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You can now tour the Qantas Founders Museum's restored 1953 Super Constellation

Jan. 18, 2020
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2 min read
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You can now tour the Qantas Founders Museum's restored 1953 Super Constellation
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The Queensland, Australia-based Qantas Founders Museum is allowing visitors to climb aboard a restored 1953 Lockheed Super Constellation "Connie" aircraft. This iconic plane was the airline's first that was pressurized.

(Photo courtesy of the Qantas Founders Museum)

The Connie flew on Qantas' popular kangaroo route from Sydney to London, a 12,000-mile flight that took 96 hours to complete.

(Image courtesy of Qantas)

The Connie's fuselage, originally used by the U.S. Navy, sat in an aircraft graveyard in Manila for 25 years. The museum bought it in 2015 and the restoration began. It was a huge undertaking, since the plane's instruments were gone and it had definitely seen better days. "Looking at it, at first when it was all lined with fiberglass, and hanging wires and dirt and dust, you'd think, 'There is no way in the world we are going to be able to do anything with this!'," museum curator Tom Harwood told Australia's ABC News.

The Connie cockpit before and after the restoration. (Photos courtesy of the Qantas Founders Museum)

The fuselage restoration took seven months alone. Volunteer restorer Roger Goode has a unique history with the Connie, and shared it in a museum blog post. The one he helped restore was built in 1953, the year he was born. His father Cyril flew the Connie for Qantas, and Roger remembers a unique flight he took with his dad from San Francisco to New York, then London to Sydney in late 1959 in the back of a Connie freighter. The younger Goode became a licensed aircraft engineer for Qantas, working his way up to becoming a pilot, flying the airline's Boeing 747s and 767s before retiring in 2006.

The TWA Connie cocktail lounge at the TWA Hotel. (Photo by Benét J. Wilson/The Points Guy)

The restored plane will open for visitors in April 2020. It joins one of only 20 restored Connies in the world, including one being used as a cocktail lounge at JFK Airport's TWA Hotel.

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Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees
Best for dining at restaurants

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  • Intro Offer

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  • Annual Fee

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  • Recommended Credit

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.