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United States' Lockheed C-69 Constellation transport1
Lockheed C-69 Constellation transport:
Lockheed C-69 Constellation transport in 1970:
Design
The Lockheed Constellation was designed to meet a TWA airliner requirement in 1939.1
Landing Gear
The Constellation had a tricycle landing gear.1
Tail
The tail was composed of three fins.1
Cabin
The cabin was pressurized.1
Engines
The engines had problems.1 They were so bad that C-69 flights outside the United States was prohibited.1
Prototype
The first C-69 flew on January 9, 1943.1
Production
TWA ordered 9 in 1940.1 Pan American and KLM ordered 75.1 Before any were flown the project was turned over the the United States Army Air Corps.1
The USAAC ordered 260 by late 1941.1 Only 14 C-69s and the C-69C was delivered during the war.1 The first being in July 1943.1 The rest were turned over to BOAC and TWA after VJ Day.1
- C-69: 211
- C-69C: 11
- Total: 221
- Postwar: 8561
Variants
- C-69: Originally the TWA and Pan Am order.1
- C-69A: 30 were ordered.1 Could carry 100 troops.1 Never built.1
- C-69B: 180 were ordered.1 Could carry 94 troops.1 Never built.1
- C-69C: VIP 43 passenger transport.1
- C-69
Usage
| Lockheed C-69 Constellation1 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Transport1 |
| Crew | 4 or 51 |
| Engine (Type) | 4: Wright R-3350-35 Cyclone1 |
| Cylinders | Radial 181 |
| Cooling | |
| HP | 2,200 each1 |
| Propeller blades | 3 each1 |
| Capacity | |
| Dimensions | |
| Span | 123'1 37.49 m1 |
| Length | 95' 2"1 29 m1 |
| Height | 23' 8"1 7.21 m1 |
| Wing area | |
| Weight | |
| Empty | 50,500 lb1 22,907 kg1 |
| Loaded | 72,000 lb1 32,659 kg1 |
| Performance | |
| Speed @ 16,000' / 4,877 m |
330 mph1 531 kph1 |
| Cruising speed | |
| Climb to 10,000 ' / 3,048 m |
7.1 minutes1 |
| Service ceiling | 25,000'1 7,620 m1 |
| Range | 2,400 miles1 3,862 km1 |
| Passengers | 64 troops1 |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
