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.
Did you know that Orville Wright lived long enough that he got to ride in a Lockheed Constellation? We got from the Wright Flyer to the Connie in his lifetime.
I used to think of the older people, what new things they've seen.
I knew a woman who traveled to California from Kansas in a covered wagon. In her lifetime, were the inventions of the automobile and the airplane and penicillin and televisions, breaking the sound barrier and manned rocket ships. And a whole bunch more.
In my life time has been party lines and 'number please', solid state circuitry, pocket sized scientific calculators and now cell phones with access to the world's libraries. And much more.
What new technologies and applications are already here yet still unknown to us? Finally (!) there is the technology to commercially mine the ocean floors. This, sixty years after it was proposed.
But we still don't know much about the oceans nor exactly how the Romans made their concrete.
All in all, it is simply amazing the speed of technology and new discoveries.
I had a 59 Buick Electra, and the tail fins on it were a bit larger than that. Great car, almost impossible to get stuck with the weight over the back wheels.
The paint scheme is wrong for AF1. It is a Special Air Mission transport for VIPs, but not for presidential use. Presidential transports have a blue stripe overlaying the passenger windows; non-presidential transports do not. They share similar vertical stabilizer paint jobs. The pax windows on the one in the photo are surrounded by white, so not a prez plane. (I mean it’s possible for the president to use any of the SAM aircraft he likes,, and it becomes Air Force One, but only certain aircraft have the “Air Force One” paint scheme).
It helps date this photo tho. Canadian Connie left airline service some time in 1963 and was re-registered in the US (although the plane stayed in Canada) and it was used by World Wide Airways.
The VIP blue and white paint schemes didn’t come into effect until newly-inaugurated Pres Kennedy changed to them in 1962. He and Jackie didn’t like the then-current hi-vis red and white paint schemes (“too imperial”). The first presidential 707 painted in the new AF1 blue and white scheme (SAM 26000) wasn't delivered until October 1962, but I don’t know when the “regular” SAM (VIP) transports received their complementary blue and white paint jobs. I would guess it was after the new AF1 made it debut so as to not steal the prez’s thunder.
So almost for sure this photo was taken in 1963 just after the SAM 707s received their new paint jobs and just before the Connie left Trans Canada service.
Howard Hughes was the primary driving force behind the development and production of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft for use with his airline TWA. I think the military took them for their use and Hughes never used them for various reasons.
57 Buick
ReplyDeleteDid you know that Orville Wright lived long enough that he got to ride in a Lockheed Constellation? We got from the Wright Flyer to the Connie in his lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI used to think of the older people, what new things they've seen.
DeleteI knew a woman who traveled to California from Kansas in a covered wagon. In her lifetime, were the inventions of the automobile and the airplane and penicillin and televisions, breaking the sound barrier and manned rocket ships. And a whole bunch more.
In my life time has been party lines and 'number please', solid state circuitry, pocket sized scientific calculators and now cell phones with access to the world's libraries. And much more.
What new technologies and applications are already here yet still unknown to us? Finally (!) there is the technology to commercially mine the ocean floors. This, sixty years after it was proposed.
But we still don't know much about the oceans nor exactly how the Romans made their concrete.
All in all, it is simply amazing the speed of technology and new discoveries.
Another fantastic aircraft from Lockheed and the genius of Kelly Johnson. The Buick is pretty cool too!
ReplyDeleteI see that CF-TGE is now on a Cessna 305 out of Montreal. Steve_in_Ottawa
ReplyDeleteThis is the Connie that was a restaurant in front of the Constellation Hotel at Toronto airport in the 90s. It's now at the Seattle Museum of Flight.
DeleteI always wondered what became of it. Never got around to eating there.
Delete1959 Buick Electra.
ReplyDeleteI had a 59 Buick Electra, and the tail fins on it were a bit larger than that. Great car, almost impossible to get stuck with the weight over the back wheels.
DeleteI remember those on the road, and yes they always looked angry to me
ReplyDeleteI thought Christine was the only angry car...
ReplyDeleteCheck out the '60 Plymouth in the movie "In the Heat of the Night"
ReplyDeleteAngry and threatening.
Looks like the Ermagerd car
ReplyDeleteThe Connie's came in so low over my house near Midway airport in Chicago, you could see kids waving at you.
ReplyDeleteIn the background is what looks like a USAF VIP aircraft. It doesn't quite look like the famous SAM 26000, though.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else notice Air Force One in the background?
ReplyDeleteThe paint scheme is wrong for AF1. It is a Special Air Mission transport for VIPs, but not for presidential use. Presidential transports have a blue stripe overlaying the passenger windows; non-presidential transports do not. They share similar vertical stabilizer paint jobs. The pax windows on the one in the photo are surrounded by white, so not a prez plane. (I mean it’s possible for the president to use any of the SAM aircraft he likes,, and it becomes Air Force One, but only certain aircraft have the “Air Force One” paint scheme).
DeleteIt helps date this photo tho. Canadian Connie left airline service some time in 1963 and was re-registered in the US (although the plane stayed in Canada) and it was used by World Wide Airways.
The VIP blue and white paint schemes didn’t come into effect until newly-inaugurated Pres Kennedy changed to them in 1962. He and Jackie didn’t like the then-current hi-vis red and white paint schemes (“too imperial”). The first presidential 707 painted in the new AF1 blue and white scheme (SAM 26000) wasn't delivered until October 1962, but I don’t know when the “regular” SAM (VIP) transports received their complementary blue and white paint jobs. I would guess it was after the new AF1 made it debut so as to not steal the prez’s thunder.
So almost for sure this photo was taken in 1963 just after the SAM 707s received their new paint jobs and just before the Connie left Trans Canada service.
1959 Buick. I was eight.
ReplyDeleteHoward Hughes was the primary driving force behind the development and production of the Lockheed Constellation aircraft for use with his airline TWA. I think the military took them for their use and Hughes never used them for various reasons.
ReplyDelete