Connie Dreams
I much enjoyed Stephan Wilkinson's article on the Lockheed Constellation, "Call Her Connie," in your July issue. I thought readers might like to see a photo that I took in November 1960 of WV-2 Warning Stars stored in the aircraft boneyard at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Captain S. Martin Shelton
U.S. Navy Reserve (ret.)
Via e-mail
The July cover was beautiful! Thanks for another excellent cover-to-cover issue.
When I flew in a Connie back in 1960—TWA from Los Angeles to New York—I had an unwanted front-row seat to a fire in the no. 3 engine. I was 5 years old at the time, but I remember it like it was yesterday. We landed at Pittsburgh, and TWA treated us to a chicken dinner with all the fixins.
In 1967, when I was a Boy Scout at Camp Emerald Bay on Catalina Island, I was practicing for my rowing merit badge one morning when I spotted a wave-hopping EC-121 grumbling its way south. Though I wasn't a gung-ho Scout, I was (and still am!) a gung-ho bird-watcher of the flush-riveted variety. My stay at Emerald Bay gave me a daily eye (and ear) full from dawn to dusk.
I also want to thank you for regularly featuring the work of such fine writers as Walter Boyne and Jon Guttman in the "Reviews" section. They send me scrambling to the library or the Internet on a regular basis, especially when it comes to the classics reviews. Their enthusiasm and good taste is an enormous asset; you're very lucky to have them. I read both aviation bimonthlies, but yours is my favorite. I've been a regular subscriber pretty much since the beginning, so your magazine is my good habit!
John Dacey
Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Stephan Wilkinson's excellent article on the Constellation omits a significant model: the L-1249A—essentially an L-1049 fitted with four 6,000-hp Pratt & Whitney T34 turboprop engines. Only four of these aircraft were built, two each for the U.S. Navy (R7V-2) and Air Force (YC-121F). They provided outstanding takeoff, climb and speed performance.
I served as a Lockheed flight test engineer on these planes. During a maximum climb performance test, as we reached the top of the climb the no. 4 engine failed. The automatic prop feathering system worked as advertised, and the prop stopped turning within seconds. The flight engineer told me that the aircraft had more power on the remaining three engines than the standard L-1049 had with all four turbo-compound engines operating.
These L-1249As gave good service transporting cargo and personnel. However, the turboprop engines were not economical enough to be suitable for commercial service.
Martin A. Snyder
Dublin, Calif.
Rutan the Misty Driver
I enjoyed the story by Lawrence Spinetta on the Misty Fast FACs in the July issue. The "Life After Misty" sidebar mentioned Dick Rutan and his 1986 flight around the world, but failed to point out that Dick and his bother Burt designed and built Voyager. The Rutan brothers have been at the forefront of homebuilt design with their VariEze canard. I have always been a fan of the Rutans and their designs, but I didn't realize that Dick had served as a Misty pilot.
Dale F. Ryba
Via e-mail
Space constraints dictated the tantalizingly brief reference to Dick Rutan's accomplishments. Look for an in-depth feature on brother Burt in the November issue.
Keeping It Cool
As usual, I enjoyed your latest issue and have read it quite thoroughly. In Kirk House's "Into the Air" article, I believe he overstates his case in at least one respect. The AEA most certainly did not pioneer the liquid-cooled aircraft engine. The Manley-Balzer engine on the Langley Great Aerodrome and the Wright engines in the 1903, 1904 and 1905 Flyers were all liquid-cooled and preceded the AEA engines by several years. Otherwise, the article was quite good.
I would enjoy seeing an article on Thomas Scott Baldwin, who I believe has been largely overlooked. My impression is that it was he who first got Curtiss interested in aviation. When Baldwin needed lightweight engines for his blimps, he turned to Curtiss, who seemed to be building the best lightweight air-cooled engines in the U.S. for his motorcycles. I was unaware that the engine in Baldwin's 1908 SC-1 blimp was water-cooled. I have been under the impression that the Curtiss engine in the blimp that Baldwin flew at the St. Louis World's Fair was air-cooled, and I assumed that the engine in the SC-1 was also air-cooled. Please let me know if I am wrong.
Leslie C. Taylor
Docent, National Air and Space Museum
You are correct that the early Wright Flyer engines were liquid-cooled—something we should have known, having published a story on Wright mechanic Charles E. Taylor and his engines in our November 2003 issue. Kirk House sends his apologies for the error, along with a photo (right) of the SC-1 engine, clearly showing its radiator with cap, confirming that it was indeed water-cooled.
Send letters to Aviation History Editor, Weider History Group, 19300 Promenade Drive, Leesburg, VA 20176-6500, or e-mail to aviationhistory@weiderhistorygroup.com.
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