Lockheed Constellation
Lockheed · United States · first flew 1943 · airliner
The Lockheed Constellation was the elegant, triple-tailed American piston airliner that opened up pressurised long-haul travel, and remains one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Graceful curved 'dolphin' fuselage with a drooped nose |
| T — Tail | Twin fin |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Distinctive triple-fin tail, three vertical fins
- Graceful curved 'dolphin' fuselage with a drooped nose
- Four wing-mounted radials and a tall, nose-high stance
No other airliner of its era looks like the Constellation. The unmistakable triple tail, combined with the sinuous curved fuselage and porpoise-like nose, separates it instantly from the conventional single-finned DC-6 it competed against.
Specifications
- The Lockheed Constellation has a length of 35.41 m (116 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 38.46 m (126 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 607 km/h (377 mph).
- Typical crew: 4-5.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Conceived for TWA with Howard Hughes' backing before the war, the Constellation first flew in 1943 and entered military service as the C-69. A total of 856 were built between 1943 and 1958, making it a defining long-range piston airliner of the late 1940s and 1950s and a pioneer of pressurised transatlantic travel.
Variants
Major civil versions were the L-049, the longer-range L-749, the stretched L-1049 Super Constellation with Wright R-3350 power, and the L-1649 Starliner with an all-new long-span wing. Military variants included the C-121 and the EC-121 Warning Star radar picket.
Where you'll see it
BOAC flew Constellations on prestige North Atlantic and Empire routes in the late 1940s, helping re-establish British post-war long-haul service before British types matured. The type is rare in Britain today; the only complete UK example, an L-1049 in TWA colours, is held in the Science Museum's large-object store at Wroughton.
Related aircraft
- P-2 Neptune
- Lockheed C-121 Constellation
- Lockheed Lodestar
- P-38 Lightning
- Savoia-Marchetti SM.95
- DC-4
- Latécoère 631
- Avro Tudor
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.