Original Certificate of Airworthiness - Issued three days before First Flight
What's In a Name?
What is the Jetstar? Is it a
Model L-1329? or L-329? or CL-329? or just 329?
Is is Jetstar? or JetStar? or Jet Star?
Well, here goes a try:
The FAA considers the airplane, as defined by its Type Certificate, to be a Lockheed Model 1329 airplane, with variants given dash numbers, such as the Models 1329-23A, -23D, -23E and -25.
The U.S. Air force, that operated them as C-140, VC-140, and VC-140B airplanes, refers to them as Model 1329.
Lockheed issues Service Bulletins for the airplane under the Numbering System 329-, such as 329-302 issued July 9, 2003.
There are two data plates on the Serial Number 1001 airframe. One shows the Manufacturer's Model as CL-329, and the other, just below the first, shows Model L-329. See photos below.
The "Code Breakers" at the Skunk Works who we've talked to say that Kelly Johnson used to love to play with his model numbers, and the CL-329 N329J decodes as follows:
CL - Kelly's first two initials (Clarence Leonard)
329 - the number of days Kelly gave the Skunk Works to design, manufacture, and fly the airplane*
J - Johnson - Kelly's last name.
* The number usually used is 241 days, so this piece of code is still, perhaps, encoded !
So...... now you know ! or do you? It's a CL-329 / L-329 / L-1329 / 329 / 1329 Aeroplane.
Well, here goes a try:
The FAA considers the airplane, as defined by its Type Certificate, to be a Lockheed Model 1329 airplane, with variants given dash numbers, such as the Models 1329-23A, -23D, -23E and -25.
The U.S. Air force, that operated them as C-140, VC-140, and VC-140B airplanes, refers to them as Model 1329.
Lockheed issues Service Bulletins for the airplane under the Numbering System 329-, such as 329-302 issued July 9, 2003.
There are two data plates on the Serial Number 1001 airframe. One shows the Manufacturer's Model as CL-329, and the other, just below the first, shows Model L-329. See photos below.
The "Code Breakers" at the Skunk Works who we've talked to say that Kelly Johnson used to love to play with his model numbers, and the CL-329 N329J decodes as follows:
CL - Kelly's first two initials (Clarence Leonard)
329 - the number of days Kelly gave the Skunk Works to design, manufacture, and fly the airplane*
J - Johnson - Kelly's last name.
* The number usually used is 241 days, so this piece of code is still, perhaps, encoded !
So...... now you know ! or do you? It's a CL-329 / L-329 / L-1329 / 329 / 1329 Aeroplane.
Data Plates on Serial Number 1001
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Engine Data Plate from Number 3 (out of Four total) Orpheus Engine
Copyright 2006 Robert A. Bogash. All Rights Reserved