Famous today because its greater speed crushed the competition when it entered service after World War II, the Lockheed Constellation later became the first airliner to fly across the country nonstop-in a mere 8 hours, eastbound. Designed in 1939 by Lockheed aerodynamicist Clarence "Kelly" Johnson and engineer Hall Hibbard to specifications laid out by the not-yet-reclusive Howard Hughes, the Constellation, known as the "Connie," soon became the ultimate in piston-powered transport.
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