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Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with Ford Trimotors .
Since Hughes wanted to focus primarily on his aircraft manufacturing and TWA holdings during the years of the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, Hughes offered to buy out all other RKO stockholders in order to dispense with their distractions [citation needed].
Since TWA was unable to provide funding, Howard Hughes had his other company, the Hughes Tool Company, fund the construction of the airliner. Hughes ordered 40 Excaliburs on July 10, 1940, making the order the largest in airline history at the time. The development was to be kept a secret until the 35th aircraft was delivered to TWA.
Lockheed had been working on the L-044 Excalibur, a four-engined, pressurized airliner, since 1937.In 1939, Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA), at the instigation of major stockholder Howard Hughes, requested a 40-passenger transcontinental airliner with a range of 3,500 mi (5,600 km) [2] —well beyond the capabilities of the Excalibur design.
Walt Disney meets with Wernher von Braun.. From 1955 through 1962, the TWA Moonliner was part of the first futuristic exhibit located in Disneyland's Tomorrowland.It was also an early example of modern product placement advertising by TWA's Howard Hughes teaming up with Walt Disney as the Moonliner's sponsor.
1940 was the best year for TWA, with 50% increase in passenger traffic over 1939, but they were still running exclusively in the red. [32] On September 9, 1940, a TWA Stratoliner from Chicago to New York set a commercial speed record flying the 778 mi (1,252 km) in two hours and 52 minutes at an average speed of 271.4 mph (436.8 km/h).
On April 16, 1944, Howard Hughes, one of the key people in the Constellation's development, and owner of TWA, flew the aircraft from Burbank to Washington D.C. in less than seven hours at 346 mph (557 km/h) at 65% engine power on a publicity stunt. This was done on the condition that the aircraft be delivered to the USAAF when it got to Washington.
Hughes' interest was airplanes, and his initial involvement was the development and financing of the Lockheed Constellation for TWA. On April 17, 1944, Frye set his third transcontinental record when he and Hughes flew the Constellation prototype on a record 6 hour 58 minute flight from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. [1] [16]