CAMARILLO : Giant Plane May Lift Off Next Month

A volunteer group restoring a 1950s-era military transport plane say they hope to get the giant aircraft into the skies early next month after winning permission this week to take off from Camarillo Airport.

On Monday, newly appointed Ventura County Airports Administrator Rod Murphy gave approval to the nonprofit Constellation Historical Society to fly the C-121C Super Constellation from Camarillo Airport. Earlier this year, county officials grounded the huge plane, fearing that it was too heavy for the airport’s runway.

The aircraft, which served the U. S. Military Transport Service, the U. S. Air Force and the Mississippi Air National Guard, weighs about 72,000 pounds unloaded and usually about 90,000 pounds when loaded and fueled.

Murphy said preliminary studies on the runway by a consultant indicate that it is capable of sustaining the weight of the aircraft--one of only three left in the world.

“The studies that have been done seem to show that we can authorize limited use of this aircraft here,” Murphy said. “I think we can work something out that all parties will find acceptable.”

Jerry Doyle, general manager of the Constellation’s restoration efforts, said he was pleased with Murphy’s decision.

“I’d say we’re both pleased and relieved,” Doyle said. “We are taking (Murphy’s) decision as a sign of good faith. We think it’s a good start in the right direction.”

Murphy, however, said he still must decide how many flights the aging warhorse may make out of the municipal airport that runs parallel to the Ventura Freeway in Camarillo.

Doyle said his group wants to make four to six flights a month in the plane, with more flights initially to allow for testing. Murphy said that decision was still pending.