World's Only Flyable Lockheed EC-121T Warning Star

[Doug Robertson]

Camarillo Airport CMA in southern California has been host two two different Lockheed Constellation aircraft. One civil version has been on long leases in Europe, currently advertising Breitling wristwatches. That was "Miss Camarillo".

A second Lockheed Constellation military version arrived at Camarillo CMA about 1995. It had been in a salvage yard since 1978 and somehow stayed intact. Perhaps you may have seen it visible from Las Posas Road adjacent to the east of the field. After a seven year restoration commencing in 2004 when the aircraft was bought by the Yanks Air Museum of Chino Airport CNO in California; that aircraft finally flew home to CNO departing at 12:10 pm Saturday, 14 January 2012.

USAF EC-121T Warning Star c/n 53-0548, a militarized cold war high altitude Early Warning radar intelligence Super Constellation was restored over a seven year period. Some of the restoration work even had to be redone as the aircraft was chocked outdoors and as funds allowed. It is now the world's only flyable EC-121T and will be on exhibit at the Yanks Air Museum at CNO. One engine was rebuilt just in January of this year, enabling the first flight in many years, that went directly to CNO after a pass over CMA after takeoff. The spy technology was intact in the aircraft.

53-0548 built in 1955 is powered by four Wright R-3350-34 Turbo-Compound 18 cylinder supercharged 3,400 horsepower piston engines. Rather fuelish, I'd say, delivering 13,600 total horsepower.

Years ago USN versions of the EC-121 Warning Star were the WV-1, WV-2 and WV-3, or "Willie Victors" in typical service slang. Some operated between Barber's Point NAS in Hawaii and the Pacific Missile Center at NAS Point Mugu NTD, California at the time as electronic warfare and reconnaissance aircraft in eleven hour flights between the two bases. A huge surveillance radome below the aircraft fuselage did not help the speed made good, and detracted from the sleek dolphin-bodied triple tail Lockheed design. The "Willie Victors" had 5 and a half tons of electronic equipment aboard including a dorsal fuselage tall height-finding radar also contributing considerable aerodynamic drag. The USN's WV-2s were re-designated EC-121s in the 1960s.

So, now please go see the only airworthy flying Lockheed ex-USAF EC-121T at its CNO home.

With permission
Walt

[Doug Robertson]

Thank you Walt, for your great shots at CNO. 53-0548 is re-registered as N548GF, which see.

Frankly, I am embarrassed to note my undated film SLR camera photo of it taken years ago scanned and uploaded here in 2007 was forgotten. (I am getting old-Birthday 4 Feb).

The oil stripe shown on the right side of the aircraft in Walt's photo happened on the flight to CNO. The newspaper photos taken just before departure from CMA to CNO did NOT show that oil leakage.

[Ztex]

From what I understand this was the EC121's last flight....Just a ferry flight to Yanks Air Museum in Chino. They will preserve it for the future. Maybe, just maybe one day she will fly again but I seriously doubt it.

Sure wish I could have been there to see this event. I've only seen one Connie fly, The MATS Connie at an airshow in 1995. Twas a thing of beauty!

[red750]

I guess we're lucky in Australia, we have a flying Connie which appears at lots of airshows:

Photo ID: AC581723

Photo ID: AC582733

Photo ID: AC298189

or search tail no. VH-EAG