A Real Airliner Out of Restoration and Flying at Chino

Richman said:
Just the engines alone are insanely complicated. You might has well try to maintain a hand held time travel device that is all mechanical and powered by steam.
Click to expand...

The CAF did extensive modification on their 3350s to improve ease of operation. Still an impressive piece of machinery from the era of draft tables and pocket protectors.
 
Roger Roger said:
I’m sure just any ol machine shop can crank you out a replacement Power Recovery Turbine.
Click to expand...
I used to work at MKC where the TWA save a Connie was based. Pretty sure they took those off or didn’t use them somehow. It’s been a while but I also don’t think they flew it above 10,000 or maybe the low teens as well.

Some of the old guys used to say it was the nicest flying three engine airliner ever built.
 
arkflyr said:
I used to work at MKC where the TWA save a Connie was based. Pretty sure they took those off or didn’t use them somehow. It’s been a while but I also don’t think they flew it above 10,000 or maybe the low teens as well.

Some of the old guys used to say it was the nicest flying three engine airliner ever built.
Click to expand...
Is it not still there?!?
 
arkflyr said:
I used to work at MKC where the TWA save a Connie was based. Pretty sure they took those off or didn’t use them somehow. It’s been a while but I also don’t think they flew it above 10,000 or maybe the low teens as well.

Some of the old guys used to say it was the nicest flying three engine airliner ever built.
Click to expand...
Yeah, i would imagine they did. Same with the turbos on many of those aircraft.
 
form810 said:
Is it not still there?!?
Click to expand...
It’s still there but locked up by the city as well as the rest of the airline history museum for back rent. Some three way kerfuffle between the city, Signature, and the museum over back rent.

Moreover it hasn’t flown in like 15 years.
 
arkflyr said:
It’s still there but locked up by the city as well as the rest of the airline history museum for back rent. Some three way kerfuffle between the city, Signature, and the museum over back rent.

Moreover it hasn’t flown in like 15 years.
Click to expand...
Wow! That truly sucks! What the hell happened to Downtown? Used to be so cool. I sat in HH's chair once! I'm sure a whole lot of others did too. Isn't there a code between folks who sat in HH's chair?
 
My old man flew em.....not in airline colors, but navy colors at least (and he refers to it as the "willie victor"). Said it was a pretty cool plane, though it wasn't his first, so not normally the topic of old stories.
 
Last edited:
Richman said:
Just the engines alone are insanely complicated. You might has well try to maintain a hand held time travel device that is all mechanical and powered by steam.
Click to expand...
1688315840875.gif



You forgot the crystals
 
arkflyr said:
It’s still there but locked up by the city as well as the rest of the airline history museum for back rent. Some three way kerfuffle between the city, Signature, and the museum over back rent.

Moreover it hasn’t flown in like 15 years.
Click to expand...

Rumor is that the museum has a no kidding unbreakable lease and/or land allocation, but Signature wants the land for jet parking. City wants to give up the land to Signature for money, but, curses, legal documents.

My guess it gets settled by giving the land to Signature and them stroking a check to the museum to leave.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JLF
Richman said:
Rumor is that the museum has a no kidding unbreakable lease and/or land allocation, but Signature wants the land for jet parking. City wants to give up the land to Signature for money, but, curses, legal documents.

My guess it gets settled by giving the land to Signature and them stroking a check to the museum to leave.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't doubt it. In 1999 when I started working line service for Executive Beechcraft which was the leaseholder at the time used that hangar and they later gave to the museum through some kind of donation/lease agreement. That hangar is pretty big with full size doors at both ends, they used to say a 707 could fit in it but the BBJ was too tall so that was one reason to get rid of it. Back when the FBO still used it there were a few jets and other riff raff based in there including a Seneca II that was one of those owner operator 135 outfits, and the guy that flew it was basically a human hemorrhoid. One of his favorite tricks was call us up in the rain to ramp his airplane, which was always in the middle, and then it would sit out for a few hours and then he would call us to put it back in.

If the museum does leave I wonder where all their crap will go, I don't think any of their airplanes are in flyable condition plus the collective age of anyone with a clue how to work on any of that stuff is half dead.

Here is a photo of the hangar in question.

1688323939451.png
 
CFI A&P said:
The CAF did extensive modification on their 3350s to improve ease of operation. Still an impressive piece of machinery from the era of draft tables and pocket protectors.
Click to expand...
The 3350's on FIFI are a hybrid of a few different models of engines, basically it's all of the really reliable parts (power section, blower, carburetor, propeller and nose case) from the different versions that Wright built over the years. A lot of the knowledge acquired from destroying 3350's on the Rare Bear went into putting that package together, I was/am lucky enough to know some of the people involved in that whole deal. I think Bataan and Doc are both using clones of the engines on FIFI. As far as PRT's go I think the engineers might've stepped on their pee-pee when they came up with that idea. Imagine on a supercharged engine (the supercharger requires approximately 600 HP at full power to turn) you'd put exhaust turbines (not turbochargers) and mechanically link them to the power section, sounds great right? Reality put a damper on that nonsense when it became obvious that it was such a complicated nightmare. In theory it sounds great, it's like free money right? Nope, turbo compound engines are not reliable and the cost of trying to maintain them was way more than any fuel savings. I'd guess with the "new" engine package all of these planes are using a huge number of people will be able to see and enjoy sights and especially sounds for many years to come. I was at the hangar on Friday afternoon and I heard a distinctive growl, I looked at my coworker and asked "I wonder whose Mustang that is?".

Edit to add: I remember long ago going into the Connie that sat up at Camarillo and when I got into the cockpit I was surprised how small it was considering how big the airplane was, I never really had that thought again until I worked on a Citation 10.
 
Last edited:
To my knowledge, that might be the only flyable Connie left in the world. They had an airworthy aircraft down in OZ, but I don't think it's taken to the skies for a few years now.

IIRC, Pima museum has one in an old TWA livery, not flyable, obviously.
 
Astronomy-adjacent names weren't strictly observed for all of Lockheed's aircraft, but they had a decent run with it.

Vega
Sirius
Altair
Orion
Electra (Taurus)
Lodestar
Neptune
Constellation
Shooting Star
Starfire
Hercules
Starfighter
Orion
Tristar
Starlifter
Jetstar
Galaxy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top