Historic photos from the web (1 Viewer)

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Here is an interesting bit o' trivia for you. It's an early VTOL development, the Lockheed XV-4A Hummingbird. It was originally called the VZ-10. It was one of many experiments at the time for VTOL aircraft. None of them became production aircraft as the technology of the time wasn't up to the task. This aircraft first flew in 1962 and crash on June 10, 1964, killing the pilot. Some of the data from these tests were used in development of the F-35 VTOL version.

The initial flight was a standard takeoff (first photo) and there was a lot of testing with tethered flight. The second photo was a successful vertical takeoff.
 

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There were only 2 prototypes, both were destroyed in crashes. The second, the pilot got out. It was good for data, but it still needed better technology and more engineering.
 
I'm not particularly fond of "crowd killers" (airliners), but there are a few that stand out as a thing of beauty. The Lockheed L-049 Constellation is one of those aircraft that was just a looker. It was designed by Kelly Johnson and Hall Hibbard. It's top speed was 340 MPH! Considering the time frame that it was built in, the size of the aircraft and it was a propliner, that is a rocket.

Something I didn't know until recently is that the C-69 cargo version of this aircraft actually did some military service during WWII, with 22 being used before the war ended. There was also a bomber version proposed (XB-30) but it was never built. Post-war designations were C-121 (cargo), EC-121 (electronic combat), WV-1 and WV-2 (Navy EC-121). Multiple airliner versions were also made after the war.

The second production Constellation set a record on April 17, 1944, flying from Burbank, CA to Washington DC in 6 hours and 57 minutes at an average speed of 330.9 MPH. The aircraft was flown by Howard Hughes and Jack Frye (TWA president at the time). On the flight back, they stopped at Wright field in Ohio and gave Orville Wright the last flight of his life. He commented that the wingspan on the airplane was longer than his first flight.

The advent of jet airliners forced the replacement of the Constellation. It's last passenger flight was in May of 1967, but many were used in freight service for several more years.
 

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No, they don't, Gnomey.

Here is another interesting old time airliner:

This is the Lockheed Model 9 Orion. The airplane type has quite an interesting history and an indirect role in WWII. It was initially built in 1931 as a commercial airliner. It was the first airliner to have retractable landing gear. It was faster than an military aircraft at the time.

The pilot sat in a separate enclosed cabin than the 6 passengers. Bowen Air Lines in Fort Worth, Texas was the first customer for the Orion. American Airways also bought several Orions. A number of other airlines also purchased at least one Orion. The speed of the aircraft also made it attractive the air racing crows and 2 Orions entered the Bendix trophy race in 1931.

The Civil Aeronautics Authority issued a ruling in 1934 prohibiting the use of single engine passenger aircraft on all major networks. They also issues a mandatory requirement that airliners had to have a co-pilot. Since the pilot's compartment in the Orion had only a single seat, that put an end to the Orion as an airliner, despite it's excellent safety record. It would continue on carrying mail or cargo.

Twelve of the former airliners were bought for use in the Spanish Civil War, none of them surviving the war.

Today, only a single example of the Orion exists, in the Swiss Transport Museum in Lucerne. That very airplane was flown by Jimmy Doolittle for cross country exhibition flights for Shell Oil. In 1936, Paul Mantz bought the aircraft when he became interested in racing. It took third in the Bendix Trophy Race in 1938 and in 1939. He sold it in 1943 and bought it back again in 1955. Swiss Air bought the airplane in the 1960s, had it restored to flying status and now carries the Swiss Air paint scheme.
 

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Two men that I greatly admired in one photo. Ronald Reagan with Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. This was in 1983, when Reagan presented Johnson with the National Security Medal for "Exceptional meritorious service performed in a position of high responsibility and have made an outstanding contribution to the National Security of the Nation".
 

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