The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-08-01
Inc decker Giant Plane
Laud Here Tbss Mnnine
TRANSPORT Brings
90 MIDSHIPMEN ON
CRUISE; PLANE is
PILOTED BY 1T. o
CDR. GREENE, USN
by DOROTHY RAYn0:R

Douhle-decked as a Dagwood
Bums2ads sandwich. carrying. 80
passengers. crew of IS with
four officers aboard the mammoth
Navy transport plane. an R6-0,
landed today at 10:49 at Boca
Chica Field.
The Lockheed Constitution is
one of two such huge planes used
by theSJ. S. Navy for carrying
Official groups like the 80 mid
shipmen who arrived here today
on summer training cruise. Or
iginally designed for military
transport. the R6-0 is longer than
the average city block of $50 feet.
The huge plane measures 1856 feet
and one inch from nose to tail,
has wing span of lSver 1879 feet
and Gverti0l tail FIJI that points
up to over so feet in height@
Although the huge aircraft is
so large that it is capable of carry
ing a smaller plane in the cargo
compartment. she floated in over
Boca Chica and set her ten wheels
down with fluid smoothness. Slow
and easy. did the trick, with 1t.
Comdr. v. M. Greene as pilot.
He's been flying the same behe-
moth for two and half years.
Tcp brass. the naval air station
crews, firemen and personnel
from the Naval hospital stood by
as the Constitution craft appear I'd
flying high at 1888 a. m. Capt.
Edawrd Eldredge, commanding
officer of the naval air station
stood out in the broiling sun gaz-
ing up at the sky just as intent
" as members of the press.
''Tve never @ seen of the big
birds either,@ he said, "but If
you'd really lies to see 1be CO.'S
pS'ison in size, think of any reg
ular four engin@ commercial plane
dwarfed beside this one"
The Constitution circled out ov-
er the CITY of KEY West, and we
were told the midshipmen, who
were coming in from Jacksonville,
Fla. where they left at 1913 a. M.
today, were being given a chance
to do sightseeing from the air.
Photographers and a movie
camera man sweltered on the roof
just beloYAthe Boca Chica control
tower. Sailors in wcSk uniforms
drifted about watching the hori-
zon. Jet planes cruiSed down the
runway near the reception group
and got out of the way. Six planes
had been moved to make a space
for the big ships landing station.
The next time the transport APP
peared, she circled slowly, bank
ed slightly, and came in for a per-
feet landing Is minutes after first
sighting in the high blue yonder.
Another five minutes elapsed
while the great-wirsed bird man
i euvered 3Nund lesser species"
on the field and jockeyed into her
final berth. One lone crewman
waved his hands at the pilot as
the enormous silver hull moved
majestically down the main run
way. AS Comdr. Robert Stafford.
OPT, suggested. the performance
was like an animal trainer putting
an elephant through pofGerous.
but graceful movements. Only
Sabu, the elephant boy, never had
so much power under his controll
The craft has carrying capac-
ity of 1870 personnel. 35 men can
be placed in the first cargo COM
partment on the0ower deck, an
other 90 can be seated in the main
cabin on the second deck which is
reached by two spiral stairways.
AS the midshipmen filed out.of
the plane and walked down the
, gangplank to formation. after ar
| rival it was a parade. BY III o.
clock. they had all left the inter-
ior and lined up a1aattention while
(Contilded ON Pa-e Five,