other aircraft of the day could approach this
specification’.”
The first Australian Constellation was
handed over at Lockheed’s facility in Burbank,
California, on October 4, 1947. Registered
VH-EAA, it departed on its delivery flight
on October 10, arriving in Sydney four days
later. It was named Ross Smith after the
Australian aviator who pioneered flights
between England and Australia. Its maiden
flight to London came on October 22. Havingproved the type’s capabilities,
the Constellation entered
commercial service in
December 1947, ushering in
a new era for the airline.
Instantly popular with
passengers and crews
alike, the type brought
about significant changes
to schedules and the
passenger experience.Crotty explained: “The initial service between
Sydney and London took 55 flying hours over
four days, with seven stops. The pre-war
flying boat service took around nine days.”
The L-749 service routed Sydney–Darwin–
Singapore–Calcutta–Karachi–Cairo–London.
The L-749 entered service with seating for
29 passengers plus: “There were 22 bunks,
allowing passengers to sleep in comfort, while
the Constellation introduced the first female
cabin crew, then known as flight hostesses,
and frozen meals prepared in a new purpose-
built facility in St Mary’s, Sydney.” The L-749
cabin configurations changed over time and
varied depending on its duties but included
carrying 48 passengers, 64 in high density
and 80 in a very-high density layout.
Qantas increased the order from four to
six -749 models, enabling the carrier to fly its
entire schedule of Sydney-London services
with Constellations.
Cargo capacity was also maximised. “One
major innovation used on the Qantas -749
Constellation was the streamlined ‘Speedpak’
cargo pannier which was attached to the belly
of the aircraft. It allowed the aircraft to carry
an additional 4,000lb [1,814kg] of cargo,”
Crotty said.
“The first Qantas -749 service to London
in December 1947 carried 2,000lb (907kg)
of food parcels for Britain, which was still
suffering from post-war food shortages and
rationing. During 1948,
around 15,000 food parcels
per week were flown to the
UK by Qantas.”
The airline’s L-749 fleet was
upgraded to L-749A standard
between early 1951 and the
end of 1952. The upgrade
increased the maximum
take-off weight to 107,000lb
(48,534kg) from 102,000lb
(46,266kg) allowing the airline
to carry more freight and cargo
and thus increase revenue.GOING FURTHER
With the Constellation established on London
duties, Qantas expanded its use across its
network with a service between Australia and
South Africa from 1952.
Flights between Sydney and
Johannesburg stopped at Perth, the Cocos
(Keeling) Islands and Mauritius. This, the first
direct service between Australia and South
Africa, was affectionately called the ‘Wallaby
Route’ due to the short hops between
airports.
Having the pressurised and comfortable
Constellation operating to South Africa
made it an instantly successful service. Its
speed meanwhile caused a sensation: it
bettered sea voyages by days while regularly
outperforming the advertised schedule.
On the first return journey, the
Constellation arrived in Perth 15 minutes
ahead of schedule. It carried 27 passengers,
including the South African transport minister.
The type’s success led to newspapers44 Aviation News incorporating Jets March 2018Above: An L-749 model Connie showing off the carrier’s livery from the 1940s. Qantas
Heritage Collection
Below: The airline’s revised livery displayed by VH-EAG. It has the initial nose cone design,
which later changed shape following the installation of radar. Qantas Heritage CollectionTwo Qantas Super Constellations await passengers for the newly established round-the-world
service. The low-tail design allowed the aircraft to utilise existing hangars. Qantas Heritage CollectionRight: Reg Darwell in his Constellation-era uniform. He would later go on to
become a captain with Qantas and ultimately fly the airline’s Boeing 747-438s.
via Reg Darwell42-46_prop_quantasDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 44 02/02/2018 13:22