Lockheed VC-121A 'Bataan' back in the air

[Jhieminga]

This is worth watching if you're a propliner fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqgZL7z4Nx0

[ancientaviator62]

Wonderful sight and sound.I take off every hat I have ever worn to all those involved. Bonus of a Mustang chase plane too.

[treadigraph]

Bloody marvellous! I believe this is another fantastic achievement by Steve Hinton and his Fighter Rebuilders team at Chino.

Now Rod, howsabout bringing her over to Europe for a tour next year...

[Jhieminga]

Steve showed Kermit Weeks around the aircraft a couple of months back. Video from that visit is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Id6g0J2hJbM

[EGGW]

When it escaped Fort Rucker, early 90s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHqKtK8mC84

EGGW

[ZFT]

As a young boy I lived very close to RAF Northolt. Have brilliant memories of US and IAF Constellations flying in and out regularly.
This brings back those memories .

[India Four Two]

That is really nice to see. When I was visiting the Planes of Fame Museum at Valle Arizona in 2015, they were getting it ready to ferry to Chino and I was lucky enough to be there when they were mounting an engine,

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x575/5_9_46bc3bc383ce10c4a8e94dfd57eb804e81d3a6e7_140c15a0e0a16a1 d98e6ce193f2d5b6f8f08c541.jpeg

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x575/5_10_ef01aad4a6fd83a706417542dbaea571cfd7cf93_074b609cf6ac91 7bfb70b8152fa8f6049772f601.jpeg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1024x575/5_11_9297262d5d800810cf7e69b4e33a392c968f29b1_ee07a831607e69 9ce2df6e6271f185d38249b8e6.jpeg

It took them about twenty minutes to get it bolted on. Not a hard-hat, safety glasses, steel-toed boot or fluorescent jacket in sight!

[Jhieminga]

More video from the first flight here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFMGPsbdz6k

[India Four Two]

Fantastic video. It looks like they must have had a polishing crew working continuously since I saw it in 2015! :)

[Octane]

A nice video ruined by stupid unwanted music:ugh:

[SpringHeeledJack]

Great to see it up in the air again, good looking aircraft that's for sure. I think the "canned heroic" background music was added to appeal to the 'interested/supportive', rather than the die-hard propholics who would be happy just with the sounds and conversations of the aircraft and crew.

Is the Breitling Connie still in Europe and still flying ?

[DHfan]

According to a post on WIX, the Breitling Connie was grounded with wing problems in 2018 and is currently dismantled with Meir Motors at Bremgarten. The current owners are looking for a buyer.

[treadigraph]

According to a post on WIX, the Breitling Connie was grounded with wing problems in 2018 and is currently dismantled with Meir Motors at Bremgarten. The current owners are looking for a buyer.
(Shhhh! Don't tell anyone but that was me! According to what I'd seen courtesy Google :))

Think the spar needs some serious fettling...

[Less Hair]

It is said to suffer from bad wing corrosion. Plus, Switzerland after the Ju crash has limited the max number of persons permitted aboard historic aircraft to six (?) or similar, which makes any operational breakeven unfeasible.

[treadigraph]

I believe it is now owned by a German consortium but they are unable to fund the restoration. Sadly I suspect it will end up in a museum, great pity. Love to fly in one...

[brakedwell]

I took these two photos at Lajes Field in the Azores in January 1958. The MATS Constellations were one of the main visitors at that time.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1752x1133/c118_08fe6b73383c8c2de0fbc33aa210b3ea5b5c92b0.jpeg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1712x1035/mats_c121_0b7ac89b6a2be5289209cafa3cdb0523e6dafc8e.jpeg

[Less Hair]

What a quiet rural place it was back then? Thanks for the pictures.

[sycamore]

In the `Airframe Workshops` at Halton there used to be an early `Sycamore` helo,in natural metal;if one was found to have `been skiving`/messing about,etc one was sent to spend a little `time-out ` on the `naughty step`,in this case half an hour with a roll of `Wadpol`.?,polishing the helo until it shone..It probably weighed a lot less as the `skin `got thinner,so I have a lot of sympathy for the guys/gals who polished that Connie,,!

[VictorGolf]

Is the HARS Super=Connie still airworthy in Oz?

[SpringHeeledJack]

...or that other Connie that was owned by Lufthansa, but was in the USA when I last thought of it ? What a shame about the Breitling connie, but it can't be easy to own and run such a beast.

[Less Hair]

LH's Connie is stored and will not be flying any more. They halted the work halfway through it after seriously busting their budget.

[washoutt]

I always love it when a landing propliner needs to dive in order to reach terra firma.

[bean]

Is the HARS Super=Connie still airworthy in Oz?
Yes it is

[BEagle]

Back in 2017 I was on a trip to Ljubljana from Birmingham via Zurich. The second flight was delayed...and delayed....until finally it was announced that we would be flying on a different airline. A bus came to pick us up and we drove to a remote part of the airport....and there was the Breitling Connie. Ooh, what a nice surprise!

Sadly that wasn't our aircraft though - we boarded some ageing ATR which then droned its way to our destination.

[ZFT]

There was a Connie outside of Zest facility at Manila Airport a few years ago. Had a good look around it and seem to recall the odd bullet hole.

[treadigraph]

There was a Connie outside of Zest facility at Manila Airport a few years ago. Had a good look around it and seem to recall the odd bullet hole.
Think that's gone to Australia now - Qantas Museum?

[DHfan]

There was a Connie at Kirkop just outside Luqa Airport on Malta many years ago.
If I remember rightly it had been impounded for gun-running and then bought by a couple of local businessmen who towed it off the airport and turned it into a restaurant.
We dined there in September 1988 but when we tried to return a few days later it had closed.

Some years later it was vandalised and set on fire. Only the wings survived and last I heard were at Ta' Qali. One of the partners had told us he was planning to tow the complete aircraft to Ta' Qali which sounded totally impossible.

[SpringHeeledJack]

What ever became of that Connie N7777G that seemed to be based in the UK/IRL for some years ?

[Fris B. Fairing]

What ever became of that Connie N7777G that seemed to be based in the UK/IRL for some years ?
N7777G is in the Science Museum at Wroughton displayed in TWA colours, why I'll never know. The Manila Super Connie is now at the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach.

N7777G The Stones' Connie (http://www.lockheed.adastron.com/constellation/stones-connie.htm)
The Manila Connie (http://www.lockheed.adastron.com/constellation/n4247k.htm)

[DHfan]

I'm not sure you can use the words Wroughton and displayed in the same sentence.

We went to an airshow there in 1990-ish and saw the exhibits in the main hangar including the Connie. It didn't register what the markings were and not having much interest in airliners it wouldn't have meant anything anyway. The hangar was brightly lit and looked immaculate as did the "exhibits".
I believe that's the hangar that's reputedly dangerous and structurally unsound.

[Coochycool]

Can't be sure if it was the same one, but summer 1993 I stumbled across a similarly abandoned Connie in Malta. Fraid the precise location escapes me, but it had certainly been used as a restaurant/diner.

Managed to get inside her, which was I recall a little rough. Looking for souvenirs I found quite a few Maltese coins scattered around the floor!

Cooch

[EXDAC]

This Connie nostalgia reminded me of a flight back in October 1992. It took a while to find it in my logs. The Tucson Soaring Club (Arizona) had displayed a Janus glider at an airshow at nearby Pinal. It was my job to fly it home and departure was very close to sunset. The MATS Connie was leaving at the same time and graciously allowed our glider and tug to depart first. Never forget it holding short with all 4 running while we took the runway.

Lockheed Constellation Survivors (http://www.conniesurvivors.com/N494TW.htm)

[DHfan]

Can't be sure if it was the same one, but summer 1993 I stumbled across a similarly abandoned Connie in Malta. Fraid the precise location escapes me, but it had certainly been used as a restaurant/diner.

Managed to get inside her, which was I recall a little rough. Looking for souvenirs I found quite a few Maltese coins scattered around the floor!

Cooch
It seems unlikely that there were two abandoned ex-restaurant Connies in Malta.

From Exdac's link
Lockheed Constellation Survivors (http://www.conniesurvivors.com/5T-TAF.htm)

Not permanently closed in April 1988 but our visit could well have been one of the last only 5 or 6 months later.

Mine host, "George", who said he was one of the owners switched on the cockpit lights and suggested starting an engine. There was a whirring noise from one of the nacelles and consternation from my lady, now wife.

[2port]

There were a couple rotting away in Sao Tome 20 - 25 years ago

[DaveReidUK]

I'm not sure you can use the words Wroughton and displayed in the same sentence.

We went to an airshow there in 1990-ish and saw the exhibits in the main hangar including the Connie. It didn't register what the markings were and not having much interest in airliners it wouldn't have meant anything anyway. The hangar was brightly lit and looked immaculate as did the "exhibits".
I believe that's the hangar that's reputedly dangerous and structurally unsound.

I'm pretty sure it's the adjacent hangar (the one with the Comet and Trident) that's out-of-bounds due to its condition, rather than the one with the Connie.

[treadigraph]

There were a couple rotting away in Sao Tome 20 - 25 years ago

Still there...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@0.3732967,6.7139048,192m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu

[ATNotts]

Still there...

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@0.3732967,6.7139048,192m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&entry=ttu
Crikey they are well camouflaged! I eventually saw one (the restaurant) still can't see the other.

[treadigraph]

They are practically holding hands! :)

[ATNotts]

Got it!

[EXDAC]

They are practically holding hands! :)

Best picture of them seems to be GE image from 12/2002 before they were hidden by the restaurant structures.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/778x690/connies_d54aa76a24b23a544a9d5d8c326daf6cec917a8e.png

[dixi188]

What is the partial aircraft in between the Connie's?

[OUAQUKGF Ops]

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/640x415/connies_sao_tome_trim_f03b830a390fc2b5014800d5599025f4fc2aee 4d.jpg

[arthur harbrow]

Were these two used in Biafra?

[treadigraph]

Indeed they were:

Lockheed Constellation Survivors (http://www.conniesurvivors.com/CF-NAL.htm)

[arthur harbrow]

Treadigraph, thank you, very interesting.
Years ago i had a book called Shadows about the Biafran war which i found a fascinating read..
I can remember seeing the MATS Connie when it came to the UK.Aeroplane Monthly had a picture of the Connie with me and my pal examining the undercarraige.Happy days.

[treadigraph]

Shadows is an excellent read. Ah, visits by the MATS and Breitling Connies - heaven!

[N707ZS]

I see the Cavok UR- AN-74 is still laid on the airfield with a bit of wing missing.

[treadigraph]

Left Chino for Portland for some interior work...

https://youtu.be/1lwbRggacm4

[osbo]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NkjWYg4nV5BTUcCc9