News 2023, 1-6

Search made easy

The search allows you to take advantage of finding and grouping your preferred image. Each  image contains the following information:

Registration
Manufacturer
Type
Name
Operator or owner
Image date when taken
Prop- or Jetliner
Propulsion: Piston, turboprop, or jet
Aircraft category: Cargo, transport, fighter, proto, etc. 
Military or civil aviation
Special colors
Where the image is taken; airport, town, country, continent 
The environment, like on snow, at night, etc. 
Availability/usage of the image
Timeframe; in which decade, like 1950 - 1959, the photo was taken 
C/N or MSN, please note Lockheed Constellation series only for the time being

You can always search and group/ungroup by gallery the results, see the L749 example or you choose from the criteria above and do your individual search.

The airports of Basel (BSL), Zurich (ZRH), and New York (IDL) have their own galleries, accessible via the Homepage and Airports.

Here you will find more information on the search function.

TWA's iconic Constellations

TWA operated almost every model of the Lockheed Constellation after Howard Hughes put his faith in the Constellation to take TWA, which he had acquired a majority stake in, to greater heights. He wanted the specifics of the project to be a secret and requested that his airline would be the only transcontinental carrier to operate the aircraft until it had 35 units delivered.

Hughes was such a fan of the Constellation that after the war ended, TWA reacquired all the C-69s it could from the military. They were then converted and entered civil operations as Constellations.

TWA operated 71 original Connies: C-69, L049, 749, and 749A

Eastern Air Lines L649 & L749A Constellations

Eastern was one of the largest operators of Connies in the USA. They received their first aircraft, a L649 Constellation, in May 1947. A further thirteen aircraft of the same type followed.

Eastern took delivery of nine models L749 by 1949. The Lockheed L749A Constellation, c/n 2610, N115A, flew from Los Angeles to LaGuardia Airport, New York, a leg of 2445 miles (3936 km), in 6 hours, 17 minutes, 40 seconds, setting a new West-to-East transcontinental speed record for transport aircraft.

Eastern Lockheed L649/749A gallery

N115A firing up her number One engine in 1955. Zoggavia Collection.

BOAC 's Lockheed Constellations

A total of 25 Constellations passed through the BOAC fleet, including 12 749As obtained from Capital Airlines in the mid-1950s, with BOAC's older 049s in part exchange.

We added images of BOAC L749As, which enabled the airline to serve Australia from 1949.

cn2555 G-ALAN Lockheed L749A Constellation in later BOAC colors taxiing and London-Heathrow in 1952. Zoggavia Collection

BOAC took delivery of two L049 in 1946 and used them on the London to New York via Prestwick service. By 1948 BOAC operated six L049s and in total thirteen early version Connies. They flew until 1955, when the first seven left in exchange for L749As, and the last 049 left on 24 June 1955. To the BOAC L049s. 

cn1976 G-AHEK Lockheed L049 Constellation in BOAC colors waiting for passengers at New York's Idlewild airport in 1949. Zoggavia Collection.

The Curtiss Wright R-3350 Turbo Compound engine was the power source for the Lockheed Super Constellation and Douglas DC-7.

It is an air-cooled, double-row, 18-cylinder, static radial aircraft engine displacing 3,350 in³. Turbo Compounds could produce up to 3,400 hp when using fuels (115/145) available during the zenith of their service history. Cruise fuel consumption could be as low as 0.40 lb/hp/hr. Wright Aeronautical Division (WAD), a subsidiary of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, produced many models of R-3350s between 1940 and 1960. However, the Turbo Compound, driven additionally by three power recovery turbines, was the most powerful and fuel-efficient R-3350 engine. A total of 4.148 commercial and 11.996 military TC18 engines were manufactured. (Source: Historical Engine Summary)

Interested in operation details about this temperamental engine? 

This booklet includes details of TC18 operating procedures, in-flight trouble shooting, analyzing of in flight engine functions, analyzing of these reports, and maintenance procedures.

Zoggavia launched the monochrome image Gallery 

The Gallery Black & White showcases aircraft of all eras and types in black and white or sepia tones. It's a truly classic type of photography. Some photos might appear vintage, even grainy, which evokes nostalgia, and these photos have a fantastic look that always stays in style.

Half full or half empty?
c/n 2604 N749NL Lockheed C-121A, a military variant of the L749A Constellation of Aviodome - Dutch Constellation Group on her arrival of a trans-Atlantic crossing from Arizona on the way to Amsterdam in 2002. 

Billboards - Air Travel Marketing in the 1950s

The Ferrari of the air - The Convair 990 Coronado was the world's fastest airliner before the Concorde

The Convair 990 assembly line shut down in 1963, with only 37 aircraft built. American Airlines and Swissair were the primary purchasers of these planes, and TWA and Delta Airlines meanwhile operated the smaller 880 version. Swiss Air purchased eight 990s and was the only airline to call it "Coronado."

See the Swissair Coronados in action.

Time Travel Gallery The Fifties published

Following The Forties, the Gallery 1950-1959 starts with 700 aviation images and brief information on the decade's Inventions, Money and Inflation, Culture, Homes, and Air Travel.

On 31 October 1956, the first Douglas DC-7C for BOAC touched down at LHR airport

The 'Seven Seas' ascendency was, however, short-lived. The long-delayed British Britannia began operating in late 1957 and pure jets only a few years later, making the DC-7C obsolete. BOAC converted most to freighters in 1960.

DC-7C in BOAC Service
BOAC's Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas' Gallery

c/n MSN 45111 G-AOIA Douglas DC-7C of BOAC during a test flight in 1956. 

Time Travel Gallery The Forties published

The Gallery 1940-1949 starts with 122 aviation images and brief information on the decade's Inventions, Money and Inflation, Culture, Homes, and Air Travel.

Switching between decades is very easy. Just use the buttons with the neighboring decades. 

Lockheed L749 Constellation new adds

Delivered new as PH-TDC to KLM in October 1947. Capital bought her from Lockheed as a trade-in of KLM for Super Constellations as N90670 in April 1952. To Boac as G-ANUV in 1955 until sold as N9830F to Transocean in 1958. Sold to Korean National Airlines as HL102 and in service until 1962 when sold as OE-IFE to Aero Transport in 1964. Impounded at AMS and finally scrapped in August 1966. 

Crew and passengers disembarking c/n MSN 2551 N9830F Lockheed L749A Constellation of Transocean at Oakland in January 1958.

Lockheed Classics > Constellations Serials & Operators > 2551

c/n MSN 2551 HL102 Lockheed L749A Constellation of Koreanair 1961.

Time Travel Gallery < 1939 published

The gallery contains pre-1939 aviation images together with brief information on the decade's Inventions, Money and Inflation, Culture, Homes, and Air Travel,

Forerunner in the Business Jet Market - the Lockheed L1329 Jetstar

Conducting its first flight on September 4th, 1957 and entering service in 1961, the Lockheed Jetstar was the first dedicated business jet to be introduced. Like many Lockheed airplanes, it was designed by a team led by Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson, who retained the first prototype as his personal transport. 

Look at the images from the first prototypes of 1957 until the last flying operational example in 2019 at Lockheed Classics -> Civil Designs -> L1329

Time Travel is the new Gallery to explore the images by decade

An idea of Zoggavia Classic Aviation Media is to present aircraft photos of the corresponding era. Given the ever-increasing number of images, we have chosen the format of the decades, such as 1940 - 1949. We start with the pre-1939 period, and the most recent images can be found in the 2000 - gallery.

These galleries are grouped under Time Travel on the Library page.

I hope you started well into 2023.

An exciting year lies ahead with many days of uploading images to zoggavia, compiling data into information, and enjoying all the nice things life offers.

One of the focus areas is to "fill" the Constellation section, i.e., Serial and Operators. After the L049 Constellations, 389 images, we are continuing with the L749 model.

Updated during the first days of 2023:

c/n, MSN 2503, 2504, and 2505