SPECIAL EDITION Howard Hughes and TWA insisting that the contract be kept secret until the first prototype had flown .
By mid-1940 , the order had been increased to 40 aircraft , resulting in an $ 18-million deal . The contract included exclusive rights to the first delivery positions off the assembly line , giving TWA a two-to-three-year monopoly over its competitors . At the time , it was the largest commercial aircraft order in history and was personally financed by Hughes .
The Constellation ’ s distinctive appearance was also functional , with a fuselage resembling an airfoil . Its cross-section was a perfect circle , designed for the strength needed for cabin pressurization , and the triple-tail design allowed for use of existing hangar space and facilitated better engine-out control . Except for fabric rudders , the airplane was an allmetal design .
World War II resulted in the conscription of TWA ’ s Stratoliners to the military , with DC-3s taking over on the airline ’ s scheduled services . During wartime , all new airliner production was halted by government order , but Lockheed continued building the prototype Connie , to be designated the C-69 , as a proposed troop carrier for the military . Progress was slow and it did not fly until January 9 , 1943 . A second prototype took to the air in August of that year and joined the flight-test program .
Secretly crafting a grand publicity event , Howard Hughes cleverly negotiated rights to buy the first airplane , destined for the military , which was to be used on shakedown flights . He then turned around and immediately sold the aircraft to the government at cost . The Connie , with military registration 43-10310 , was handed over to TWA at Las Vegas , Nevada , ( for favorable tax treatment ) on April 16 , 1944 . It was then ferried back to Burbank .
Early the following morning , with Hughes himself and TWA president Jack Frye at the controls , the Constellation left California with 17 people aboard and flew non-stop to Washington , DC , in the record time of 6 hours , 57 minutes , 51 seconds , shattering Hughes ’ earlier record by 30 minutes .
The airline ’ s public relations department set up an elaborate arrival ceremony at Washington
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National Airport , hastily constructing two sets of wooden boarding steps for the large aircraft . Among the bevy of political and military leaders on hand at National Airport was General Henry ‘ Hap ’ Arnold , there to accept the Connie on behalf of the Army Air Force .
Hughes took full advantage of the publicity opportunity by having Lockheed apply TWA markings to the Connie in Burbank . General Arnold knew nothing about this until the gleaming airliner taxied up in front of the Washington terminal building . Reportedly , the General was furious to see red airline colors instead of military markings , but it was too late ; so he graciously posed for the ceremonial handover . Rubbing salt into the wound , Hughes hosted an in-town TWA reception for more than 2,000 guests .
The Constellation remained at Washington for a few days , carrying dignitaries on scenic flights . Then , with appropriate military markings applied , it ferried to Dayton , Ohio ’ s Wright Field ( now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base ) for official handover to the government . On April 26 , Orville Wright , the first person to complete a heavier-than-air flight , was given a ride and the opportunity to briefly handle the Connie ’ s controls from the co-Pilot seat .
1 Delivery day , April 16 , 1944 : A beautiful ( and rare ) color image of the only Connie to wear ‘ The Transcontinental Line ’ titles , somewhere between Burbank and Las Vegas .
2 Small children marvel at the Connie ’ s graceful lines . A navigator ’ s astrodome is visible above the forward passenger windows .
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