Role Airliner
National origin United States
Manufacturer Lockheed Corporation
First flight 14 July 1951
Introduction 15 December 1951
Retired 1982,US Navy
Status Retired from commercial service, preserved examples flying as private aircraft
Primary users Eastern Air Lines / Trans World Airlines
Produced 1951–1958
Number built 259 (Commercial)
320 (Military)
Developed from Lockheed L-049 Constellation
Variants Lockheed C-121 Constellation
Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star
Developed into Lockheed L-1249 Super Constellation
Lockheed L-1649 Starliner
In the Beginning in 1943, Lockheed planned stretched variants of the Constellation family. The first was the L-049 with a fuselage lengthened by 13 feet (4.0 meters) and the second the L-749 stretched 18 feet (5.5 meters). Douglas launched a stretched version of its DC-6 airliner as a cargo transport, designated DC-6A, for both military and civilian operators. Douglas was soon to launch a passenger version (the DC-6B) of this new aircraft. The DC-6B could carry 23 more passengers than Lockheed's current production L-749 Constellation.
The first production L-1049 flew on July 14, 1951, and received certification in November 1951. The Turbo-compound versions of the R-3350 engine were not yet available for civil use, so the engines were 2,700–2,800 hp (2,000–2,100 kW) instead of the Turbo-compound's 3,250–3,400 hp (2,420–2,540 kW). The aircraft entered service with Eastern Air Lines in December 1951 flying Miami to New York. Eastern would later operate the L-1049C and L-1049G. TWA 1049s began flying in 1952; TWA L-1049Gs flew transatlantic starting in 1955. In 1956, a TWA L-1049 collided with a United Airlines DC-7 over the Grand Canyon, leading to the deaths of all on both aircraft.
Ceiling
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Aircraft Speed
Max Crew
Lockheed started producing the improved L-749A in 1949. It had a strengthened fuselage, further strengthened landing gear and a Plycor floor.
The first civil customer for the L-749A was South African Airways but its largest customer was TWA, which had 26 L-749As;.
The United States Navy followed in, ordering two L-749As as PO-1Ws (later WV-1s). The first L-749A off the production lines were destined for the military..