Warbird Information Exchange

Not sure if this has been posted, but apparently on of the Ju Air Junkers Ju-52's is flying the Atlantic to do a tour of the USA and Canada. It's already made part of the journey, arriving in Scotland this morning, prior to the next leg of the journey out to Vagar on the Faroe Islands. You can follow the journey here ... http://www.rimowa-in-the-air.com/northamerica/home/

Pretty brave souls to make this journey, but really fascinating to see it happen.

Cheers,
Richard

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Richard Mallory Allnutt - Photography - http://www.rmallnutt.com

glick

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

I remember seeing the one that made the trip back in 1990. It was in Lufthansa markings and IIRC they were the major sponsor. I caught up with it at the stop at Republic Airport (FRG) NY. I wonder if this is the same one.

The Lufthansa one is owned and operated by the airline.

This is one of the Swiss ones, based at Dubendorf since 1939!

As mentioned, the JU that attended OSH in 1990 is Werk Nr. 5489, maintained by Lufthansa Traditionsflug.

However, it would appear that the RIMOWA-sponsored aircraft (coming to North America) is not one of the three JUs based with Ju-Air at Dubendorf since 1939. HB-HOY was originally built as a CASA 352 and has been re-engined with BMWs as a JU 52/3m.

Sources used include:

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... rch=HB-HOY

http://www.preservedaxisaircraft.com/

It would appear the Rimowa website has a few stretches to it, but happy to be proven wrong.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Right. And the Swiss ones do have the original BMW 132 engine. The Lufthansa one, painted as "D-AQUI", an original Lufthansa registration in the 1930´ies, is registered as D-CDLH. This plane was bought by Lufthansa in the US, having re-engined there with P&W 1340 Wasps. IIRC it was known as "Iron Annie", N52JU.

Michael

@DanK: You are right. But the plane in question (doing the trip) is not HB-HOY, but HB-HOT.

http://www.rp-online.de/bergisches-land ... 1.2875940#

Title says: Ju 52 starts for crossing atlantic

(Pic 2 shows clearly reg. HB-HOT)

After checking the pics and your links, it seems they painted HB-HOY with their slogan in German (R... Die Koffer mit den Rillen), and HB-HOT with their international slogan in English (R..... The Luggage with the Grooves).

And the LUFTHANSA bird got here and went home in a custom cradle that went into an AN-124, wonder what they'll average for Westbound airspeed?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Danke, RV! HB-HOT it is. Much confusion!

http://bc03.rp-online.de/polopoly_fs/ri ... 642708.jpg


The following wiki (not that I would ever trust the internet ) simply added to my confusion as it lists HB-HOY as the North America tour bird:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airworthy_Ju_52


My sincerest apologies to Rimowa! How could I have ever doubted you?

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

As the Inspector got to the point before me, D-CDLH flew the Atlantic in another aircraft. However not many people remember the Junkers Ju 52/3m had a great Latin American career before W.W.II, as well as far afield as China and all over Europe. It was as widespread (proportionally in a less crowded world) as the later DC-3 family.

Regards,

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Martin Caidins 'Iron ANNIE' was found in the weeds in South America wasn't it? And isn't it now somehow involved as/with the LUFTHANSA '52 or is it now with the CAF?

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

You are right with the first idea. It is now LUFTHANSA´s Ju 52 D-AQUI aka D-CDLH. Due to the US connection it has the P&W 1340´ies instead of BMW 132´s. Though the BMW´s were a development of BMW Hornets, metric license built P&W Hornets IIRC (or were they 1:1 copies? I am not 100 % sure either way).

Michael

BMW did buy a license for the P&W R-1690 Hornet in 1929 and developed the design, with the same size cylinders, etc. into the BMW 132 series. Bill Gunston comments "The BMW 132 was distantly decended from Pratt & Whitney's Hornet" in his third edition World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines.

Randy

Hope they pack a lunch !

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"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass..."
Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto

Their website says they are licensed for passengers but I've read their homepage over a dozen times(In English and German) and it doesn't say anything about offering rides for sale on their U.S trip, unless I missed it. Flying in a Ju-52 is still on my bucket list, still ticked CAF got rid of theirs and it's new home website says they do not offer flights in their aircraft. Hate to think I have to go all the way to Germany to get that off my list.

You are going to have to go to Europe. Foreign built aircraft are exempt from the FAA ride program. At least that was the CAF excuse for selling their JU.