Constellation Updates?

[APG85]

Was curious about the status of two constellation projects

VC-121A 'Constellation "Bataan". Have they installed the interior yet on this plane?

VC-121A-LO Constellation "Columbine II". Whats the current restoration status of this aircraft? Not many updates on this one in the last couple of years.

Thank you.

[Brenden S]

https://www.conniesurvivors.com/

[JohnH]

The Rod Lewis Connie is expected to be finished shortly ,
and it's going to Oshkosh. I've been told the interior will be a sight to see. Can't wait

[APG85]

The Rod Lewis Connie is expected to be finished shortly ,
and it's going to Oshkosh. I've been told the interior will be a sight to see. Can't wait

Awesome! Hopefully some interior pictures will get posted. The exterior is stunning.

[JohnTerrell]

Aerometal International, in Aurora, Oregon, is the company that has been doing the interior work on Rod Lewis' Constellation since April of 2024. They have a lot of progress reports with numerous photos posted on their website here: https://myaerometalproject.com/projects ... or-page-2/

As JohnH mentioned, the goal is to have it at Oshkosh next month.

[JohnB]

https://www.conniesurvivors.com/

Thanks, that's a well put together survivor summary..

You'll note that thanks to military C-121/WV-2s being preserved, there is a healthy population of Connies out there. Without the former military examples, it would be short list, especially considering the type's influence on air travel.

Some numbers to consider about the Douglas/Lockheed sales competition of 1946-58...
Counting military and civilian aircraft, the DC-4/6/7 series outsold the Constellation/Super Constellation/Starliner 2210 to 856.

If you think that's an unfair comparison because of wartime C-54 production (only 79 purely civil DC-4s were built, so most civil DC-4s were ex-C-54s) counting only civil production, Douglas still won the sales race 878 to 510.

[APG85]

Aerometal International, in Aurora, Oregon, is the company that has been doing the interior work on Rod Lewis' Constellation since April of 2024. They have a lot of progress reports with numerous photos posted on their website here: https://myaerometalproject.com/projects ... or-page-2/

As JohnH mentioned, the goal is to have it at Oshkosh next month.

Wow...incredible work! Thank you for the link!

[quemerford]

Aerometal International, in Aurora, Oregon, is the company that has been doing the interior work on Rod Lewis' Constellation since April of 2024. They have a lot of progress reports with numerous photos posted on their website here: https://myaerometalproject.com/projects ... or-page-2/

As JohnH mentioned, the goal is to have it at Oshkosh next month.

Wow...incredible work! Thank you for the link!

+1. That is monumental, and really very, very good.

[lucky52]

Was the "Bataan" interior completely gutted by the time it was flown out of Fort Rucker or was anything left?

[APG85]

Was the "Bataan" interior completely gutted by the time it was flown out of Fort Rucker or was anything left?

I think the original interior was long gone at that point. The plane had been used for other things after the General had retired. I thought I saw Steve Hinton saying that a "MacArther interior" was installed after they picked it up from Fort Rucker. Not sure what that looked like and how accurate it was.

[lucky52]

Thanks AGP85. Any idea how long between when MacArthur stopped using it and when it went to Ft. Rucker? Thanks.

[sandiego89]

https://www.conniesurvivors.com/

.....Some numbers to consider about the Douglas/Lockheed sales competition of 1946-58...
Counting military and civilian aircraft, the DC-4/6/7 series outsold the Constellation/Super Constellation/Starliner 2210 to 856.

If you think that's an unfair comparison because of wartime C-54 production (only 79 purely civil DC-4s were built, so most civil DC-4s were ex-C-54s) counting only civil production, Douglas still won the sales race 878 to 510.

Yes Douglas sure had a good start on airliner numbers.

To further the conversation, comparing the "heavy" numbers, things get closer. I would consider the DC-4/C-54 a different class, especially to the DC-7 and Constellation, being quite a bit lighter, installed horsepower, etc. Perhaps not quite apples to oranges, but at least apples to big apples.....

When comparing "heavies" things get closer on DC-6/7 and Constellation numbers with perhaps just over 1,000 DC-6/7 and 856 Constellations.

The evolution of the Constellation into increasingly larger, heavier, powerful and more capable versions is quite impressive. Almost new aircraft sharing a common name, shape and triple tail, but hugely different capability wise.

[quemerford]

Thanks AGP85. Any idea how long between when MacArthur stopped using it and when it went to Ft. Rucker? Thanks.

UPDATE: it went to NASA after it was retired from USAF service in the 1960s; I suspect anything VIP-specific was removed (if any remained) at that time. Its role changed from 'special mission' (VIP) to a more mundane admin/staff role in March 1955, then in September the same year it was redesignated from VC-121A to C-121A and so I'd guess that its role changed further to cargo/troop transport (its role was later designated "stock aircraft") at that time too, presumably losing any last vestiges of Bataan's plush interior.

Last edited by quemerford on Fri Jul 04, 2025 1:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Paul Stroud]

Was the "Bataan" interior completely gutted by the time it was flown out of Fort Rucker or was anything left?

I think the original interior was long gone at that point. The plane had been used for other things after the General had retired. I thought I saw Steve Hinton saying that a "MacArther interior" was installed after they picked it up from Fort Rucker. Not sure what that looked like and how accurate it was.

This is what the interior looked like when I saw Bataan at Valle airport, annoyingly I don't know the year but hope this may help.

1990s_Planes_of_Fame_Valle_Az_0007_a by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

1990s_Planes_of_Fame_Valle_Az_0005_a by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

[K5DH]

1990s_Planes_of_Fame_Valle_Az_0005_a by Paul Stroud, on Flickr

I love that Hammarlund SP-600-JX HF radio receiver in the port bulkhead! I have one in storage awaiting restoration. Hopefully I'll get to it this year... (rolls eyes)