LOCKHEED CONSTELLATION: "CALL ME CONNIE!"

In October 1961 the IAF's No. 6 Squadron "Dragons" added nine retired Air-India International Super Constellations to its fleet. Seven of these were modified for Maritime Reconnaissance. Two Super Connies served as freighters or troop carriers.

- JOSEPH NORONHA

THE LOCKHEED L-049 CONSTELLATION WAS THE FIRST MODEL of the Constellation aircraft line. Designed by the famous Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, its first flight happened on January 9, 1943. It entered service in July 1943 as the C-69 military transport aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces. After the Second World War, it was also the first civilian variant of the family. Numerous stretched and improved versions followed over the next decade. Colloquially known as Connies, Constellations were among the most graceful aircraft of early commercial flight. The variant of particular significance for Indian aviation was the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation, affectionately called Super Connie. It was perhaps the only instance of an aircraft bought by an Indian airline – Air-India International – becoming a “hand-me-down” to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and finally going to the Indian Navy (IN).

It all began in 1939 when the top management of the Lockheed Corporation met with Howard Hughes, the legendary American billionaire aviator. Hughes wanted Lockheed to design a revolutionary aircraft capable of operating US commercial aviation’s first coast-to-coast, non-stop service. He demanded total secrecy and specified that Lockheed could not sell the aircraft to any other airline until his carrier, Trans World Airlines (TWA), had received 35 of them. However, World War II intervened and the US Military acquired the Constellation production facilities.