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Mr. Starliner
Mr. Starliner
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- Aug, 12 , 24
The Lockheed Constellation was a sleek prop airliner produced in the 1940s and 1950s; it is often affectionately known as the “Connie.” Despite not being produced in huge numbers overall (fewer than 900), there were quite a few variants, both civilian and military, with a fairly confusing model designation nomenclature. The last of the commercial versions was the L-1649 Starliner, 44 of which were built.
Of the 44 Starliners produced, just four have survived to the present day. Three of the four survivors were once owned by a private individual, Maurice Roundy, “Mr. Starliner.”
Maurice Roundy is a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and aviation mechanic. Taken with the Constellation, he managed to track down and purchase three of them, all 1649 versions, over the course of the 1980s. Two of the planes were successfully ferried to his home airfield in Auburn, Maine. The third aircraft, despite considerable mechanical work and repeated flight attempts over a 20-year period, managed to make it only from southern Florida to central Florida.
In 2007, all three Starliners were sold to Lufthansa from Roundy’s private bankruptcy estate. Interestingly, Wolfgang Borgmann, the author of Schiffer’s upcoming book on the Constellation, played a role in the deal, having helped make Lufthansa aware of the aircraft and put them in touch with Roundy.
Lufthansa strove to consolidate all the airworthy parts into one aircraft, destined to fly in their historic fleet. Lufthansa put major resources into making the plane flyable, apparently over $100 million. Unfortunately, the project spiraled and was eventually canceled. That aircraft was dissembled and shipped to Germany, where it will likely go on display at a new Lufthansa visitor center in Frankfurt.
Fortunately, the other two former Roundy Starliners have survived. One has been visually restored and serves as a cocktail lounge at the TWA Hotel at JFK International Airport. The last plane resides in the collection of Kermit Weeks, where it is awaiting restoration for display at his Fantasy of Flight museum.
Maurice “Mr. Starliner” Roundy was convicted of bankruptcy fraud in 2011. Today, he lives in Florida and continues to work in the charter aviation field.
For more on Mr. Starliner and the Lockheed Constellation, preorder a copy of Lockheed Constellation: A Legends of Flight Illustrated History by Wolfgang Borgmann. The title is scheduled for publication on September 28 and should be in stock very shortly.
- Tags :
- aviation
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