Lufthansa L-1649A Starliner Restoration Project

[CAPFlyer]

The way I'm describing is how they fly their Ju-52. Their plan is to recreate the historic routes that were flown in addition to their enthusiast flights. Had they just been planning VFR with IFR (aka Night in Europe), they could have kept the original instrumentation. The only reason to go Glass is to comply with RNAV which is only needed if you're looking to get up in height or work into the normal airline traffic and airways.

[cwmc]

That is so cool that they would use it on real revenue flights! I recall many descriptions of my dad flying the, 749, 1049G Connie for TWA in the 60's. A different time for sure; e.i. Highest he flew one, 19,000 feet; Typical flight times, ORD-SFO, 6 hrs. You get the picture...

They're going glass because it's easy. That's what is light and available, light in labor, that is. Lot's of legal RNAV/RVSM/BLAH/BLAH airliners are steam gauge, I fly one three times a month.

Chris...

[CAPFlyer]

Is it RNP 0.5 with EuroControl compliance? We tried to get the CV-580's complaint and quickly realized there was no point and it was why Swiftair was selling theirs for ATRs.

[DC3R4DC47]

the Starliner is in my bucket list, i look forward to sharing the skies over JFK with that beauty, now all we need is a DC-7C in PAA livery !!!

[Mike]

Are they definitely still going with a glass cockpit? I thought they'd abandoned that idea and were sticking with conventional instrumentation.

[CAPFlyer]

Haven't seen anything on their website saying anything other than glass. The cockpit had already been reframed for the Glass panels, so changing now would be a lot of work to refabricate the removed originals.

[Enemy Ace]

Anything new? I am guessing this project is a tremendous opportunity for the Lufthansa apprentices... crying shame the USA airlines do not have anything similar. But I guess that would just be more of that "Socialism" that everyone is so scared of.

[CAPFlyer]

US Airlines would probably still have apprentices if the unions would allow it. It was the unions who did away with most of the apprenticeships in the airlines and US manufacturing, not the companies. The companies saw it as a way to get "cheaper" labor because they could hire 2-3 apprentices for every 1 journeyman.

This latest update on the Lufthansa Technik website more than ever before truly emphasizes how exacting and thorough this restoration project is:

http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/applic ... ing_US.xml

I am sure that sometime in 2013 is the earliest it will fly, and the article implies that it could be a later year than that. It appears to be the closest we will ever see to rebuilding a mid to late fifties vintage propliner to literally almost brand new specifications.

New update on the project concerning the exacting construction of new custom made bulkheads for the Starliner's fuselage.

http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/applic ... ten_EN.xml

On a brighter note concerning the Starliner, progress continues on the Lufthansa project with news concerning the landing gear restoration.

http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/applic ... ars_EN.xml

Can't wait to see it when it's finished.

Here is a neat YouTube video about a Lufthansa Starliner flight around the late 50's from Germany to New York. Kind of a preview of what the restored airplane should look like when completed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KB0Z5QXwnd8

Latest update on the Starliner restoration:

http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/super- ... r-overhaul

This plane may be in better shape when finished then the last time it was in airline service in the early/mid-sixties.

Can't wait to see it fly, but more than ever it is obvious it will still be a while.

More updates from Ralph Pettersen and his GREAT Connie Survivors web site:

http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-connie_news.htm#JUL27

Thanks, Ralph!

[Arizona_Flyer]

Number three is running!


http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/super-star-news-content/-/asset_publisher/I4tE/content/super-star-motor-test-number-three-is-running