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Born of the need for a four-engine propeller bomber, the Constellation soon became the backbone of long range civil aviation. The Lockheed Constellation is celebrated today as one of the finest flying machine ever built. Design of the Constellation began just before World War Two in 1939, when Pan American Airways and Transcontinental & Western Air (later TWA) issued a design requirement for a 40-passenger airliner for their domestic routes. Production of the resulting L-49 by Lockheed began, but was interrupted by the outbreak of World War II. The US Army Air Corps commandeered at least 22 of the aircraft off the assembly line, designated them C-69s, and used them as transports. After the war, when civil production resumed under several designations, the military ordered a new, longer-range version called the C-121.
In the years that followed, no fewer than 20 variants were developed for military use. The last of the Connies was the L-1649A Starliner, with a completely new wing and greater fuel capacity and range. As a civilian aircraft, Constellation has been the first airliner able to cross the Atlantic Ocean non stop. It also has had a respectable military career, thanks to its brilliant characteristics which allowed it to fulfill missions of electronic warfare and AWACS. Production of all Constellations ended in the late 1950s, but the type lived on for decades as an airliner and freighter in many smaller countries. The Constellation contributed to its national defense in so many ways that it is difficult to fully account the impact it had. The few remaining airworthy examples are increasingly appreciated for their looks, performance and versatility.