Indian Airmails

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  • Pre-1953 Airlines
    • Indian State Air Services >
      • 1929 Karachi - Delhi via Hyderabad & Jodhpur
    • Delhi Flying Club >
      • 1931 Emergency Flight by Delhi Flying Club
      • 1932 Karachi - Delhi
    • Indian Trans-Continental Airways >
      • 1933 Karachi - Calcutta >
        • 1933 Eastwards: Karachi - Calcutta
        • 1933 Westwards: Calcutta to Karachi
      • 1933 Calcutta - Rangoon via Akyab >
        • 1933 Eastwards: Calcutta - Rangoon via Akyab
        • 1933 Westwards: Rangoon - Calcutta via Akyab
      • 1933 Karachi - Singapore Extension
      • 1936 Rangoon - Hong Kong
    • Indian National Airways >
      • 1933 Calcutta - Dacca
      • 1933 Rangoon - Calcutta
      • 1934 Karachi - Lahore
      • 1939 Karachi - Delhi
      • 1947 Calcutta - Rangoon
    • Madras Air Taxi Service
    • Experimental & Survey Flights. >
      • 1931 England - Australia Flight >
        • 1st Experimental Flight
        • 2nd Experimental Flight
      • 1938 Flying Boat Coogee
  • Tata Airlines
    • 1932 - Karachi - Madras >
      • Official Southbound
      • Official Northbound
      • Other Southbound
      • Other Northbound
      • Other Material
    • 1933 - Karachi - Madras via Poona
    • 1935 Karachi - Madras via Hyderabad >
      • 1935 - Karachi - Madras via Hyderabad
      • 1935 Bombay-Hyderabad Errors on Stamp
    • 1935 - Bombay - Calcutta demonstration flight
    • 1935 - Bombay - Travancore via Goa & Cannanore
    • 1936 - Madras to Colombo via Trichinopoly
    • 1937 - First Flight to Bhuj
    • 1937 - Delhi - Bombay via Gwalior, Bhopal & Indore
    • 1938 - Karachi - Madras extension to Colombo via Trichnopoly
    • 1938 - Trichinopoly - Trivandrum extension
    • 1938 - Mansoon halt at Poona
    • 1946 - Bombay - Calcutta via Nagpur
  • Air-India
    • 1948 Air-India International Bombay - London Flight >
      • Postage Stamps - Constant Errors
      • The Postage Stamp
      • First Day Covers
      • DG's Circular & Postal Notices
      • Official Covers
      • Air-India Covers
      • Special Flight Cachet
      • Postage Rates gallery
      • Local Cancellations
      • Private Covers Gallery
      • Interesting Places of Origin & Destinations >
        • Interesting Destinations
        • Interesting Places of Origin
        • Interesting Places of Origin & Destinations
      • More interesting covers
      • Return Flight covers
      • Other Philatelic Curiosities
      • Award winning exhibit
    • 1948 - 1953 Early Route Expansion
    • 1954 - 1959 Early Route Expansion
    • 1960 - 1965 Air-India Boeing 707 Era.
    • 1966 - 1970 Air-India Boeing 707 Era.
    • 1971 - 1975 Boeing 747 & Other Aircraft Era
    • 1976 Onward Boeing 747 & Other Aircraft Era
    • Crash Mail Covers
    • Postal Meter panels
  • Indian Airlines
    • 1960 - 1964
    • 1965 - 1969
    • 1970 - 1974
    • 1975 - 1979
    • 1980 - Onward
    • Meter Panel & Stationery
  • Others
    • Zeppelin & Catapult >
      • LZ-10 Schwaben
      • LZ-13 Hansa
      • LZ-127 Graf Zeppelin
      • LZ-129 Hindenberg
      • LZ-130 Graf Zeppelin II
      • Catapult Mail
      • Ephemera
    • Rocket Mail >
      • Indian Rocket Mail
      • Sikkim Rocket Mail
    • Pigeon Mail
    • Balloon Mail
    • Airship R 101
    • Indian Air Force
  • Resources
  • Useful Links
  • Contact

Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049

Air-India took delivery of it's first two Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049C airplanes in June & July 1954.
  • 6 June 1954, VT-DGL Empress Nurjehan (Later renamed as Rani of Jhansi). c/n 4547. Sold to the Indian Air Force.
  • 30 July 1954, VT-DGM Rani of Ajanta (Ind). c/n 4548. Sold to the Indian Air Force.
Later three Super Constellations L-1049E  were purchased: .
  • VT-DHL Rani of Nilgiris.
  • VT-DHM Rani of Ellora. c/n 4614. Sold to the Indian Air Force on 30 October 1961.
  • 20 March 1955, VT-DHN Rani of Chittor. Sold to the Indian Air Force.
Air-India International added another five Super Constellations L-1049G, before finally moving on to the Boeing 707s, in 1960.
  • 11 June 1956, VT-DIL Rani of Golconda. Sold to the Indian Air Force.
  • VT-DIM Rani of Ayodhya, Sold to the Indian Air Force.
  • VT-DIN Rani of Agra. Caught Fire in Bombay 19 July 1959.
  • VT-DJW Rani of Bijapur. Converted to a freighter 4 May 1960.
  • VT-DJX Rani of Madurai. Converted to a freighter 22 July 1960.

Picture
Picture

VT-DGL Empress Nurjehan (Later renamed as Rani of Jhansi)

Picture
Air-India's first Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049 (VT-DGL) Empress Nurjehan, later renamed Rani of Jhansi.
Acquired on 6 June 1954
Picture
Air-India's Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049 (VT-DGL) Empress Nurjehan
Picture
Air-India Super Constellation L-1049 powered by 4 Wright Cyclone air-cooled radial engine and has a cruising speed of 260/290 m.p.h. at an altitude of between 10,000 and 20,000 feet. Length 95 ft. 3 ins; wing span 123 ft.

VT-DGM Rani of Ind

Picture
Air-India's second Lockheed Super Constellation L-1049 (VT-DGM) Rani of Ind.
Acquired on 30 July 1954
Photograph taken at Bombay Airport shows the graceful Super Constellation with the crew that brought her to India on the maiden voyage. There is a fair amount of discussion on the internet as to whether Air-India actually named an airplane Rani of Ind, but I guess this picture puts the matter at rest.
Picture
VT-DGM (c/n 4548) Rani of Ind seen in the mid-1950s. Looks like this picture was taken at Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport.
Picture
VT-DGM OR VT-DGL Rani of Ind or Emperor Nurjehan ​
Picture
Air-India VT-DGM OR VT-DGL Rani of Ind or Emperor Nurjehan ​​

VT-DHL Rani of Nilgiris
Picture
VT-DHL - L-1049E, Rani of Nilgiris

VT-DHM Rani of Ellora

Picture
VT-DHM Rani of Ellora (c/n 4614) seen at Tokyo airport.
VT-DHM Rani of Ellora was sold to the Indian Air Force on 30 October 1961, and was registered as BG 575. It then passed on to the Indian Navy in 1976, and then retired in May 1983. Now stationed at the Naval Aviation Museum, Dabolim, Goa.

VT-DIM Rani of Ayodhya
Picture
On 23 July, 1963 Air-India VT-DIM Rani of Ayodhya at Germany Duesseldorf-Lohausen Airport
Picture
Picture
VT-DIM Rani of Ayodhya, Rome Ciampino Airport EST.
Picture
An Air-India International Super Constellation at Tokyo Airport
(ex-John Stroud Collection)
Picture
VT-DIM Rani of Ayodhya

VT-DJX - L-1049G, Rani of Madurai
Picture
Air-India VT-DJX - L-1049G, Rani of Madurai
Picture
Air-India VT-DJX - L-1049G, Rani of Madurai
Picture
Air-India VT-DJX - L-1049G, Rani of Madurai at Dusseldorf Airport, Germany
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