Constellation, a project which ultimately
superseded the Excalibur.
The Constellation, often referred to as the
‘Connie’, bene ted from advances made during
the Excalibur project and included a scaled-up
wing based on that used for the P-38 Lightning
ghter; and a tri- nned tail made for a high
level of stability while ensuring existing hangar
facilities could be used.
A pressurised cabin aimed to bring a new
level of comfort for passengers, enabling the
aircraft to y above much of the bad weather.
The Constellation’s entry to passenger
service was delayed by World War Two, when
TWA’s order was diverted to the US military.
It performed admirably in this role, and had
racked up an impressive ight record by the
end of hostilities in 1945.The type nally entered TWA passenger
service in October that year. Transatlantic
ights proved successful and led to rival
Pan Am’s establishment of round-the-world
services in 1947.TAKING A CHANCE
Qantas had watched the success of
Constellation services with keen interest.
Co-founder Hudson Fysh admired its
performance and saw potential. But he
came under pressure to overlook the
American aircraft in favour of a British-built
one, because of a UK shareholding in the
company and strong links between the
governments of the two nations.
David Crotty, Curator of the Qantas
Heritage Collection, commented: “Theselection of the Constellation came at the
same time the airline was negotiating with the
Commonwealth government to nationalise
Qantas.
“There were political considerations,
including pressure from the UK government
to buy British aircraft. Key Qantas executives
including Hudson Fysh and technical director
G U ‘Scotty’ Allan were strong supporters of
the Constellation.
“Fysh had own on a C-69, the military
version of the Constellation, in January 1945
and wrote in his diary: ‘Extraordinarily good
aeroplane.’”
Ultimately the performance characteristics
of the Constellation could not be ignored- the Lockheed aircraft outclassing British
rivals. Furthermore, the manufacturer was
keen to secure the business from Australia’s
largest operator, ensuring nancial obstacles
were overcome, as David Crotty explains:
“Due to a limited supply of US dollar credits,
Lockheed made an attractive offer for
payments staged over four years, which
satis ed the Qantas board and the Australian
government. Despite last-minute pressure
from the UK to buy Avro Tudor aircraft,
Australian Prime Minister Ben Chi ey told
Fysh ‘We’ll give it a go’, and the initial order
for the Constellation was made in September
1946.”
Despite having secured the order, Qantas
managers delayed the delivery of the four
airliners until late 1947 to secure the newer
-749 model. This variant promised extended
range – an important consideration, given the
distances to be travelled.
Crotty added: “The -749 offered other
bene ts, including greater payload than the
Douglas DC-6B. It also had lower operating
costs. Hudson Fysh later wrote that ‘No
http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 43Above: Named after aviation pioneer Lawrence
Hargrave, VH-EAB was one of the original
L-749 series aircraft delivered to Qantas.
zoggavia collection42-46_prop_quantasDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 43 02/02/2018 13:22