After years of planning and preparatory work, the Qantas Founders Museum has received the Lockheed Super Constellation it purchased in September 2014.
The aircraft arrived at the Qantas Founders Museum this week, having been shipped from Manila to Townsville and then taken by road to the home of the museum in Longreach.
The Qantas Founders Museum purchased the Super Constellation N4247X, which had been grounded for 25 years, at an auction of old aircraft organised by the Manila International Airport Authority in September 2014.
Since then, the aircraft, N4247X, has been raised out of the mud, had its engines/propellers, tri-tail, wings and landing gears removed and made safe for moving before being shipped to Australia.
The Super Constellation was previously operated by World Fish and Agriculture Inc to transport fish cargo and the United States Air Force. It was similar to those flown by Qantas in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Qantas Founders Museum said on its Facebook page it would take between 1.5-2 years for the aircraft to be reassembled and restored before it was opened to the public. Volunteers were welcome to get in touch with the museum.
The museum posted a video of the aircraft’s arrival on its Twitter and Facebook pages.
Final touchdown in Longreach @AvGeekTweets @Qantas @longreachregion @OUTBACK_QLD @D_LittleproudMP @katejonesqld @jackietrad @StevenCiobo pic.twitter.com/ZuKeQjdRoD
— QantasFoundersMuseum (@qfom) May 25, 2017
Highlights of the Constellation in Qantas colours
- Constellation operated Qantas Kangaroo route air services between London and Sydney from 1947
- Constellation was the first Qantas aircraft to feature flight hostesses, and the first pressurised aircraft operated by Qantas.
- Super Constellation operated the first Qantas trans-Pacific air service in 1954
- Super Constellations in Qantas colours operated first ever regular round-the-world air services via both hemispheres in 1958
(Source: Qantas Founders Museum)
