Lufthansa Restoring Constellation to Flying Condition

[Changes in Latitudes]

They've purchased 3 to make one flyable, hopefully by 2011. I can only imagine the lineup that will form of pilots wanting to get their hands on that! Close your eyes and recall a time when flight attendants had kickin' hourglass figures, were friendly and didn't make heavily lisped jokes on the intercom. Pilots were aviators and people dressed up to get on aircraft. I look forward to seeing the Connie!

Lufthansa builds hangar in US for rare plane

AUBURN, Maine: German airline Lufthansa on Thursday opened a hangar built in Auburn, Maine, for the three-year overhaul of a rare Constellation Starliner.

Lufthansa bought three of the airplanes last year from local aviation enthusiast Maurice Roundy and contracted Lufthansa Technik in Germany to restore one aircraft back into flying condition using parts from the other two.

A team of five former Lufthansa aircraft mechanics, along with five active mechanics and engineers from Lufthansa Technik will restore the vintage aircraft. Another 12 mechanics are being hired locally, said Martin Riecken, a Lufthansa spokesman.

"For the project team, the formal opening of this hangar is an important milestone. I'm delighted that this building will now be available for this ambitious project," August Wilhelm Henningsen, chairman of Lufthansa Technik, said Thursday.

Hundreds of Constellations, known affectionately as the "Connie," were produced by Lockheed in the 1940s and 1950s. But only 44 Starliners were built. Two of Roundy's were originally used by Trans World Airlines and the third was used by Lufthansa.

EU governments to overhaul farm subsidiesCitigroup tries to stop the drop in its share priceAsian markets reverse course to edge higherConstellations were used by the military as transports in World War II and then by commercial airlines before passenger jets rendered them obsolete.

Henningsen described the Super Star, dubbed the Starliner by Lufthansa, as "the culmination in the history of propeller driven transport aircraft."

Only four L-1649A Starliners are preserved, and none of them are airworthy at present, according to Lufthansa. One of them is on display at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport outside Washington, D.C.

The planes are so rare that Lufthansa jumped at the opportunity when Roundy put his planes on the market last year. Two of the planes are located in Auburn, while a third is on display in Polk City, Florida.

The primary aircraft already has been stripped of some components in Auburn. The tail section was sent to a Lufthansa Technik subsidiary for overhaul, and the historic Curtiss-Wright engines have been sent to Anderson Aeromotive Inc. from Grangeville, Idaho.

The other airplane in Auburn and the airplane in Florida will be used for spare parts. While the Florida plane will no longer fly, it'll remain on display at the Fantasy of Flight Museum, Riecken said.

The timetable calls for the Super Star overhaul to take place over three years with a goal of making it airworthy by 2011. Eventually, it'll be repainted in Lufthansa's historic colors and returned to Germany, where it'll be used to perform vintage flights.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/ ... thansa.php

[Human Factor]

Probably the most beautiful airliner ever built.

[W5]

Lufthansa's restored Starliner to be airborne in 2011

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/20 ... -2011.html

[Rowdy]

Such an amazing piece of hopefully flyable history!

I'd love to see the crews dressed up in period correct uniforms for some press photos and such

Wish I'd been around to see that era of flight and the industry when it was still exciting and respected

[Chuck Ellsworth]

I was.

[Doc]

Probably the most beautiful airliner ever built.

Probably? Probably? Without doubt! Nothing comes close. I did get a ride in a Bristol Britannia many years ago. That was an attractive ship...but the Connie? It's number ONE! If I could get my hands on one of them.....?

Britannia:

[Phlyer]

I saw one in Tucson Arizona at the Pima Air & Space Museum (http://www.pimaair.org) in TWA colours. http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=155
It said that it had been completely restored but it didn't look so great as it was sitting on flat tires outside. Seemed a shame after a bunch of people had obviously done a huge amount of work on it. Gorgeous airplane - I can't wait to see the German one flying again.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

Beyond doubt the most beautiful airliner ever made.

Here is one my partner got ready for a ferry flight in California a few years ago....it belongs to Yanks Air Museum in Chino California.....I hope to get to fly it eventually.



http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e353/ ... 4engin.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e353/ ... 506015.jpg

Also there was one in Holland that belongs to the people who I was flying for, I almost got to fly that also, but it lost an engine and they never got it running again before I retired from flying for a living three years ago.

[bmc]

This sweetheart drops in here 4-5 times a year.

http://www.superconstellation.org/

This will take you to the photo pages. Lots of images of the Connie taken in Switzerland. The plane is based in Basel. The guy that flies left seat on this thing is about 35. Lucky guy.

http://www.scfa-pictures.ch/gallery/index.php?cat=36

[Human Factor]

I had dinner on the Connie a couple of times near the Toronto airport before they stupidly sold the aircraft!

[linecrew]

I had dinner on the Connie a couple of times near the Toronto airport before they stupidly sold the aircraft!

Well it certainly went to good hands. Check out what it looks like now...pictures were taken this month in Rome Ney York where it was properly restored and then painted.

http://www.rbogash.com/Connie/connie_paint.html

[Hedley]

Enough years have gone by, and memories have mellowed,
that the Connie is view with rose-coloured glasses.

The Connie was a bit of a supermodel. Great to look at,
but hard to live with. High maintenance. I understand it
rarely made it across the pond without losing a jug. Or
two.

Lotta pistons and valves going up and down.

As a longtime piston guy, I hate to admit it, but the
turbines which replaced them were far superior to the
multi-row supercharged radial engines used in the Connie.

[C-FABH]

I had dinner on the Connie a couple of times near the Toronto airport before they stupidly sold the aircraft!

Stupid? It would have sat at YYZ until it rusted apart and hauled away to the garbage dump. This aircraft deserves much better than that, and the Museum of Flight is one of the best possible homes for it. Just look at the condition of some of the acft at Rockcliffe that the museum neglected outside in the weather for decades until the new facility was finally made.

[Valhalla]

Close your eyes and recall a time when flight attendants had kickin' hourglass figures, were friendly and didn't make heavily lisped jokes on the intercom.

Like this?

[Changes in Latitudes]

Close your eyes and recall a time when flight attendants had kickin' hourglass figures, were friendly and didn't make heavily lisped jokes on the intercom.

Like this?

If they're still at it in 15 years, then...absolutely . I would very much like to see that, Valhalla. Keep on truckin'!!

[YOWTXR]

Beautiful aircraft, beautiful people, beautifuls FA's.
What more could a person ask for.

As for Porter...from what I've seen and read, their market is focussed on bringing the old ways of air travel back to life. Although the Q400 doesn't have the same appeal as the Constellation, that Dash definately has a vintage characteristic to it.

And if you ask me, they are doing an excellent job at doing so!!

[Panama Jack]

Close your eyes and recall a time when flight attendants had kickin' hourglass figures, were friendly and didn't make heavily lisped jokes on the intercom.

This image came to mind:

[canadafreak]

Hey . (if I may call you by your first name...)

Is there no way you can still fly the Dutch Conny? I understand you don't fly for a living anymore but does that mean you are not allowed anymore?

I have no idea about paperwork and such, I just love aviation and Canada, that's why I'm reading this forum just about every day. And I have two favorite planes, the DC-3 and the Constellation. And we must be pretty lucky to have both airworthy here in the Netherlands. Although like you said, the conny has not been flown for a while. They tell me she will fly again this summer. Two engines have been swapped with the ex MATS Conny that's in Korea now and she is up and running again.

Well I was just curious and I'm a big fan of your stories about the good old days. Did you by chance ever flew the Dutch Cat as well? Canadian reg was C-FHHR I believe. Now PH-PBY. Not a -6 but still a fantastic plane. I only had a ride in her once (so far) but the experience of a life time.

Regards,
Canadafreak

[Cat Driver]

Hi Canadafreak:

Did you by chance ever flew the Dutch Cat as well? Canadian reg was C-FHHR I believe. Now PH-PBY.

Yes I first flew C-FHHR in 1972 and 1974/5 when it was a water bomber for Avalon Aviation for two seasons in Canada and one season in Chile.

I also flew it for three summers in Holland and did all the training of the dutch pilots. As well I flew it in the air show circuit for three years.

Here is a picture at the Aviodrome.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e353/ ... G_9858.jpg

Is there no way you can still fly the Dutch Conny? I understand you don't fly for a living anymore but does that mean you are not allowed anymore?

I suppose if I wanted to I could go back to Holland and fly...I still hold a valid ATPL but once I retired I have gotten into another business that takes up all my time.

After 55 years in the flying business I finally decided enough is enough.

[Caracrane]

Is the Conny that was in YYR winter 2002 I think is flyiing now? . Seh was in the US for 5 years, former Conifair A/C. I recogniezd her by the CL-215 APU she had. She was on a ferry flight and went to a meseum in Holland I think. Capt was 76, retired Conny and Boeing stuff from TWA. Had the chance to be on board.

[Caracrane]

Cat, was HHR at Northern Wings?

[Cat Driver]

Cat, was HHR at Northern Wings?

I don't know, the first time I flew it Bob Murdoch had bought it from Field Aviation in Calgary after a complete rebuild....1972.

[iflyforpie]

Is that a Starliner? Didn't think there were any of those left (they only made a handful). I like the Super G the best followed by the original L-49 from a purely aesthetic point of view. The wings seem to match the curves of the fuselage a bit better on those older models.

[canadafreak]

Yes Cat I understand your busy now with other stuff. I'm so cross with authorities here that we as simple people are not allowed to fly on board the conny. She is a great looking (and sounding) plane. If not the best!! Let' s hope she does well this summer. Problem I think they will always have is that they don't fly her enough, and I get the feeling that's bad on the engines and some other systems (hydraulics). But we will see.

That's great that you flew on HHR!!! I flew with her on the first trip with pax after arrival in The Netherlands. I think 1994 or 95. Still without blisters and plush interior, that's how I like'm best, workhorses!! Would have been nice to have met you there but I had a Dutch crew only that day.

They are starting I nice collection at Aviodrome with the conny, DC-2 (I think by now the sole flying example) and this summer they will be melting the operations of Aviodrome and DDA Classic Airways together. They operate two DC-3 and also have two 4's but the flying one is currently leased to Rovos Air in South Africa. But you probably know all this

And next on line is the purchase of a ex KLM DC-8-55 that is now in storage in Kent, last operator MK Airlines. Hope they will make that one happen, nice planes from Douglas.

Nice talking to you .!!
Read you soon,
Canadafreak

[canadafreak]

Hello Caracrane,

Yes that's the one. Back in time with Conifair C-GXKR of the top of my head and now registered N749NL, check here out on airliners.net. They have some great pics of her running up here enigines and so on. Now in full KLM livery and short nosed, I'm a sucker for the long one she had earlier but ok, they didn't fly that way with KLM so it had to come off

She is running her engines several times a month now for the public and they have announced she will go on the airshow circuit this summer. Let's hope they will pull it off this time. The no. 3 engine was a total loss last time, 2 years ago I think, but now she is sound again. Visited late last year when she performed a full engine run-up with me underneath her port wing, mjammie, that was nice Ow yeah, they have changed the props from the hydro-electric system (I think it is) to the electric system now. Looks stunning on her with those big spinners

Well if you have any questions about her, be sure to drop me a line, I'll be more then willing to help.