A wonderful cast aluminium model of a Lockheed Constellation; circa 1945. The world's first airliner to have a pressurised cabin. Mounted on a newly made stand, all polished to a mirror finish.
Dimensions: 26.5cm/10⅜ inches (wingspan) x 21.5cm/8½ inches (length) x 16.50cm/6½ inches (height on stand).
About the Lockheed Constellation
In 1939, Trans World Airlines (TWA), at the instigation of major stockholder Howard Hughes, asked Lockheed to design a revolutionary aircraft capable of comfortably shuttling 20 passengers and 6,000 pounds of cargo across the United States, offering commercial aviation's first coast-to-coast, non-stop service. TWA's requirements led Lockheed to the design of a revolutionary passenger and cargo aircraft, the L-049 Constellation.
When ordering the aircraft, Hughes made Lockheed agree that they would not sell the plane to any competing airline until TWA had received a minimum of 35 planes. Crucially, having a pressurised cabin would enable the aircraft to fly above any bad weather it encountered and Hughes was confident of TWA dominating the marketplace.
However, with the USA entering into World War II, the military liked the design so much that they took over the production of TWA's aircraft entering production in 1943 and converted them for military transport. Designated as the C-69 Constellation by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), it was mostly used for high-speed, long-distance troop and supplies transport during the war.
After World War II, the Constellation came into its own as a fast civilian airliner, with TWA finally receiving its first aircraft on 1 October 1945. TWA's transatlantic service started on February 6, 1946 with a New York-Paris flight. With its distinctive triple tail and curved rear fuselage, this four-engine aircraft made a real impression on its arrival at Orly airport in 1946.
The "Connie", as it became known, was instrumental in the development of post-war intercontinental and transatlantic air transport and in Europe played a key role in the waves of emigration to Australia, Canada and New Zealand between 1946 and 1962.
