Lockheed Constellation: A Legends of Flight Illustrated History
by Wolfgang Borgmann
“The origins of the Constellation were initially of a purely civilian nature, since multibillionaire aviator Howard Hughes was looking for a very special airliner for his airline Transcontinental & Western Air, in which he had acquired a majority stake in 1939–39. It was to make nonstop transcontinental flights across the United States possible for the first time, flying higher and faster than any other airliner built or planned for the late 1930s.”
That “purely civilian nature” did not at all work out as planned because America plunging itself into WWII after Pearl Harbor not only put a halt to civilian aero work but saw the military suspending Hughes’ contract with Lockheed and requisitioning his allocation for the USAAF, drastically upping the order only to then cancel it when their need for the aircraft suddenly waned, leaving Lockheed on the hook with unfinished airframes built to military spec. Those stripped-down Connies would be repurposed for airline use, and they were a far cry from the ultra luxury mode of travel Hughes had signed up for. Still, it all worked out, and this little book ticks surprisingly many boxes.
There’s a book for every purpose—if this publisher’s “big” Constellation book, Claude Luisada’s Queen of the Skies (2014) is just too much, Borgmann’s much smaller book will do the trick. It is both accessible to anyone who just wants a quick intro and still coherent enough to tell the story without structural gaps which is something the many titles in this publisher’s several “Legends of _” series have in common. It is easy to fall into the rabbit hole of lusting after a book simply to keep a series complete although in the case of Schiffer Books it can be said that there are no duds, they strike a well-gauged balance, and they are not at all expensive.
This particular book has especially much going for it on the illustrative side because Borgmann is a German aviation journalist and thus his archive (which he himself considers “inexhaustible”) contains material from Lufthansa, the German airline that was one of the important overseas customers in period. It also has a modern-day connection to the story insofar as Lufthansa undertook an epic decade-long $160 million effort to restore an L-1649 Starliner (N7361C) from total wreck to airworthy at Lufthansa Technik North America. Remarkably, the author himself was one 
of the initiators of this ambitious project and it is discussed here. It was abruptly halted in 2018 and returned uncompleted to Germany. It is worth making a note of that year, because that’s when this book was originally published, in German, as Lockheed Constellation: Königin der Lüfte (ISBN 978-3613040359) by Motorbuch. The English version doesn’t tell you that, except for a passing reference in the Introduction (which is in fact dated 2024) to a “first printing.” Completists should be aware that the German book is still in print, still with the original MSRP of €29.99, and is easily found even in the US. Also, it is in landscape format (9.8 x 12.5″) whereas the “Legends” size is held to a uniform 9 x 9″.
A look at the Table of Contents shows you that all the major talking points are covered, both civilian and military versions as well as a more abbreviated discussion of later uses in private hands. Basic specs and a handy survey of four competing types round out the book. There is no Index, and the Bibliography which consists of only 6 items, of which 4 are unspecified and undated airline “contemporaneous documents,” is of no practical use. Detail technical issues are understandably kept to a minimum but the type’s safety record is considered.
Top photo: Caption clarity. Thank goodness the author points out that the guy sweeping the “surface” in the foreground is on the roof of a hangar, not the tarmac, in which case the attitude of the landing aircraft would make flight instructors mutter “Pull up, pull up!”
Borgmann reminds todays’ reader who contends with deregulated airlines that once upon a time air travel was utterly luxurious because the global airline association IATA dictated airfares and so the only way for airlines to differentiate themselves was by the level of service they offered, which extends to the creature comforts of the aircraft. Moreover, the swift, global movement of freight that is commonplace today was “codeveloped on a large scale by Constellation operators.” Lots of reasons then to find something enlightening in this book!
Copyright 2025, Sabu Advani (Speedreaders.info
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