Home for the Holidays

L/E of 1049
S/N by the Artist - Mike Machat
Image Size: 23.5" x 15"
Paper Size: 30" x 21.5"
Edition Status: Sold out at Publisher

Plane Type: Lockheed 1049G "Connie"

The paragon of piston-powered airliners, Lockheed's Model 1049G Constellation epitomized elegant air travel in the mid-1950s. Inbound from Kansas City and St. Louis, Trans World Airlines Ambassador Flight 446 glides slowly past the New York City skyline, affording its full load of 63 passengers (43 first class and 20 coach) an unforgettable view of Manhattan at dusk. Moments later, the "Super G" Constellation will bank to the left, and begin its final approach to Runway 13 Left at New York International Airport, better known as "Idlewild" for its location in that section of suburban Queens. It is Christmas Eve, December 24, 1956. Shown here as the Captain calls for flaps and the First Officer reaches for the appropriate handle, Flight 446 crosses Buttermilk Channel between Governor's Island and Brooklyn Heights, while the lower tip of Manhattan Island, bordered by the Hudson and East Rivers, slowly fades into the distance. Christmas lights adorn base housing on Fort Jay at the lower left, and when the aircraft touches down at "IDL" approximately six minutes later, passengers and crew, reunited with friends and family, will finally be "Home for the Holidays."

PLANE JUNKIE - Home for the Holidays by Mike Machat (Secondary Market Print)