Business & Finance: Connie’s Sister

The race for the supertransport market is a contest between thoroughbreds. Boeing has already entered its 114-passenger Stratocruiser, foaled in the same stable as the speedy B29. Consolidated Vultee is betting on the 400-passenger transport version of its XB-36 (stablemate of purse-winners like the Liberator, Catalina). In Burbank, Calif, this week the Lockheed Aircraft Corp. led its entry out of the paddock.

To newsmen, Lockheed president Bob Gross proudly displayed the 92-ton Constitution, biggest plane ever built for the U.S. Navy. The Constitution will be slightly slower (300 miles an hour) than its sister ship, the Constellation. But it will carry 180 passengers on two spacious decks connected by spiral stairways, will have a 6,000-mile range (v. a maximum of 67 passengers and 3,000 miles for the Constellation).

Lockheed has no commercial orders for the Constitution yet. The Navy has ordered only two but its order footed the bill for development expense—usually well in excess of $10 million for a four-engine plane.

The planes being built for the Navy have regular airline seats and a few added frills would make a plane for the airline trade. This put Lockheed a few lengths ahead of Convair, which had built only the bomber version of its six-engine XB-36 for the Army Air Forces. Boeing, with 49 commercial orders for its Stratocruiser, was still in the lead.