06/2009 | Visit of an old lady
The weather in Auburn may have been inhospitable, but the welcome afforded to the Douglas DC-3 Dakota with tail sign HB-IRJ by the local Lufthansa Technik team when it landed on 5 May was all the warmer. The Lufthansa Technik technicians bade the Swiss crew and their passengers, who were en route on a ferry flight from Miami to the Alpine Republic, welcome as they stepped out of the aircraft with a huge banner.
At the controls of the 69-year-old veteran aircraft sat its owner, Francisco Agullo. The full-time Boeing 757 captain was the driving force behind the foundation of the Super Constellation Flyers Association (SCFA) in Basel, which operates one of only two Lockheed L-1049’s in the world that are still airworthy. The future Super Star cockpit crew of the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung (DLBS) are currently being trained on this “Super Connie”. Thanks to this collaboration, they will have the necessary type ratings by the time the restoration work currently under way in Auburn is complete. This is possible because a single type rating applies to all the Constellation series, including the L-1649A.
Agullo, who is himself training the DLBS pilots on the L-1049, showed great interest as he was updated by Lufthansa Technik representative Michael Austermeier on the progress of work on the L-1649A in Auburn.
Supplied with a lot of information and rejuvenated by a buffet which followed, the Dakota team resumed its two-week journey from Florida to Sion in Switzerland via Newfoundland, Greenland, Scotland and Alsace after an intermediate stopover lasting barely three hours. The DC-3 will in future be used for SCFA member flights in parallel to the L-1049.
Back to overview
At the controls of the 69-year-old veteran aircraft sat its owner, Francisco Agullo. The full-time Boeing 757 captain was the driving force behind the foundation of the Super Constellation Flyers Association (SCFA) in Basel, which operates one of only two Lockheed L-1049’s in the world that are still airworthy. The future Super Star cockpit crew of the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung (DLBS) are currently being trained on this “Super Connie”. Thanks to this collaboration, they will have the necessary type ratings by the time the restoration work currently under way in Auburn is complete. This is possible because a single type rating applies to all the Constellation series, including the L-1649A.
Agullo, who is himself training the DLBS pilots on the L-1049, showed great interest as he was updated by Lufthansa Technik representative Michael Austermeier on the progress of work on the L-1649A in Auburn.
Supplied with a lot of information and rejuvenated by a buffet which followed, the Dakota team resumed its two-week journey from Florida to Sion in Switzerland via Newfoundland, Greenland, Scotland and Alsace after an intermediate stopover lasting barely three hours. The DC-3 will in future be used for SCFA member flights in parallel to the L-1049.
Outstanding commitment
Lufthansa Technik’s Super Star restoration project is much appreciated not just in the international aerospace industry and among aviation enthusiasts. Thus, the city of Auburn recently conferred on Lufthansa Technik the “Economic Development Achievers Award 2009”. This special honor was awarded to Lufthansa Technik for its exceptional economic and social importance to the city of Auburn. The award was formally handed to Lufthansa Technik representative Michael Austermeier on 14 May by VIP representatives of the state of Maine and the U.S. government.Back to overview
Douglas DC-3 Dakota with tail sign HB-IRJ
The local Lufthansa Technik
