Lockheed Constellation Survivors

N494TW c/n 2601

L749A N494TW October 1986 L749A N494TW March 31, 2005 L749A N494TW April 17, 2005
Stored at Ryan Field, Tucson, AZ in Conifair color scheme in October 1985
(via J. Roger Bentley)
Taxiing out to runway 30 at Marana NW Regional Airport one last time on April 1, 2005
(RM Pettersen)
In freshy painted 1950's Air Korea colors at Gimhae, South Korea on April 17, 2005
(Shawn Dorsch)
  • Current registration - None
  • Delivered to USAF December 1948 as C-121A 48-609
  • Flew the Westover AFB-Rhein-Main route in support of the Berlin Airlift
  • Converted to a VC-121A in ~1950 and flew VIP missions for the remainder of its USAF career
  • Retired by USAF and flown to Davis Monthan AFB for storage March 1968
  • One of five VC-121A's sold to Christler Flying Service at DoD auction on May 5, 1970
  • Registered N9464 on July 10, 1970 and converted to an agricultural sprayer by Desert Air in Tucson, AZ
  • To Les Arrosages Castor/Beaver Air Spray, Inc April 18, 1979
  • Registered C-GXKO by Beaver Air Spray May 8, 1979
  • Sold to Conifair Aviation, Inc April 30, 1980
  • Stored at St Jean, Quebec after the 1983 spraying season
  • To John Travolta, the movie actor, on August 31, 1984 for $150,000
  • Registered N494TW on October 15, 1984 and flown from St Jean to Santa Barbara, CA on September 14-18, 1984
  • Stored at Santa Barbara, CA
  • Noted at Ryan Field, Tucson in October 1986
  • Sold to Vern Raburn July 1987
  • Restoration began August 1991 with first flight in October 1991, where several problems occurred
  • Extensive restoration undertaken during winter 1991-92 with first post restoration flight in June 1992
  • Painted in late 1940's MATS color scheme and made public debut as "MATS Connie" at Oshkosh 1992 Airshow
  • Overran runway at Avra Valley on August 9, 1994 and damaged prop blades and landing gear doors. Engines and prop blades from HI-393 used to repair aircraft
  • Toured European air show circuit during summer 1998
  • Advertised for sale May 2000 for $1.2M
  • To United Technologies (Pratt & Whitney Division) February 22, 2005 and donated to Korean Air for static display at their training facility at Jeju Island, South Korea
  • Departed Marana Northwest Regional Airport April 1, 2005 on ferry flight to South Korea
  • Arrived at Jeju Island April 18, 2005 for display after being painted in Air Korea colors. (See April 2005 Constellation News for additional details) Air Korea operated an L1649A Starliner registered HL4003 from March 1967 to August 1968
  • #1 and #4 engines removed in April 2006 by a team from the Dutch Aviodrome Museum and replaced with unserviceable engines. They planned to use one of the engines to replace the unserviceable #3 engine on the Dutch museum's L749A Connie N749NL, thus making her airworthy for a planned return to flight. After the engine was changed, museum management decided to permanently ground N749NL and it is currently on static display at the museum/themepark


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