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.

Code:

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 !

Code:

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

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.