What Happened To The Iconic Penndel Airplane?

Up until 1997 Penndel was known for one thing – the four-engine Super Constellation that sat in the center of the borough.

The plane served as the cocktail lounge above Jim Flannery’s Constellation Restaurant and later The Airplane Diner. During its time as a lounge, the plane was outfitted with funky shag carpeting, a bar and bathrooms with mirrors on the ceiling, according to accounts.

From a Philadelphia Inquirer report from 1997:

In its heyday, the aviation restaurant catered to the rich and famous traveling down Route 1, including baseball legend Jackie Robinson and family, and several governors.

In 1997, the plane was dismantled and taken away on big trucks follow the purchase of the site by Amoco. Today, a gas station stands at the site with a model of the plane attached to its sign.

So, what happened to the 1950s-era former transport plane that put Penndel on the map among aircraft enthusiasts?

Amoco donated the plane to the Air Mobility Command Museum, located at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, in 1997. The plane’s restoration was finished in 2003. The Constellation sits on their tarmac today, restored to look like a Military Air Transport Service operated by the United States Air Force.