United Boeing 377 Stratocruiser Hawaii Travelogue - 1950

YouTube ^ | 1950ish | United Airlines

[NRx]

Although luxurious this model plane was not a commercial success due to its high cost of operation and maintenance. Additionally the plane was involved in a number of serious accidents. Only 55 of the planes were built for airline use.

[2ndDivisionVet]

[BenLurkin]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_6

[BenLurkin]

[Windflier]

That looks an awful lot like a Constellation. Is that what it is?

[Attention Surplus Disorder]

That is a Lockheed Constellation with the triple tail and the arched back. The Boeing 377 was a blunt nose affair looking a little bit more like a B-29.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Yes, I was wanting to show the real airliner of that period, courtesy of Howard Hughes.

[max americana]

Smoking on the plane. I always remember my gramps before he passed away telling stories about smoking in the theater, on boat, on planes like it was nothing.

[NRx]

I am old enough to remember when people smoked everywhere (almost). Flying as a kid I can confirm folks smoked on the plane. I think the only places where it was not allowed were in court rooms and church as a matter of etiquette and theaters where it was very strictly prohibited by fire codes. Your gramps must have come from the land of long ago if he can remember being allowed to smoke in a theater.

[Tucker39]

Yes. A Super-G. When I came back from Japan in 1961 and the Army separated us all in one day, I found myself booked onto a discount red eye from San Fran to Harrisburg. From SF to Pittsburgh it was a Super G, with a refueling in KC, MO. From Pbgh to Hbg it was a puddle jumper. But it got me home.

[conductor john]

We had a four pack served with dinner on China! Couldn’t light up in front of parents, but squirreled away for later ( only 12!)

[Terry Mross]

I remember smoking in theaters. I knew a man who sat in the front pew who smoked.

I’ve smoked many cigarettes on airplanes. Some plans still in service today have ashtrays.

[BulletBobCo]

Notice how everyone is dressed to fly back then compared to today.

[PhiloBedo]

The Connie...one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built.

My dad had to help crank down the landing gear in a TWA Connie, landing at SFO, back in the day.

The cranking mechanism was in the passenger compartment, presumably above the gear, and the men would take turns on the cranks.

[Spruce]

One of the most beautiful aircraft ever built

[Bigg Red]

How about smoking in a hospital room? Believe it or not, it was permissible in some places even in the early 1980s.

[bigbob]

I started flying in the 70s, and virtually any flight included a full meal or at least a snack, and I don’t mean just peanuts. Yeah, smoking everywhere much to my annoyance. But if there was an empty seat you could just hop into it, no questions asked.

[Alas Babylon!]

Boeing 377

The USAF version was the C-97 Stratofreighter

The USAF Also had a similar aircraft, the Douglas C-124

[jaz.357]

Connie!

[2ndDivisionVet]

I was able to tour one they were rebuilding at the Kansas City airport back in the 1990’s. Looked comfortable for it’s time period. The one I was on had a lounge in the middle.