Building the Super Constellation, Lockheed film - 1955

time and space the final frontiers conquered by man in the age of flight a symbol of this victory is the mobile fluid simple clean it's smooth motion keynotes the age of flight the new age brought on in great part by the Lockheed super constellation Oh as the air age advanced there was a growing need for an airplane that would set the standard for world air travel the super constellation was designed to meet this need huge and powerful yet precise and finely balanced as a jeweled watch to make a sixty six ton machine ride the air as delicately and surely as any bird is no easy job here is the dream made real but between dream and reality there is a story a story of men and tools the best of men and the best of tools the best of men designers engineers specialists in many fields pooling their talents to produce a design that would change the travel habits of the world researchers testing known methods and materials looking for new ones the mathematician of the new air age working with miraculous high-speed computers planners policymakers men of courage and vision the men of the airlines who stood on the threshold of the new air age and saw what was coming who prescribed what an airplane must do to serve the aged the airplane builders who arranged financing and hired talent and made the design and in the end said here is your airplane the best there is and the steady craftsmanship of thousands of airplane builders machinists metal workers fabricators electronics and plastic specialists welders tulle and diamond pattern makers electricians inspectors heavy machine operators mechanics 180 separate skills go into the making of the super constellation in the Lockheed Hall of Giants alone there are five million dollars worth of tools tools which in a single quick operation and form parts that are lighter yet stronger than parts produced in any other way an air hammer which takes a flat sheet of metal and with a mighty blow of its 120 ton fist smashes the sheet into a complex shape a massive hydraulic press largest of its kind in the world high is a two-story building weighing over two and a half million pounds costing over a million dollars able to exert a force of 8,000 tons on large sheets of metal the sheet is laid in place the monsters jaws move together under the incredible pressure the jaws open and were a few seconds ago there was only a flat sheet there is now an intricately shaped part a stretch press the giant Hercules that takes into its iron grasp a wide sheet of aluminum and at the bidding of a skilled operator pulls the sheet across the face of a die giving it permanent form a great new skin mill pioneer in the latest technique of airplane manufacture first of its kind in the world this machine takes a huge billet of aluminum weighing two tons and lays it on a travelling bed the touch on the electronic controls sends high-speed cutters on their way the cutters worked through the solid metal as smoothly as a hot knife through butter soon the finished part is ready a super constellation wing section that once was made up of 1500 separate pieces stitched together with 5000 rivets now a single piece a profiler a sophisticated machine used for making high-precision dies with uncanny skill it traces a master pattern carving its exact likeness from a metal block tools large tools and small tools each with its special function doing the thing it does best and each contributing to the building of the airplane so it goes drilling riveting milling boring grinding cutting shaping the 132,000 parts that go to make a super constellation smaller parts are stitched together making larger parts and the larger parts flow into sub assembly soon we have major units parts we can recognize barrel sections for the fuselage a nose section know-how and skill have coordinated production of these parts to a tight schedule they flow almost simultaneously to a rendezvous at an assembly Bay from a vantage point high above the plant floor a radio phone system controls the cranes which move these huge sections one after another carefully timed and an exact sequence the pieces go to their assigned positions in the assembly Bay the last unit arrives and is lowered into place the sections are lined up and locked together and after outfitting and finishing an entire fuselage is ready to go to the final production line assembly lines have been busier when the fuselage takes its place on the production line inner wing sections have been completed and are ready to be mated the tripletail distinctive mark of the super constellation has been standing by ready to move in on schedule next the engines the powerful 3,300 horsepower turbo compounds which give the super constellation its superlative performance with the mating of the outer wing the last major section is joined to the super Connie in outward appearance the airplane is whole and entire but much remains to be done miles and miles of complex wiring must be prepared and installed to make up what might be called the crafts nervous system it is this system that serves the instruments and controls by which the pilot flies the plane the flight engineer runs the engines and the Navigator determines course passengers comfort - depends on this maze of wiring it pressurizes the cabin provides fresh air in the comfortable temperature and furnishes light a traveling paint booth gives each super constellation the characteristic striping of the airline it will serve and let's not forget to hang the propellers as the airplane nears the end of the production line final inspection takes place from tail to nose from top to bottom men critically examine the ship there is one standard perfection everything must fit right everything must work right this inspection is final only in that it is the last in a long series of production inspections starting with the time when the airplane was only bits and pieces spread throughout the plant yet to come our further inspections before and after flight testing and at last we have a thing of power a thing of beauty another super constellation ready to take to the world skyways its beauty is more than skin deep blockade retains leading designers to provide space arrangement and decor to suit the tastes of discriminating passengers to add the touches of smart comfort which make the super constellation the distinctive airplane thus beauty and comfort join with speed and power and strength as super constellation qualities qualities made certain long before the first super constellation was built when prototypes of every part that was to go into the airplane were tortured to destruction to find their ultimate strength making sure that the craft would be more than strong enough to stand any stress imposed upon it this philosophy continues down to the present hydraulic components go through stiff tests in the Lockheed functional test lab here each and every working part that will go into the super constellation is put through its paces instruments go through a rigid check at a console which duplicates exactly the environment in which they will have to operate when they are installed in the airplane all electrical components must likewise measure up again the standard is perfection there is no room for doubt or an error because the super constellation flies everywhere units are tested in ovens hotter than the tropics and an ice chambers colder than the Arctic in aiming at safety the human equation is also taken care of the airline pilots flight engineers navigators and maintenance men who will fly the super constellation come to the Lockheed school for training there are constant improvements new techniques for them to catch up on these men are already experienced and highly capable the finest to be had but these courses help them get the most out of the super constellation by making them familiar with new systems expert instructors use the latest training devices charts and operational mock-ups to make the crew and the plane fully acquainted with each other by the time the course has ended the crew knows the airplane they are fully equipped to take over when it is delivered the airplane is ready the crew is ready they come aboard and take command a proud ship a proud crew a proud mission serving the travelers of the world in ever-increasing numbers these travelers come attracted by the beauty and comfort the speed and reliability of the super constellation the world airplane whether you're on business or pleasure this is the way to travel relax and enjoy yourself the airline is dedicated to your service to make things pleasant for you the luxurious dreyfus interior is a delight to the eye the soundproof cabin easy on the ears yes this is the way to travel hungry just place your order when you're high over the earth its beauty spreads before you in a way you never before seen some like scenery some just like to snooze take your choice whatever you like it's there for you a cocktail a pleasant game of cards to wile away the time with charming company and beautiful surroundings yes this is the way to do it this is the choice of travelers the world order 250 million passenger miles flown each month 40,000 Atlantic crossings to date these figures are a testimonial to the Lockheed super constellation from their birthplace in California they have gone forth to blaze skyways over the entire earth Alaska Canada the Americas North Central and South on across the Atlantic to the capitals of Europe the Mediterranean Africa and the Near East India and the Orient Australia and the vast Pacific the seven seas are short hurdles the continents wayside stops for the super constellation the super constellation has annihilated time and distance Empress of the skies pioneer and leader in world air travel you

Channel: WAL_DC-6B

Views: 150,478

Keywords: Super Constellation, Lockheed Aircraft, Lockheed Constellation, 1049, Super G Constellation, TWA, Eastern Airlines, Connie, Super Connie, KLM, Air France, Qantas, Lufthansa, Trans Canada Airlines, Lockheed Super Constellation, Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, L1049, Lockheed, Constellation, Trans World Airlines, Burbank, CA, California, plant, factory, space the final frontier, the final frontier, Star Trek

Id: UTmgaaq8sMc

Length: 16min 15sec (975 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 27 2013