Still one of, if not THE, most graceful transport aircraft ever to fly.

The first time I traveled in the Constellation was in 1962, from Toulouse Blagnac (France) to Oujda Angad (Morocco)! I am happy and proud to have this beautiful memory of a good time gone by.... 🙂

One the worlds most beautiful aircraft of all time.

My father flew the Super Connie between New York and London for TWA, I hated him not being at home for days at a time,but when i watch videos like this i can see why he loved his job and the Connie the way he did. Thanks for the memory.

Arthur Godfrey reportedly had over 25,000 hours and was rated in virtually every aircraft from the Piper Cub through the Boeing 707. I got a lot of my primary flight training at Leesburg Airport, located on his sprawling estate. He had a radar and oxygen-equipped Baron; before that a Navion, Bonanza and the DC-3. He was a natural flier; many times I'd watch him turn base and roll out right on the numbers. General Aviation owes him a lot.

My dad was a career naval aviator and at the tail end of his flying career he was assigned as Ops Officer to AEWRON-11, which flew Connies out of NAS Argentia, Newfoundland. After his transition training down at NAS Pax River, MD., dad and family relocated up to Newfoundland where he flew Connies from '57 through '56. He absolutely loved the Connie and always marveled over her sleek, elegant landing gear. He thought they were an engineering marvel, given the loads they carried.

Thank you for posting this gem!

Fifties flying, now that must have been fun, exciting and challenging. Love the steam gages and the general feeling of the cockpit. Today we have computer screens instead and the pilots watch “George” fly their planes. The Constellation is my idea of the perfect airplane.

bomberguy, thanks for the memories... in 1958 (if the film was recorded on that year) i was 11 years old and fly aboard the Super Constellation was my dream,,, thanks again for you made my dreams come true after 50 years! Fernando Zanchetta Sao Paulo-Brazil

Thanks so much for posting this, she's my favourite commercial plane. Stunningly beautiful.

Thanks, bomberguy, for the memories! Arthur and "Connie"! Wow...made this "babyboomer" smile a mile!

I never knew he was a pilot! I remember him on daytime tv sitting in a Hawaiian shirt saying "Howahya-Howahya-Howahya!" He always portrayed an even personality on TV... Guess that's good for a pilot.

My dad was an aircraft mechanic for Eastern from 1954 to 1984...I remember all thses planes very well.

What a cool video. My mom refused to fly until one day Godfrey mentioned on his TV show is was OK and safe to fly. That was all she needed.

Except for the smoking in the cockpit, proceedures really haven't changed that much since the early 50's. I remember my first ride on a Connie from BOS-MDW in 1956. They let us kids up in the cockpit during flight in those days. Great video! Lot's of memories

The best part of this is Godfrey lighting up a Chesterfield in the cockpit 👍

Wow, haven't seen the film since I was apprentice mechanic at Eastern in '67. Glen Kiser was one of my instructors. I'm sure he's past . One great guy.

Loved the Connie; flew on Air France, KLM and TWA Connies.

My first-ever flight at age 3 was in a L1049-C from Columbus, OH to DC in 1958. It was a spectacular plane for its time. I still have my "First Flight" Certificate somewhere. It was a different time back then. Here's Godfrey, PIC, leveling at FL200 then lighting up. Chesterfield paid him a bundle back then. Smoke in the cockpit today and you'll go to prison. Amazing.

Simply the most beautiful airplane ever built.

Beautiful air craft

Great posting from the front seat of a Lockheed Super Connie.

This is great!

Salut merci pour la première fois de l'explication d'instruments en cockpit! Je pu commencer comprendre la complexité de ce sorte d'avion. 🛩✈🔥⏰👠👠Mais ne pas seulement la force séductrice de cette epoque: pin up girls, streetcruisers, steam locos, swing et tango.....

Great video! Super nice bird! I really love those vintage prop liners. I'd like to see jets out and props in.

Need me a Chesterfield...

My dad was a flight engineer on the connie for many years, and I had the privilege of sitting in the Captains seat while in flight as a young boy.

Love it. The triple tailed beauty will always be the greatest airplane ever...just don't tell my Saratoga.

I've watched this video a few times now. Godfrey must have been told he was going to fly one of the new 1049C Super Connies, with the "compound engine" rated at 3250 BHP. In fact, he was provided N6202C; a basic 1049, with the jet-stack engines, rated at 2800 BHP. Most if not all the scenes were at Miami. It appears the flying scenes were spliced with audio from a studio, because a lot of the normal dialog is missing.

Wow! "Eddie" Rickenbacker was the President and CEO of Eastern Air Lines, and the highest scoring American Ace in World War One; The host, Arthur Godfrey, was a legend in the radio broadcasting world, a commercially rated pilot and an untiring supporter of aviation, and the pilot in the right seat is the famous Captain Dick Merrill who safely piloted a single engine Vultee VI called "Lady Peace," in the first round-trip non-stop crossing of the North Atlantic in September of 1936. - Ron David

It was 14 hours Montreal to Amsterdam where we connected to KLM Super Connie to Prestwick another two to three hours. Then Dad went with B.O.A.C. and it was only 9 hours on the beautiful and my love the Bristol Britania, the Whispering Giant. Then came the Comet the 707, By the time I started working in the Airlines VC 10, the 747, DC 10, L 1011 and it was just a bus.

impressive!!

Thanks Bomberguy......Authur Godfrey was a great broadcaster and pilot....too bad the "chesterfields" got him!!! But I am glad he did this clip of the Connie, which has to be the most beautiful airplane ever made.

In I think Summer of 1957, My Dad, his sister & their parents flew from Boston Logan International Airport to Los Angeles International aboard a TWA Super Connie to visit relatives I think in Riverside, Dad remembers the flight being really long and boring to him and his sister so they'd periodically walk back & forth up & down the aisle until their Dad told them to, "Stop, Sit down & buckle up", "Take a nap if you want, Wake up & we'll already be there."

My Grandfather flew the Constellation for TWA for many years.

very bad were runaway propellers or lack of oil in the feathering mechanism. there were some nasty traps but that was in the electra and the dc 4 too. pressurization and aileron cables as well as props where main problems - engines where slightly less of a problem in the statistic.

the last of the planes designed by humans and not by computers. Designed with style and beauty and grace.

@topgun51 Well said. Same here my dad flew in the Navy and would be gone for weeks at a time then he went on to fly as a civilian, Same deal but maybe not quite as bad. I can certainly relate. I missed him all my life and I miss him now.

i flew in it when i was about 12 years old. that was some time ago !

Le Superconstellation, le plus bel Avion du monde.

400 MPH? I thought that even the fastest Connie had a max speed of 300 MPH.

how wah ya how wah ya how wah ya??. yeah, he had a few belts before this flight..

Take off power!

Yeah he was a pilot. I believe he owned a beechcraft bonanza.

That was one of the first 1049C Constellations with the nightmare Wright 3350 turbo-compound engines. wouldn't it be fun to know what BMEP and internal temperatures they ran at 22,000 ft? For a time the airlines never went over 12,000 ft in low blower except for weather or terrain.

Proper fire guards

Just amazing, do you know what year this was? Idlewild, the airport they departed, is now JFK - and a bit more crowded!

@topgun51 My Dad used to fly them from Cuba to Bermuda to Azores, and on to Madrid.

@XBoeingCapt Capt, I wonder what Dick Merrill really thought of Godfrey? Eddie Rickenbacker was truly a great guy... My dad met him once when he was at Eastern. The superconnie is super..

The Lockheed Super Constellation Starliner (L-1649A) has a top Speed of 377mph at 22,000 feet. Max gross weight of the this connice is 160,000lbs This is an earlier connie I think it is a L-749. they say the gross weight of the connice in the video is 112,00lbs and that that is a full load. That is why I am thinking an L-749

@mrblujet my grandfather flew the Super Connie for TWA as well. Idlewild based. small world

In Perou or Colombia The constellation flight again ! I Know !... But the piece of engine = Difficult to LookFor...

thought that was Dick Merrill, guess that's one reason he lived to be 88, no cigs.. (check part 2) Bomber, thanks for posting...

I liked Arthur Godfreys show but he made a big mistake firing Julius LaRosa, Arthur started going downhill after that

@2129261184 best looking plane; like a moquito. I miss my Dad.

Is this guy drunk? m

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