Lufthansa Restores Iconic Lockheed Super Star

DALLAS — On Friday, January 17, the fully restored long-haul aircraft Lockheed L-1649A—the flagship of the Lufthansa (LH) fleet at the end of the 1950s under the name ‘Super Star’—was pulled out of the hangar on its landing gear for the first time and rolled out in Hamburg.

The Lockheed Super Star joined the LH fleet in 1957, offering the Senator class on the nonstop transatlantic connection to New York. Its four-piston engines “closed the chapter of classic propeller-driven aircraft on the North Atlantic routes.” 

These 17-hour flights departed Hamburg, where the maintenance base was also located, and today’s roll-out with the support of the Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung.

In October 2023, the Hamburg technical team assembled several aircraft components, including the fuselage, wings, and characteristic triple tail unit, as well as 292 wooden crates with smaller parts.

As the Original

Lufthansa states that the cockpit is “as accurate as the original from the 1950s” for the non-airworthy assembly. “The lighting and controls are functional, while cable pulls make the rudders and flaps movable—a fascinating detail that pays tribute to the engineering skills of this era.”

The historic airplane will be dismantled again into more significant segments in the coming weeks before being transported to Münster/Osnabrück Airport (FMO) in July. The aircraft will be repainted in the original LH design from the so-called Parabola phase, and the cabin’s look will be” based on the style of the 1950s but with modern technology.”

Once painted, the Lockheed Super Star will see its final destination in Frankfurt in October, joining the airline’s Junkers Ju 52, D-AQUI, just in time for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the German flag carrier.

The Lufthansa L-1649A Super Star restoration project bridges multiple eras of aviation history. It takes a pivotal aircraft from the twilight of the piston engine era and preserves it using modern techniques while maintaining historical accuracy. 

The attention to detail in the cockpit restoration, with functional controls and cable-operated surfaces, shows a deep respect for the original engineering.

The timing of its completion for LH's 100th anniversary makes it even more meaningful, as it helps tell the story of how far aviation has come. The 17-hour transatlantic flights it once operated remind us how much air travel has evolved.

What I find interesting is that the Super Star is an original aircraft being restored to non-flying condition, a valid way of keeping aviation history alive, allowing future generations to understand these remarkable machines and the rise of international air travel.

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