The new transport carried the markings of Transcontinental and Western Airlines T. The other crew members were Edward T. Bolton, Navigator; R. Proctor, Flight Engineer; and Charles L. Glover, Radio Operator. Also on board were 12 passengers representing the Air Corps, T. EWT today, setting a new trans-continental airplane speed record. The huge four-motor transport made the crossing from Burbank, Calif. Howard Hughes, who set the previous record, piloted the plane here for delivery to the Army.
It passed over Butler Mo. Dayton time. Materiel Command officials said the plane was expected to make the trip in nine hours. They estimated she could fly from Los Angeles, Calif. Also aboard were Lt. The ship originally was designed to carry 57 passengers, TWA officials said.
The airline company commissioned Lockheed to build the plane two years ago. The ton ship, which has a cruising speed of miles an hour, took off with enough gasoline for a non-stop trip. Cargo and airline planes in general use now cruise at around miles an hour.
Her takeoff was clocked by Larry Therkelsen, National Aeronautical Association timekeeper and official timer of the national air races before the war.
The Constellation is powered by four, 2,horsepower Wright air-cooled, radial engines, with 18 cylinders each, the Materiel Command said. It has three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers and is equipped with a pressurized cabin for stratosphere flights. Its service ceiling is from 20, to 35, feet.
