The L-1049 Super Constellation was a postwar piston engine airliner developed by Lockheed. An evolved design from the original Constellation, Lockheed stretched the fuselage fore and aft of the wing, to provide more passenger capacity. The original R-3350 Cyclone-18's were also upgraded to the turbocompound R-3350-972TC18 Cyclone's, which offered over 3,000 horsepower, allowing a much higher gross weight. The L-1049 was used in both civil and military operations, evolving into the C-121C/R7V-1/C-121J and WV-2/EC-121 Warning Star variants for the US Air Force and Navy.

This aircraft: Built in Burbank in July 1954, this L-1049E-55-118 was destined to enter service with Qantas, flying international routes from Australia with its other L-1049E's and later "Super-G" models. It's passenger career was cut short by the arrival of the jetliner, the propliner converted by Qantas into a freighter in 1960. It remained in use for Qantas until retired at the end of 1965, and flown back to the United States where it briefly reentered Lockheed ownership. Lockheed sold the aircraft to a California based cargo organization, crisscrossing the Pacific between San Francisco and Honolulu, Hawaii hauling goods between the two states. The aircraft was eventually declared surplus and sold to an Alaska based cargo company, Excalibur Cargo Company, in January 1969.

Under the ownership of Michael Gerald Wells (1923-1995), the L-1049E flew with a massive fleet of Constellations; Excalibur at one point having over forty-four Constellation types from all four major models. It flew all over Alaska and Canada, even making an occasional trip to Japan and South Korea for contracted MATS cargo operations. It continued to fly for Excalibur until the business was forced into bankruptcy in early 1975. Because of an engine issue, it was stranded and ultimately abandoned at Michael's small McNamara Field, deep in the Alaskan Arctic, along with two L-1049G air frames that were spare parts donors. The aircraft sat in isolation for forty-two years, until it was discovered with its sister ships by Joey Paulo, in the summer of 2017.

Having long since abandoned by its owner, Joey Paulo got ownership of the planes, where he quickly decided that the L-1049E was the best fit to be ferried out under her own power. Assembling a team together and crunched for time, they quickly worked to make the aircraft suitable for a ferry flight back to Anchorage. In a risky maneuver as the Arctic winter loomed, they barely got her airworthy and limped out as a blizzard began rolling in. It was limped back on three engines where they ran out of fuel during their landing. But the aircraft made it safe and sound, and further repair work was done to get it ready for the long ferry flight back to Ohio, where the aircraft is destined to resume flying as the company business plane to the Paulo Firearms Company.

In homage to Michael Wells and his company, Joey decided to return the plane to its colors of "custard yellow and orange", but with the addition of the "WHIN Arrow" logo and the new company tile replacing the "Excalibur Cargo Company".