Off topic, but related
 

Another restoration coming to fruition.

Home ?(Historical Flight Foundation?)

C2j

C17
What is happening to the removed instrumentation? If it is being disposed of with the installation of the new instrumentaion I know a very good home for it backing up spares for the OZ Connie.
Wunwing

c17age
 

Hi there,
I maybe wrong, but I seem to remember seeing a Starliner MX Man at SAC @ MKC
Airline History Museum at Kansas City for the ctcs etc. Worth a shout me thinks, if already done, excellent:ok:

In the same part of the country, the Combat Air Museum ( Combat Air Museum Home Page )at Forbes Field (FOE) has several displays on various aspects of C-131/Connie operation including what looks suspiciously like training aids etc. You might want to contact them.

What a fantastic and inspiring project. Looking at that immaculate hangar floor and those Lufthansa Technik tooling cabinets makes me realise what good hands the old girl is in.

Good luck to you.

C17age.
Please check your PMs. Sorry for the delay in getting back but its holiday season here and the beach is too good to resist.
Wunwing

Congratulations to all involved in the project to get this this magnificent aircraft back in the air.

The Connie was always my favourite aircraft and the Starliner was the best-looking of the line. I remember seeing the Lufthansa L1649A's in service. In about 1960 I saw one at Athens when we landed there, and another at Khartoum in the same year. Presumably the aircraft were operating FRA-JNB.

I also remember these aircraft overflying our home (near the BPK VOR) at around 12000-16000ft in the early 1960's, presumably en-route from FRA to IDL. The muffled growl of the R3350's in cruise flight, same as for the DC7 and Super Connie, was a memorable sound; it seemed to reverberate to my very bones.

Can't wait to see the big bird back in the air again. Yes, I agree with previous postings re-the lack of interest by airlines in the UK in preserving classic airliners, with the notable exception of Air Antique in Coventry.

I have just retired from NATS (UK ATC) and it is the same there. If you have any interest in aeroplanes and aviation generally you are considered to be some kind of freak!!
They only want you to have an interest in share prices, dividends, money "stuff", and the latest management fads.

C17age
 

How is the STARLINER rebuilding/restoration progressing? What happened to all the nice pictures on this thread? Please keep em coming or are you just too busy with the Queen of the skies?
Cheers
Connie

Thanks for all your updates C17 - please could we have some photos of the ongoing work. :)

The beautiful Starliner has been my favourite airliner for as long as I can remember, with my first actual encounter with one being in June '83 in Fort Lauderdale on my first US visit - it was N974R under going a very slow restoration. The next time I saw her was in June '07 at The Fantasy Of Flight Museum looking to be in fairly good condition, and in her old Lufthansa colours, of course!

When I heard of Lufthansa's purchase of the three Starliners in the US, I was quite surprised that they had decided on N7316C, an ex- TWA machine, to be the one to be restored to flying condition. N974R is an ex-Lufthansa machine (D-ALAN) and only flew last in 2001 so I had assumed that this was the aircraft that would be the one chosen. Lufthansa Technik state on their website that N7316C was chosen as it was "the technically sturdiest of the three".

Anyway, I can't wait to see her take to the skies again in Europe in the next year or two. Good luck to all those involved in this fantastic project. It puts the UK's classic airliner preservation efforts to shame. :(

Steve

Connie "Auburn" hangar live cam:
use MS internet explorer and type: http://online.wilife.com
email address is: [email protected]
password: constellation
Have fun!

Any chance of getting a tour of the hanger? I'm only an hour away.

Thanks for that link, Super Connie. She's looking very bare!

Steve

Lufthansa now came up with the cockpit layout. A touch of glass included.

check their plan and pic gallery (german text)
Basiskonfiguration für Cockpit der Lufthansa L-1649A Super Star steht - FLUG REVUE

Thanks for that link KK - it looks a very neat solution, although not exactly a 1950's vintage look. :ooh:

I've heard they might still switch VOR RMI and the clock's positions. The whole point is they want a transport aircraft certification for it. This a/c is intended to fly with special pax in a very reliable almost scheduled way. And over longer distances too.

What a fantastic project.

At least she will be easily kept in a serviceable condition with better reliability.

Engineer_aus
As a current Connie LAME and E/O, the instrumentation of the aircraft is very reliable.What few instrument problems we have had ( mainly fuel and oil quantity) were caused by the valve technology amplifiers which could easily be replaced by solid state units.

The ongoing problems are and always will be with the 3350s and they are staying on the Starliner.However without the 3350s she wouldn't be a Connie/Starliner.

Whatever is installed in the cockpit, I'm looking fwd to seeing her fly.Another set of 3350s in the air is a great idea

Wunwing

Lufthansa Connie to receive pax-doors from SAA-Museum
 

Now this is great news: The SAA museum at Jo'burg will donate a set of original Connie-doors to reconvert LH's Connie freighter to airworthy pax standard. Jo'burg will receive a newly build set of doors built by Lufthansa Technik instead.

Source (german) n'pics:
Südafrikanisches Museum stiftet Connie-Originaltüren der D-ALOL für Lufthansa Super Star Restaurierung - Klassiker der Luftfahrt

Major thread-drift, but another article on the Klassiker der Luftfahrt website tells of how a Luftwaffe Transall was chartered by the RAF to airlift a RR Merlin from Coningsby to Amsterdam where the B.o.B Flight Lancaster was stranded after problems with No.4 engine.

Apparently the RAF were a bit stretched in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Interesting article, and a touch ironic. :ok: