preserving Retired Airliners in Flying Condition.

[PaulBredereck]

B727-77
One of the few regrets I had from my time at Aviation Australia is that we did not recognise the opportunity to keep VH-TBS (ex VH-RMS) airworthy.

In 2004 National Jet Systems donated TBS to AA as a technical training aid, and at the time funding for AA was very tight so every donation was very valuable. Unfortunately one of the conditions of the donation was that the aircraft would not fly again (TBS had excellent hours remaining, full cargo fitout and 'grandfather rights' on the Australian register, so could have been a potential competitor to Australian Air Express).

In order to render the airframe unserviceable we originally agreed to drill the wing spars, but because these could have been easily repaired the fuselage centre barrel frames instead were drilled.

It is a shame because AA had (and still has) the engineering expertise and labour to have kept her flying, ideally in the Ansett delta scheme.

TBS is in remarkably good condition, with excellent times remaining. And the few times we ground ran the engines, the sound of the JT8s on a BNE winter morning certainly got the juices flowing for our young students (not to mention a few crusty instructors as well).

When I left AA in 2010 her last tech log entry was framed in the Corporate Centre: "nil defects, farewell to a grand old lady".

Although it would be a big job, it is still technically possible this old girl could be made airworthy.

http://www.aussieairliners.org/b-727/vh-rms/vhrms.html


http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac...mz/VH-RMS.html

[Jonfra]

Isn't the Lufthansa restoration resulting from the purchase of N7316C, N8083H, and N974R ?

Apparently two will be canabalised to restore the third. Seems a shocking waste of two airframes.

There are a couple of Starliner airframes CF-NAL and CF-NAM from the Biafran War still parked at Sao Tome off west Africa. At least one of these will be restored for static display.

But the best one is the fish hauler impounded at Manilla in 1988, N4247K. A German resident of Manilla Max Motschmann wants to hear from anybody willing to help him restore the beast. She arrived there on three engines and has sat forelorn ever since.

Regards the OP sadly the B727 is disappearing at a horrific rate as desert queens are being crunched up. The B721 is becoming rarer still. There are a couple dirt cheap for sale in Jordan for anyone wishing to restore one.

[Fris B. Fairing]

Jonfra

The Manila Connie has been acquired by the Qantas Founders Museum as a static display. Further details here:

N4247K

Regarding the Sandringham VH-APG mentioned earlier, the Qld Air Museum had ownership of the aeroplane for a time and actually did some maintenance on it after achieving a "stay of execution". Sadly, the cost of transporting the aeroplane to Australia defeated them but in the interim the Musée de l'Air became interested so QAM relinquished their claim on the aircraft and it is now preserved in Paris, so it wasn't a total loss. Further details here:

Sandringham F-OBIP

Currently QAM is attempting to save another historic Australian airliner in the form of the last remaining BCPA DC-6. Further details here:

BCPA DC-6 VH-BPG

Rgds

[kimwestt]

Connies

Leadie,
Does the HARS Connie come into that equation?

[Fris B. Fairing]

kimwestt

The HARS Constellation is an L-1049.
The Lufthansa Starliner is an L-1649.

However they are close enough for the Lufthansa crew to be training on the HARS Connie.

A rose by any other name ...