And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
I agree, but I think you meant tri-tail...it had four engines. The Connie is on my short list of planes which look good viewed from any angle...like the DC-3, and the ME-262.
The TWA Hotel at JFK has a Connie out back that is set up as a cocktail lounge. Very nice. Here in Preskitt, AZ we have a hiking trail with the remains of a Connie that crashed shortly after takeoff on Feb. 28, 1959.
The Connie's were used by the Air Force during the 60's and 70's as airborne early warning, etc. They had a huge radar disk on top and the plain was loaded with radar and communication stuff.
A former boss of mine flew those AEW Connies over Vietnam & Laos, said they were so overloaded with gear and drag-inducing excrescences that they couldn't climb to a more useful signals/electronics altitude, had a hard time coaxing them up to 13,000 feet and maintaining that height.
He told a great story of Connies meeting up in the sky with F-4 Phantoms, as follows:
F-4 JOCKEY: Hey, Connie driver, watch this! [The F-4 jock then hurled his Phantom through a series of dramatic aerobatic stunts. Then came back on the air with . . . : ]
F-4 JOCKEY: "Whaddya think of that, huh?!"
CONNIE PILOT: "Not bad. Now watch . . . THIS!" [Whereupon the Connie continued to fly straight & level for three minutes, until the Connie pilot came back on the air with . . . : ]
CONNIE PILOT: "Okay Phantom jock, whaddidya think of THAT?!"
F-4 JOCKEY: "Think of . . . what? I didn't see anything special!"
Ads from those days are very impressive.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Connie was the best three-engine airliner flying!
I agree, but I think you meant tri-tail...it had four engines. The Connie is on my short list of planes which look good viewed from any angle...like the DC-3, and the ME-262.
DeleteTroll: 1, Ron: 0
DeleteLegend was that one engine would inevitably fail on each flight.
The TWA Hotel at JFK has a Connie out back that is set up as a cocktail lounge. Very nice. Here in Preskitt, AZ we have a hiking trail with the remains of a Connie that crashed shortly after takeoff on Feb. 28, 1959.
ReplyDeleteThe Connie's were used by the Air Force during the 60's and 70's as airborne early warning, etc. They had a huge radar disk on top and the plain was loaded with radar and communication stuff.
ReplyDeleteA former boss of mine flew those AEW Connies over Vietnam & Laos, said they were so overloaded with gear and drag-inducing excrescences that they couldn't climb to a more useful signals/electronics altitude, had a hard time coaxing them up to 13,000 feet and maintaining that height.
DeleteHe told a great story of Connies meeting up in the sky with F-4 Phantoms, as follows:
F-4 JOCKEY: Hey, Connie driver, watch this! [The F-4 jock then hurled his Phantom through a series of dramatic aerobatic stunts. Then came back on the air with . . . : ]
F-4 JOCKEY: "Whaddya think of that, huh?!"
CONNIE PILOT: "Not bad. Now watch . . . THIS!" [Whereupon the Connie continued to fly straight & level for three minutes, until the Connie pilot came back on the air with . . . : ]
CONNIE PILOT: "Okay Phantom jock, whaddidya think of THAT?!"
F-4 JOCKEY: "Think of . . . what? I didn't see anything special!"
CONNIE PILOT: "I just took a nice long leak."
Personally, it is the most beautiful aircraft ever built. She is stunning from every angle.
ReplyDelete