Lockheed Constellation Survivors

N73544 c/n 4175

L1049F N73544 May 1980 L1049F N73544 December 17, 2003 L1049F N73544 April 22, 2003
At Mesa Falcon Field where she was stored from 1976 to late 1978 (Steve Williams) Sitting pretty in the California sun a few days before departing for Switzerland (RM Pettersen) Flight training at Epinal-Mirecourt, France on April 22, 2005 (Ralph Kunadt)
  • Current registration - N73544
  • Delivered to USAF MATS Atlantic Division November 1955 as C-121C 54-156
  • To Mississippi ANG October 1962
  • To West Virginia ANG March 1, 1967
  • Retired and stored at Davis Monthan AFB by March 1972
  • To Smithsonian NASM June 1972
  • To Aviation Specialties Inc August 17, 1972 in exchange for Boeing S307 Stratoliner N19903
  • Registered N73544 March 26, 1973 and ferried to Mesa Falcon Field, AZ for conversion to an agricultural sprayer
  • In service as sprayer will fuselage tanks and full span spraying bars by May 1973
  • Stored at Mesa, AZ 1976 to November 1978
  • Airworthy at Goodyear, AZ 1979 and flown to Chandler Memorial Airport, AZ early 1980
  • To Benny Younesi and Mehrdad Khoramian January 17, 1982
  • Leased to Classic Air, Van Nuys December 1982 for a sightseeing flight venture which never materialized
  • Ferried to Chino, CA March 11, 1983
  • Ferried to Camarillo, CA January 15, 1984, arriving with the #4 engine shut down and propeller feathered
  • Younesi and Khoramian planned to restore aircraft and have it join N4247K hauling tuna fish between Palau Island and Nogoya, Japan
  • Work progressed slowly until January 1988 when N4247K was impounded in Manila, Philippines
  • Registered solely to Mehrdad Khoramian in March 1988 and solely to Benny Younesi in February 1992
  • Constellation Historical Society (CHS) formed in 1992 to restore the aircraft
  • First post-restoration flight made June 23, 1994 with first airshow appearance at NAS Point Magu September 1994
  • FAA grounded aircraft mid-2001 for maintenance irregularities
  • Advertised for sale on e-Bay January 2002 with a reserve price of $1M
  • Reported offer of $600,000 rejected by owner, Benny Younesi
  • CHS and Super Constellation Flyers Association (SCFA) signed a lease-purchase agreement on December 17, 2003
  • Departed Camarillo on April 26, 2004 for Basel-Mulhouse Airport, Switzerland where it arrived safely on May 8, 2004
  • Will be be jointly operated by CHS/SCFA for five years after which SCFA will purchase the aircraft
  • Aircraft purchased by the SCFA in April 2007 and re-registered HB-RSC.


Page Top Home L1049