The TWA tri-tail Constellation . . . in its day, the icon of flight itself . . . took me from Belfast, Northern Ireland to New York . . . then finally on to Los Angeles.

Built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958, the Constellation was a four-engine airliner with a wingspan of 126'  . . . and a top speed of 377 miles per hour! 

The Constellation was the very FIRST Air Force One. 

Turns out that Allan Haines Lougheed was an Irish Santa Barbara High School grad who ran the Lougheed Aircraft Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara 1912 to 1920 – before the name spelling was changed phonetically to prevent mispronunciation.

Lougheed was an Irish surname meaning “Head of the Lake.”

The original L-049 . . . before extra gas tanks were added to the wingtips.

Lockheed’s SR71 Blackbird is at the head of the lake.