Whenever I see a Lockheed Constellation (as in a member post here this week), or hear about this a/c, I think of one TWA Constellation I had a chance to visit, many years ago, in the Airline History Museum on the campus of the Downtown Airport in Kansas City, Missouri. This particular Constellation (an L-1049 Super Constellation) was apparently saved from imminent scrapping by the local Save-a-Connie, Inc. organization, then moved to the Museum and fully restored by the local volunteers and former TWA employees (TWA was the spirit behind and also the launch customer of the type in 1945). I'd been meaning to visit that Museum since a long time. So, one fine (very) early weekend morning...like this one...🙂..., I'd got on a trip driving the 500 miles from Chicago to Kansas City. Next morning at the museum, I was the first visitor to show up when the door opened. A former TWA Constellation Crew Member on duty turned out to be my (exclusive) guide, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable and informative visit of this aircraft (inside and outside). I had then sent a little bit of my experience about it to the "Airways" Magazine, which they published in the Reader's Correspondence Section. 

In the (on-line) Constellation Wiki today, you will find a bit of description about this iconic a/c, "N6937C Star of America was restored to airworthiness by the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. This aircraft was originally built in 1957, stored for several years, and then...restored in 1986 by the Save-a-Connie, Inc. organization..." 

In this forum, a while ago, pmplayer had posted a set of images of an (MSFS) TWA L-1049. I was struck by coincidence when I'd observed that was the same Constellation which was retorted in this Museum and the one, I'd visited there. Today I wished to look up that Museum on-line, and, unfortunately, found that the Museum has been closed for a year due to various factors. Obviously, the financial, regulatory, and legal logistics of moving and preserving any large aircraft (and especially bringing it to airworthiness condition) is an extremely difficult proposition, to which this iconic specimen has fallen victim to. Anyway, TWA, one of the (memorable and bygone) American airlines of yesteryears that operated for 70 years, was initially headquartered in the same Kansas City Downtown Airport (KMKC), before it moved its hub to Kansas City International Airport, and then to St. Louis. There is also the (main) TWA Museum, on the same Airport campus, that I'd a chance to visit during my trip.

TWA was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air, aimed at operating routes from New York City to Los Angeles. In 1946, TWA would officially go "Trans-World" inaugurating service from New York (La Guardia) to Paris (Paris Orly). In 1950, the airline changed its name to Trans World Airlines, by which name it became known worldwide. It was founded in 1930, but its NYC->LA service had already begun a year ago in 1929. It was an interesting (plain-train) combination service. Consider these: 48-hours total time, trains by night (because planes could not be trusted at night...🙂...) and planes by day, two train rides and nine flight legs, so, 11 boardings (and 11 exits) total. The planes were Ford Trimotors of Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), an airline that would go on to help form TWA later. That (landmark) service had started in the evening of July 7, 1929, when a Pennsylvania Railroad Train left NYC's Pennsylvania Station, for an overnight trip to (my one-time home) Columbus, Ohio (I recall now my TWA 727 flights into Columbus). Then, two Ford Trimotors would be waiting at the airport, in Columbus, Ohio, to take the pax further west...

My flight today mimics that famous first-leg of that pioneering coast-to-coast trip, but in the air instead, and in the comfort of a modern A318 Airbus that has no restrictions for flight during day or night...🙂...TWA had ordered 50 A318s. However, that order never materialized during the final years of its existence. Before the A318 was ready to take to the sky for the first time in 2002, TWA would be acquired by AA in 2001, and this A318 order would be cancelled. Today, as I was looking in my hangar, to fly a TWA jet, I noticed that a repainter has done me a favor by creating this (nostalgic) TWA livery on an A318, that you see below, the livery TWA had introduced in 1995, just years before it ceased to exist. Notice especially the (large) Gold Globe Logo on the front fuselage of this a/c.

Hope you enjoy this collection of TWA's final Gold Globe Livery, in the form of an A318 (an a/c which came close but never got to fly for TWA), flying here, from KJFK (New York City) to KCMH (Columbus, OH)...[One very-far-up (enroute) shot of the Appalachian Mountains range included (shot #9) ...around which mountains I've done many (MSFS) VFRs recently...🙂...otherwise, the route is (mostly) over flatlands...]

Thanks for viewing...!

Edited May 5, 20242 yr by P_7878

After that lengthy lead-in by word, your pictures (carefully chosen, I can see) were the perfect follow-up for this TWA tribute!

Edited May 5, 20242 yr by John F

Nice shots! 😉 

Gorgeous set. 

Great shots wish they were still around!

Fine set, TWA looking good on the A318 !

cheers 😉

Ahh! TWA - associations with Howard Hughes, Convair 880s and all sorts of things. Fascinating intro and lovely set of shots there P_7878. I've always liked most of the TWA designs, and doesn't Lil Chubby look great in that outfit? As a famous philosopher once said - "could it be any better?"

Very nice shots, P_787 !!

Folks:

Many thanks for the enthusiastic comments and responses...easy to get an emotional tug from the TWA colors... 🙂 ...with its rich history and once adored and loved world-wide...

Nice shots of the airbus P_7878 and the TWA paint, have it in FSX for the MD82 but it's a bit more dark blue underneath than grey.  

On 5/8/2024 at 9:14 AM, andiflyit said:

Nice shots of the airbus P_7878 and the TWA paint, have it in FSX for the MD82 but it's a bit more dark blue underneath than grey.  

Thanks much for the comment, Andreas. Also appreciated the extra note about FSX ...my 20-year-long old love...🙂...Yes, in all our past SIMs TWA was very well represented...with liveries for the many interesting a/c types, the airline had operated during its illustrious lifespan...

The subtle variations could be due to the artist's rendition...not sure...

Cheers ...!