06/2009 | Super Star nose-to-tail
The recent final journey of the L-1649A-98-16 with tail sign N8083H from the grounds of the prior owner across the airfield of Auburn Lewiston Airport lasted exactly 23 minutes. Like its sister aircraft with tail sign N7316C, which has been undergoing restoration to an airworthy condition in the project hangar since November 2008, N8083H did not present any problems to the local team of Lufthansa Technik tasked with ferrying it to its new home. Since the move, the on-site dismantling of project-relevant components from the second Super Star/Starliner has been a lot easier.
N8083H was originally one of four Starliners ordered by the Italian airline Linee Aeree Italiane (LAI), but when the order was cancelled, TWA took over the delivery slots and put the four L-1649A’s to use from 1958, supplementing the twenty-five L-1649A-98-20 Jetstream Starliners that it already had on firm order. Externally these ex-LAI aircraft in TWA livery have a distinctive white painted radar nose, yet there is no weather radar inside. By contrast, the other TWA Jetstream aircraft had a black radar nose and were fitted with a weather radar. Moreover, the four elegant Italian members of the American airline’s fleet were never given names.
Having been in service as a passenger aircraft and then converted to a cargo plane, Starliner N8083H was sold to Alaska Airlines in December 1962. Like its sister aircraft, N7316C, it was initially used for cargo flights before serving as a gas tanker within Alaska. Later N8083H flew in Latin America up to its acquisition by the prior owner, who ferried it from San Pedro Sula to Auburn Lewiston Airport after a stopover in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 1 May 1986.
However, each of the three airlines promoted their L-1649A fleets under a different name. Thus TWA called its L-1649A’s Jetstream or Radar Jetstream. Air France gave its aircraft the designation of Super Starliner, while Lufthansa used the name of Super Star.
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N8083H was originally one of four Starliners ordered by the Italian airline Linee Aeree Italiane (LAI), but when the order was cancelled, TWA took over the delivery slots and put the four L-1649A’s to use from 1958, supplementing the twenty-five L-1649A-98-20 Jetstream Starliners that it already had on firm order. Externally these ex-LAI aircraft in TWA livery have a distinctive white painted radar nose, yet there is no weather radar inside. By contrast, the other TWA Jetstream aircraft had a black radar nose and were fitted with a weather radar. Moreover, the four elegant Italian members of the American airline’s fleet were never given names.
Having been in service as a passenger aircraft and then converted to a cargo plane, Starliner N8083H was sold to Alaska Airlines in December 1962. Like its sister aircraft, N7316C, it was initially used for cargo flights before serving as a gas tanker within Alaska. Later N8083H flew in Latin America up to its acquisition by the prior owner, who ferried it from San Pedro Sula to Auburn Lewiston Airport after a stopover in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 1 May 1986.
Many names for the queen of the North Atlantic
No fewer than three airlines – Air France, TWA and Lufthansa – ordered a total of 44 L-1649A’s brand-new from the Lockheed aircraft factory in Burbank, California, which marketed this last type in the Constellation series with the symbol of a five-pointed star under the name Starliner.However, each of the three airlines promoted their L-1649A fleets under a different name. Thus TWA called its L-1649A’s Jetstream or Radar Jetstream. Air France gave its aircraft the designation of Super Starliner, while Lufthansa used the name of Super Star.
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