sign Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 A Lockheed Constellation that is. It was a milestone for me. When I was a young boy I could see them every day in the sky, where they belong. The big roar of the 36 cylinders with pistons like buckets and that beautiful sight on an airoplaine that must be the best looking airliner ever. This afternoon I stepped into the constellation we call 'Connie'. It's a long story, she was found in the USA where she stood on the ground for ten years, being an ex spray plane. After four years of hard work she's on Lelystad airport, in flying condition. http://www.aviation-top-pics.com/ BTW, are there any of you who can tell me why most planes of that era are made of aluminium, but have flaps from linen? The Constellation has also tail fins from linen (kind of fabric). Peace, Han The alchemy of the masters moving molecules of air, we capture by moving particles of iron, so that the poetry of the ancients will echo into the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boosh Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Why did I picture you in a sleezy position with a girl when I read the thread title???? Fan, nu pissar jag taggtråd igen. Jag skulle inte satt på räpan. http://www.bushcollectors.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sign Posted August 3, 2004 Author Share Posted August 3, 2004 Originally posted by boosh: Why did I picture you in a sleezy position with a girl when I read the thread title????Because you have a dirty mind, which must be a joy forever. The alchemy of the masters moving molecules of air, we capture by moving particles of iron, so that the poetry of the ancients will echo into the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bbach1 Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Originally posted by boosh: Why did I picture you in a sleezy position with a girl when I read the thread title????I pictured him in Connie's belly after being eaten by her. bbach Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 The Lockheed Constellation has got to be, if not THE most beautiful commercial airliner ever built, then definitely among the top three. And if the old adage of "an aircraft will fly how it looks" is really true, then it's probably an absolute joy to pilot. And in her day, she was a FAST aircraft. A true legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveMusic Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 I don't know why linen was used by I'd like to know. > > > [ Live! ] < < < Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunkman Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Kansas City is home to another constellation, which was restored several years ago. John Travolta piloted the plane to Baja California, where he was met with a surprise 50th birthday party. Some guys get all the breaks! http://www.airlinehistorymuseum.com/images/Bowen01b.jpg "If more of us valued food, cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J. R. R. Tolkien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botch. Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Didn't Zappa record "I've Been inside Connie"? All aircraft were covered with linen in the WWI era, aluminum was more desireable for durability but was heavier. Aluminum gradually replaced linen as engines became more powerful, section by section, usually the fuselage first, then the wings, finally the control surfaces. Nowadays aluminum is gradually being replaced by plastics, as they are just as strong but lighter, can be glued instead of fastened (further reducing weight), can be formulated to be radar-absorbing, easier to form into compound curves, etc. Botch "Eccentric language often is symptomatic of peculiar thinking" - George Will www.puddlestone.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Years ago, when I lived up near Pt Magu, they had a restored Connie at the old Camarillo airport (a former WWII / cold war era AF base, and current Confederate Air Force base with lots of old warbirds - the Connie was also used by the US military for electronic warfare purposes for many years) - they're incredible aircraft. Early aircraft were made of wood frames (spars) covered with doped fabric for many years... then metal skinned aircraft started becoming the norm. However, control surfaces were still commonly doped linen covered... which caused problems on some high performance aircraft such as fighters because they could tear away in high speed dives, and so they too were eventually covered in metal. I honestly can't tell you why the control surfaces remained largely doped fabric as the majority of aircraft were moving to metal skins. Maybe it had to do with ease of maintenance in the field. Botch would probably be able to answer that for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Note to self - don't leave a post half unfinished, go answer a phone call, and come back and finish the post much later, or you're likely to look foolish when Botch answers before you finish your post. There you go - the expert has answered your question - I knew he'd know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Fuzz Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 At a guess I would think that they used linen so they could use smaller motors to move the control surfaces, keeping the overall weight down. The history of aircraft is a fascinating mix of the development of materials and powerplants... drfuzz "I'm just here to regulate the funkiness" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prague Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 It could be that the control surface linkage was still mechanical, and not hydraulic. Moving metal control surfaces by hand may have been one major labor of love on bigger aircraft of the day. I would think the surfaces would even drop down when the plane was on the ground, unless the linkage had a drag set. But, this drag would then make the surfaces difficult to move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouizel Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 I went to the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, near Dayton, OH, and got the chance to tour the Lockheed Constellation (military designation VC-121E) named "Colombine III", which was President Eisenhower's plane. Neat bird. **Standard Disclaimer** Ya gotta watch da Ouizel, as he often posts complete and utter BS. In this case however, He just might be right. Eagles may soar, but Ouizels don't get sucked into jet engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sign Posted August 3, 2004 Author Share Posted August 3, 2004 As far as I could see, the non moving part of connie's tail fins are covered with linen as well. The alchemy of the masters moving molecules of air, we capture by moving particles of iron, so that the poetry of the ancients will echo into the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Originally posted by Ouizel: I went to the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, near Dayton, OH, and got the chance to tour the Lockheed Constellation (military designation VC-121E) named "Colombine III", which was President Eisenhower's plane. Neat bird.That B-36 Peacemaker they have is one big plane!! Clay, did you also see the anex with the SR-71 trainer aircraft with it's drone? BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super 8 Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Originally posted by boosh: Why did I picture you in a sleezy position with a girl when I read the thread title????http://www.chartattack.com/pics/2004/02/02-barrymanilow.jpg "Oh Connie... Well you came and you gave without fake'n, but I sent you Bengay....." Super 8 Hear my stuff here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip OKeefe Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Super, that's just WRONG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouizel Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Originally posted by bluestrat: That B-36 Peacemaker they have is one big plane!! Clay, did you also see the anex with the SR-71 trainer aircraft with it's drone? No, I didn't get to see that. Did you get to see the XB-70? (I love that plane!) Back when I was in the AF, I was sent to Wright-Patt to take my altitude chamber training (for flying status) While I was there, a friend of mine and I were in the Modern Flight hangar near the end of the day, when we noticed that the cockpit hatch on the SR-71 was open, with a maintenance stand pushed up to it. We badgered the curator a little bit, let him know that we were in the AF, (showed him our IDs) and he let us look inside!! (just the forward cockpit, where the flight instruments were. the rear cockpit was where all the classified equipment should have been, if it was installed, which I don't know.) That was way cool. Yes, the B-36 is huge. I was a B-52G crew chief when I was in. **Standard Disclaimer** Ya gotta watch da Ouizel, as he often posts complete and utter BS. In this case however, He just might be right. Eagles may soar, but Ouizels don't get sucked into jet engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Strat Posted August 3, 2004 Share Posted August 3, 2004 Originally posted by Ouizel: Did you get to see the XB-70? (I love that plane!) Yes, the B-36 is huge. I was a B-52G crew chief when I was in.I did see the XB-70. That's the last one in existance, IIRC. I've seen quite a few military aircraft in museums and on flightlines in the US. Pope AFB used to have a great airshow every april, and I've seen a lot of interesting aircraft and demonstrations, like the Fulton recovery system in use. I've seen the F-117 in flight, one of the last remaining Lancaster bombers from WWII in a fly-by at Dayton, OH, both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels (as well as the Golden Knights), and an F-86 Sabre jet do a fly-by with a P-51 and an F-15 on either wing. I've been to the AMARK facility in Tucson, saw an abandoned Minute-man missle silo in South Dakota, and I've been to White Sands missle test range, as well as Los Alamos. BlueStrat a.k.a. "El Guapo" ...Better fuzz through science... http://geocities.com/teleman28056/index.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrysb3 Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 Because of my advancing age, I have to admit I've been in a Connie or two. But my most memorable flight, for some obscure reason, was a DC-3 between Havana and Bimini. The pilot was a huge red haired, red bearded bear of a man with an equally wide sense of humor. I was nine years old. The DC-3 was the Fordson of the sky, tough and simple. Both machines are in wide use still today. The Connie may have been more like a supercharged gull wing Mercedes, fast, exotic and expensive to maintain. Henry He not busy being born Is busy dyin'. ...Bob Dylan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sign Posted August 4, 2004 Author Share Posted August 4, 2004 Here's our connie, isn't she gorgeous? http://www.aviation-top-pics.com/images2/Connie/DSCF2282.JPG The alchemy of the masters moving molecules of air, we capture by moving particles of iron, so that the poetry of the ancients will echo into the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouizel Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 Pretty Birdy!! **Standard Disclaimer** Ya gotta watch da Ouizel, as he often posts complete and utter BS. In this case however, He just might be right. Eagles may soar, but Ouizels don't get sucked into jet engines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 I knew immediately what you were talking about...because I was just nearly in the same position. I just got back from the airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The old beautifully-restored TWA Connie (based here in Kansas City) was on display, and open for tours. As I was working, I had just enough time to tour one airplane at that time...and beautiful Connie lost out to another lusty aircraft...a fully restored B-17G (G meaning the one with the chin turret). I climbed aboard, gazed up into the bombardier's compartment, then climbed up behind the cockpit. Although the cockpit was roped off...the top turret was not...and I climbed up to face the handles of two (most likely for appearances) fully loaded Browning .50 calibers. Then down...to walk back across an eight inch wide running board across the bomb bay...replete with bombs hanging there. Through the bomb bay, back to the ball turret...where I read the instructions on how to jettison the ball turret if needed. The final sentences..."Ball turret should fall away from aircraft. If not, give it a swift kick". Back to the offset .50 caliber waist guns. Behind the waist guns were the mechanisms associated with the tail...so actually, the tail gunner had a separate entrance to the plane. On missions...he was stuck there...completely cut off from the rest of the aircraft. So...I wanted to get back to see the Connie. But, didn't quite swing it (besides, she IS based here in Kansas City). But, I sure got a hard-on inducing tour of my favorite warbird!!! Hey, yeah, Funkman! That's our Connie!!! http://www.airlinehistorymuseum.com/images/Bowen01b.jpg She was just up at Oshkosh for the last week. BTW...a belated welcome to the forum from a fellow KC'er. I take it from your handle you're a bassaholic? What part of the town do you hail from? "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ani Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 I was just noticing that Funkman had a KC, Mo location listed, myself. I echo Tedster in a late welcome to the board. Tedster and I are both North of the River; what part of the city are you in? I'm actually in Gladstone, where Tedster is a ways out of the city limits North on I-35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunkman Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 Yo, Tedster...The true story behind my "handle" is that my real last name is Funk!! I play keyboards, although I can "bring some" on the bass for a song or two, until my fingers start to blister (no callouses!) I live on the Kansas side of the state line, and currently do commercial voice-work, as well as play in an R&B/soul cover band. Thanks for the welcome! "If more of us valued food, cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." - J. R. R. Tolkien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted August 4, 2004 Share Posted August 4, 2004 Hey, Funkman...cool...like a name set-up...with a name like that, what else could you possibly do but live up to it! Hey, R&B/Soul cover band...that's an element that's sadly lacking here in KC (at least in my experience). Lotsa Blues...but very little R&B or Soul (except for the few odd covers the Blues bands do). I'd love to hear your band...post a few gigs, would like to get out and hear y'all! "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Wing Posted August 5, 2004 Share Posted August 5, 2004 Is that the Scottish built one? Last name Lingus? There are two theories about arguing with a woman. Neither one works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted August 5, 2004 Share Posted August 5, 2004 Pilot's name...Phil...Phil Latio... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Originally posted by Super 8: Originally posted by boosh: Why did I picture you in a sleezy position with a girl when I read the thread title????http://www.chartattack.com/pics/2004/02/02-barrymanilow.jpg "Oh Connie... Well you came and you gave without fake'n, but I sent you Bengay....."Oh, Mandy, She flew on a Connie to Barry, But then she found out he's gay! The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Originally posted by Tedster: Pilot's name...Phil...Phil Latio...I know Phil. He's a cunning linguist. The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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