Parked for some years before being brought back to life as the lovely "MATS Connie", which flew for several years in period USAF livery.

K25 slide scan.Built 1948 as 48-609, retired to MASDC 1968. Christler Flying Service N9464 1970, taken out of store and converted to sprayer 1974 at Casper, WY. Beaver Air Spray C-GXKO 1979. Acquired by John Travolta 1984 as N494TW and stored at Tucson Ryan Field. Restored by Vern Raburn at Avra Valley 1991 in original USAF MATS colours, joining the airshow circuit. Acquired by United Technologies 2005 and donated to Koreanair. Flown to Aviation College at Cheju Island, displayed as HL4003 in Air Korea colours to resemble a L-1649 from the late 1960's.

48-609 was carrying Vice-President Richard Nixon on a state visit. Photo from: RNZAF/Air Force Museum of New Zealand

To John Travolta Sep 84 as N494TW. To MATS Constellation Group Sep 91. To Korean Air May 2005 and on static display at Jeju (South Korea) in Air Korea livery.

Delivered new to USAF in 12.48 as 48-609 and operated by the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) and other units until retired in 03.68. Bought as N9464 in 05.70 and later C-GXKO For spraying. Acquired by John Travolta in 09.84 as N494TW and stored at Tucson Ryan Field. Restored by 1998 in MATS colours for a widely acclaimed public demonstration tour to Europe. Later sold to South Korea.

Its old registration (C-GXKO) is better visible than its actual one. The aircraft was owned by John Travolta at the time.

Scanned from a Sensia slide

Joined the airshow circuit on USAF markings. Flown to Jeju Island, South Korea for static display in Air Korea colours.

This aircraft is the former famous C-121A warbird N494TW (ex USAF 48-609), which was bought by Pratt & Whitney and donated to Korean Air. It departed Avra Valley, AZ on 01 Apr 2005 on delivery to Busan-Gimhae, South Korea. The route flown was Tucson - Oakland - Anchorage - Cold Bay - Hakodate (Japan) - Inchon (South Korea) - Busan (South Korea). On 18 Apr 2005 it flew its last flight ever, to Jeongseok on Jeju Island. The Constellation is now preserved at the Korean Air Flight Academy airfield and painted in the colours of Air Korea with registration HL4003. The real HL4003 was an L-1649A(F) Starliner, c/n 1037.

Scanned from a K64 slide