Here's the link showing progress on the Seattle Museum of Flight's ex-TCA Super Constellation.

Much of the paint has been re-done, but the painting is not completed.

http://www.rbogash.com/Connie/connie_paint.html

The aircraft is to be transported by truck from New York state to Seattle during spring, 2009.

Those odd triangular bosses inside the cowlings - I assume they are designed to support the props without engines behind them? I guess it's OK if they display a static example this way and save the 3350s for flying aircraft.
Nice color scheme though!

The engines have been gone for a long time. They were removed during NordAir's ownership of the plane in 1965-66.

Walt

I think we all owe Bob Bogash and his team a big thank you for what they have achieved here-the aircraft looks magnificent and at last it's going to be fittingly displayed in a museum, tho that's not to criticise in any way that Canadian lady responsible for the preservation of the aircraft for so many years. Can't wait to get back to the Museum of flight to see this beauty once she goes on display there.

Bob is indeed an amazing guy, unbounded energy and a passion for preserving aviation history.
We sure do owe him a big thanks. This Connie is one of many historic planes he has helped rescue and revive. Preserving the planes is so critical because when they are gone they are gone. Not one Stratocruiser remains, no Boeing 314, no DC 5. If Bob had been born earlier I'll bet he'd have all 3 in the museum at Seattle looking brand new.

How bout that Connie paint job!!!

Mark

Mark, I continue to hold out hope that one of the Boeing B-314's will be rescued from the ocean floor. From my perspective, this would be the ultimate find.

Regarding the TCA Constellation, I hope to contact Bob as the time draws nearer for the plane's delivery to Seattle. I'd love to be on hand when it arrives!

No DC5 left: a great shame, but for me, the propliner find of the 20th and 21st centuries would be if, by some amazing chance, the last one, which was reliably reported as having been broken up at the Haifa Technical College, Israel, in 1955, had in fact survived in a long forgotten corner and could be unearthed by a dedicated propliner fan going to Haifa and doing some diligent digging. Might do it myself one day, but as above, it was reliably reported as scrapped in 1955 and there are one two posts on the net to the effect that someone did just that in the 1970s and unfortunately found no trace. Ah well, dream on............... Anybody from Israel on this site?

If the miracle above were to occur, it would even eclipse the amazing re-appearance earlier this year of that DC4 in Aleppo, Syria, thirty-four years after it was "written off." Where on earth was it for all those years?

I spent some time checking around Hatzerim IAF base as the experts at the Boeing's library swore that one of the C 97s there was actually a converted 377 and not a surplus USAF C 97. Unfortunately they were wrong.

I think the Israel DC 5 is long gone and probably was completely recycled. They don't waste much there.

Hey, if they can make brand new Me 262s, a new Boeing 314 or Douglas DC 5 could be made, just takes $$$$$$$$.

I am unfamilar with that DC 4 mystery story. Tell us more.

Mark, I had likewise heard these stories regarding one or more surviving Stratocruisers in Israel, so thank you for the definitive answer.

I would love to have seen a majestic Stratocruiser plying the air show circuit in Pan American World Airways livery.

Yes 377, you're right about there being no Strat at Hatzerim. I visited there in March of this year (posted a couple of photos here) and the two C97s are definitely C97s, neither being a converted Strat.

For the Syrian DC4 story, follow this link http://www.airliners.net/photo/Douglas-C-54...-Skymaster/1029565/M/

Or if that doesn't work-you know how unreliable these links are-just tap in YK-ADA on the airliners.net home page. The story is incredible.

Michael,

Can you post a link to your Hatzerim C 97 pix? Long ago when Big Fat Strat Inc. was trying to get funding for a C 97- B 377 conversion, like Clay Lacy's plans, they thought there might be some 377 doors/frames and other parts in a scrapyard in Israel. Don't know if the rumor was ever checked out.

In about 1961 I was part of a group of kids who took a tour of the tower at SFO. An all white 377 Strat was taxying around emitting big clouds of white smoke. It caught my young eye even though all the other kids had their eyes glued on the new 707s. I asked a controller about it and he said it would eventually head for Israel and that you couldnt pay him enough to fly in that "old crate" over the Atlantic.

Back in 61 there were still quite a few propliners around. We visited Pacific Airlines hanger where as I recall they had a PBY, a DC 3, some Martin 404s. Their pride was their new F 27 turboprops. Don't know who owned the PBY or DC 3.

UAL's maintenance base was really fun for me. They had both jet and radial engine test cells running. I favored the R 2800 while my classmates were all over the jet cell. My teacher asked me why I liked the old planes so much and didn't I want to be part of the "Jet Age?" Well, uh, no. Propliner Magazine has a slogan that says "jets are for kids". Not this kid.

I went to UC Berkeley for college in the fall 67. US Navy C 118's were flying out of Alameda NAS nearly every evening giving a wonderful sound and four gorgeous blue flame exhausts on climbout over Berkeley. Tramp prop freighters still flew in and out of OAK's North Field for commerce and maintenance. They even had a worn out looking hybrid B 29 (supposedly had some B 50 fuselage sections or airframe parts) there that flew very occasionally to airshows. It is the one that Kermit Weeks now owns.

Good times.

Mark

Mark

Email me (you can get my address from my profile) and I'll send you photos of both aircraft-only one of them's up on the net.

This link will take you to a website detailing a brief history of the Israeli DC5.

http://www.jrlucariny.com/site2008/pagmisc/dc5history.html