Super Constellation Completes Restoration in Delaware

The Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover AFB in Dover, Delaware, has recently completed its restoration of Lockheed L-1049E Super Constellation N1005C.

This Super Constellation was built as a civilian model which never saw any military use. It flew initially with the Cuban national airline, Cubana de Aviación as CU-P573 and later was traded, leased and leased back among various aviation entities until being retired in 1967. By 1968 the plane had been purchased and erected on poles over the top of a restaurant in Penndel, Pennsylvania where the plane served as a novel, eye-catching cocktail lounge.

In 1996 the restaurant and attached plane were purchased by Amoco Oil who bought the site for use as a gas station. Recognizing the historical significance of the aircraft, Amoco offered the plane to the Air Mobility Command Museum. It was transported overland to the museum in December of 1997 with the restoration being an ongoing project ever since.

The restoration of the plane to resemble a C-121C Super Constellation, painted and equipped represent a ‘Connie’ used by the US Military Air Transport Service was not much of a stretch as the military C-121C and civilian L-1049 were essentially the same aircraft.