Lockheed L-1649A Starliner

L-1649 Starliner
A Trans World Airlines L-1649A Starliner in flight.
Role	Airliner
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed
Designer	Clarence "Kelly" Johnson
First flight	October 10, 1956
Introduction	June 1, 1957
Retired	Early 1980s
Status	Retired
Primary users	Trans World Airlines, Lufthansa, Air France
Produced	1956–1958
Number built	44 (Including prototype)
Unit cost	US$3,000,000 (at the time)
Developed from	L-1049 Super Constellation

The Lockheed L-1649 Starliner was the last model of the Lockheed Constellation line. Powered by four Wright R-3350 TurboCompound engines, it was built at Lockheed's Burbank, California plant from 1956 to 1958.

Development of the Starliner began when Lockheed designed the L-1449 in response to the Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas. Powered by four 5500 hp Pratt & Whitney PT2G-3 turboprop engines, the L-1449 would have cruised faster than the DC-7C but would have had comparable range with the 10,200 US gallon fuel capacity in a new 150 ft (46 m) wing. Pratt & Whitney dropped the PT2 project ca. March 1955 due to expected unreliability, high specific fuel consumption and high operating costs, though the T34 military version of the engine powered the Douglas C-133 freighter (which was also plagued with marginal reliability).

The Air-Britain book says the L-1449 would have been 55 inches longer than the L-1049 series with a maximum weight of 175,000 lb; the L-1549 replaced the 1449 in early 1955 with an additional 40-inch stretch and a takeoff weight of 187,500 lb, presumably still with the big PT2 turboprops.

However Rummel's book says Lockheed told TWA on 30 September 1954 that the L-1449 would use the same fuselage as the 1049 series; Hughes Tool Co ordered 25 of them in December, though TWA estimated that the L-1449 would lose money for them even with every seat occupied. When P&W dropped their engine Lockheed proposed an L-1549 with Allison turboprops, but TWA and Lockheed agreed on the piston-engined L-1649 instead and so amended the L-1449 contract. In April 1955 Lockheed told TWA that they wanted to drop the 1649, but Hughes refused to agree.

Though the L-1449 and L-1549 were never built, all Constellations from 1954 onwards were strengthened to take the thrust generated by the T34/PT-2 turboprops, which were fitted to several R7V-2 Constellations for the United States Navy (USN).