sorry,my mistake, not 1947) and 1949. I'll post the 1956 when I have a little more time, it's a bit more complex !


June 1946 :

=========================
Mid-Atlantic (only route)


Amsterdam 1000 Day 1
Lisbon (14-hour Nightstop) 1540 Day 1
0600 Day 2
Dakar 1520/1650
Natal (26-hour nightstop) 2355 Day 2
0100 Day 4
Paramaribo 0900/1200
Curacao 1640 Day 4


Curacao 0800 Day 1
Paramaribo 1430/1630
Natal (16-hour stop) 0200 Day 2
1800 Day 2
Dakar 0715/0845 Day 3
Lisbon (15-hour nightstop) 1805 Day 3
0900 Day 4
Amsterdam 1615 Day 4

“Days of operation – details not available – apply KLM”.



July 1949 :

===============
North Atlantic :

KL 651 KL 653 KL 653
Connie Connie Connie

Amsterdam 18.30 Tu 17.00 Th 17.00 Su
Prestwick 20.45 / 22.00 Tu 19.15 / 20.30 Th 19.15 / 20.30 Su
Gander 05.00 / 06.00 We 02.30 / 03.40 Fr 02.30 / 03.40 Mo
Montreal 06.30 / 08.00 Fr 06.30 / 08.00 Mo
New York 09.50 / 13.20 We
Havana 15.00 / 16.15 Fr 15.00 / 16.15 Mo
Curacao 21.50 We 21.45 Fr 21.45 Mo

KL 652 KL 654 KL 654
Connie Connie Connie

Curacao 22.45 Th 18.50 Sa 18.50 Tu
Havana 23.30 Sa / 00.30 Su 23.30 Tu / 00.30 We
New York 08.00 / 10.00 Fr
Montreal 07.30 / 09.00 Su 07.30 / 09.00 We
Gander 16.10 / 17.10 Fr 14.30 / 15.40 Su 14.30 / 15.40 We
Prestwick 05.25 / 06.20 Sa 04.55 / 06.10 Mo 04.55 / 06.10 Th
Amsterdam 08.30 Sa 08.20 Mo 08.20 Th

===============
Mid-Atlantic :

KL 659
DC-6

Amsterdam 09.00 Fr
Madrid 14.00 / 15.30 Fr
Lisbon 16.05 / 17.30 Fr
Dakar 23.40 Fr / 00.45 Sa
Paramaribo 07.30 Sa
Caracas 11.35 Sa
Curacao 14.00 sa


1946, just 12 months after the end of WW2, is inevitable a bit thin. I look forward to the website to discover the aircraft type, but I'm guessing a DC-4.

No Curacao route via North Atlantic at this time. Only other KLM transatlantic route was twice-weekly Amsterdam – Prestwick – Gander – New York La Guardia (yes, Idlewild [now JFK] not open yet) at this time so possibly Curacao route in 1946 was only weekly, maybe even less.

1949 shows the mid-Atlantic route losing it's dominance, it will come back by 1956 to be the prime route. Notable how this route seemed to get into the DC-6, with sleeper bunks, from the beginning, while the Northern route always seemed to be a Connie route.

[BleriotXI]

This is awesome stuff! Thank you :D

Would it be ok if I publish some of these time tables on my site?

The aircraft type on my site is the Connie.

I got some information back from the Aviodrome (our Aviation Museum) and they sent me a schedule including the aircraft registration and the names of the captains on those flights. I'll be visiting the museum soon, to take pictures of the Schiphol terminal they have built. No not on scale, they re-built the actual thing. As soon as you enter the doors, you find yourself transported back into the 50s!
I will post my pics here when I have them.

Thank you!

Sander.