Well that was quick...but airplanes!

So Wednesday I flew up to Michigan to see family. But then as soon as I leave...Hurricane. So I had to call the airline up and turn around and come back on Friday. I need to be here for work and my friends and my stuff.

But while I was there, I saw THIS at Willow Run Airport.

Out on the ramp by the FBO--A Super Constellation!!

This Lockheed Constellation was the Navy variant of the old EC-121D "Warning Star" Early Warning aircraft, known in Navy talk as a WV-2 (because they always gotta rename everything). They were the military version of the Lockheed L-1049, a mediocre airliner that became a military classic.

Of course I had to go through the FBO and sweet-talk them into ramp access to go see it up close. Just to see if Old NFO's name was written on it somewhere, of course.

Looking a bit worse for the wear back here, but certainly fixable easily enough. I didn't know those control surfaces were fabric.

Super Connie nose. So sleek and tall. If planes were dogs, the Connie would be a greyhound.

Engines looking good. Pratt and Whitney R3550 powerplants and from where I stood I could see nothing missing on any of them. Love to try to spin one up.

Another engine view, with the dorsal radar antenna visible on top of the fuselage.

Big radome underneath too.

These things could monitor all sorts of radio communications, track numerous other flying aircraft (and missiles) and do all sorts of Secret Squirrel stuff back in their Cold War days.

Needs a little work, but the Yankee air Museum plans to make it fly again and put it on the airshow circuit in the next year or two!!

They just got this one here in July. Looks like it's last flight was back in 1983 though, and that one apparently didn't go too well.

History of BuN 141311

Can't wait to see it fly again. I'll support the Yankee Air Museum just for this!