Lockheed Constellation Survivors

N422NA c/n 2605

At Baltimore's Friendship Airport in early 1967 still wearing USAF colors with the roundel painted out (Stephen Miller) In NASA colors at Friendship Airport in October 1967 while assigned to the Goddard Space Center (J. Roger Bentley) On display at the Planes of Fame Museum in Valle, AZ on August 16, 2006 as VC-121A 48-613 "Bataan" (Tom Beudeker)
L749A NASA422 1967 Baltimore L749A NASA422 October 1967 L749A 48-613 August 16, 2006
In flight for the first time in 21 years during the ferry flight from Valle, AZ to Chino, CA for restoration (Michael O'Leary) Aircraft undergoing a multi-year comprehensive restoration at the Fighter Rebuilders facility at Chino Airport (Michael S. Prophet) In a puzzling move, the aircraft's authentic interior was stripped out and will be replaced with a new one (Michael O'Leary)
  • Current registration - N422NA
  • Delivered to USAF January 1949 as C-121A 48-613
  • Flew the Westover AFB-Rhein-Main route in support of the Berlin Airlift
  • Converted to a VC-121A in 1950
  • Was the first VC-121A fitted with APS-10 weather radar
  • Personal aircraft of General MacArthur from September 1950 to April 1951 and named "Bataan"
  • Personal aircraft of General Ridgeway from 1952 to 1953
  • Transferred to HQ, Pacific Air Command as VIP transport from 1953 to late 1965 when it was declared surplus by the USAF
  • Flown to Davis Monthan AFB in January 1966 for storage
  • To NASA June 1966 for use by the Goddard Space Center, Greenbelt, MD as NASA422
  • NASA stripped out the VIP interior and installed instrumentation for use on the Apollo space program
  • Registered N422NA June 1969
  • Retired by NASA late 1969 and flown to the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker on March 10, 1970
  • Declared surplus by the Army and sold to the Planes of Fame Museum on May 7, 1993
  • Made airworthy at Fort Rucker and ferried to Dothan, AL June 23, 1993 for additional restoration
  • Flown to Addison, TX May 1994 for restoration of the interior
  • Ferried Addison, TX - Avra Valley, AZ - Chino, CA December 3-6, 1994 and to The Planes of Fame Museum Annex in Valle, AZ early 1995
  • On display at the museum as 48-613 "Bataan" with interior restored to how it was during service with General MacArthur
  • Sold to Lewis Air Legends of San Antonio, Texas April 2015. Lewis plans on making aircraft airworthy and putting it on the US airshow circuit
  • Ferried Valle, AZ - Chino, CA January 14, 2016 for restoration
  • Successful post restoration test flight completed on June 20, 2023


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