ID a Constellation at Idlewild

[Tim Zukas]

Any way to tell if it's an 049 or 149 or 749?

View Image Data (http://iarchives.nysed.gov/PubImageWeb/viewImageData.jsp?id=139248)
View Image Data (http://iarchives.nysed.gov/PubImageWeb/viewImageData.jsp?id=139247)

How about Panair do Brasil, or LAV?

[Planemike]

Am I missing something, it tells you further down from the image that it is a C-121 which makes it US military by my simple reckoning......?

Looks like MATS c/s.

Also states in the info that the airfield is unidentified but possibly Staten Island.

Planemike

[Tim Zukas]

Yes, that's what it says, and conceivably it's true. That immaculate concrete suggests the July 1948 date may be right-- did any C-121s exist then? Did they look like that?

[stepwilk]

Don't think it's Panair do Brasil. Their Constellation color scheme was two narrow green bands, one atop and one below the windows, ending forward of the cabin door with two green bands and a PAA-style winged globe between them on the outer vertical fins/rudders. PP registration large, on the fuselage side aft of the cabin door and aft of where the speedlines ended.

Lineas Aerolinas Venezolana, however, is a strong possiblity, though, as they had a red triple speedline only under the windows but all the way to the tail, trailing back from a large birdlike logo aft of the cockpit windows and ahead of it a large, flaglike red/blue/green symbol on the nose. LAV name was above the fuselage windows, YV registration aft of the cabin door above the speedlines. And I think I can see all of those elements in the second of the two photos.

Its definitely not a C-121 no matter what the photo info says, nor is it landing at "Staten Island airfield," which was quite small. I think all of LAV's Constellations--I can't bear to call them "Connies" any more than I can call the Hughes Hercules the "Spruce Goose"--were 049s.

[JW411]

I don't think it is a military Constellation either. The first C-121 was 48-608 which my Constellation crib tells me was delivered on 26/11/48. The C-121s were the equivalent of the L749.

Any military Constellations before the C-121s were, of course, C-69s (L049s).

[treadigraph]

I'd say it's a good chance it is Idlewild - quick bit of research on Google shows Staten to only have two runways, whereas this image (http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/images/photo/2008/07/29/20080729JFK/24204825.JPG) of Idlewild under construction shows roughly the correct configuration of runways at the top left corner - 31R still exists, while 25L and 19L have perhaps disappeared during the later development of JFK, and perhaps realignment of a new 22L visible here (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=40.644292,-73.767786&spn=0.010811,0.018497&t=h&z=16)along with the vestigial remains of original runways?

Now the Constellation - I'd say an 049 and a civvie one at that.

Edit: definitely LAV (http://warandgame.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/veneait.jpg)? The Venezualan flag stretches across the middle fin, similar to the MATS band.

[one11]

Edit: definitely LAV? The Venezualan flag stretches across the middle fin, similar to the MATS band.

Further evidence for LAV - registration visible on top of the wing, which was also a LAV feature

[norwich]

Well IF it is an 049 and IF it is from LAV then they had only two !

YV-C-AME c/n 2081 delivered 31.10.46

YV-C-AMI c/n 2082 delivered 31.10.46

And spooky though it may be one of those (2081) may still exist ! see link below !

Lockheed Constellation Survivors (http://www.conniesurvivors.com/L049.htm)

Keith.