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JaapDakota Anniversary Meeting,
75 years Douglas DC-3/C-47, greatest european fly-in of “Candy Bombers”, tribute to Donald Wills Douglas, with L-1049 and L-749
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I understand there is now some sort of split-off, more details will probably come to light in the next few weeks...Jaap wrote:JaapDakota Anniversary Meeting,
75 years Douglas DC-3/C-47
, it shouldn't be too much of a problem).
English please!jeroenvermeer wrote:Breitling Super Connie vliegt niet in 2010
De Super Comstellation Flyers Association heeft een moeilijke beslissing moeten nemen. Tijdens de jaarlijkse controle in december is in de vleugel van de Super Connie HB-RSC corrosie geconstateerd. Besloten is om de gecorrodeerde onderdelen geheel te vervangen. Dat neemt de nodige tijd in beslag, want dat betekent dat de complete vleugels moeten worden verwijderd, voordat de onderdelen kunnen worden vervangen. Verwacht wordt dat in augustus het toestel weer de lucht in kan, maar de tijd om te vliegen is dan zo kort, dat de kosten van verzekering en onderhoud niet opwegen tegen de opbrengsten. Vandaar dat er in het seizoen 2011 weer gevlogen gaat worden.
Dat is slecht nieuws voor ons, want de Super Constellation zou op 4 en 5 september deelnemen aan 75 years DC-3 Fly-in op Lelystad Airport.
Super Connie grounded for 2010 due to major maintenance
Dear supporter
Heavy-heartedly the SCFA board has decided to keep our Super Connie on the ground for the year of 2010.
The reason for this decision is the discovery of corrosion on the wing of the aircraft. The extent of the
damage was not discovered until we conducted our annual inspection in December, which calls for a
thorough check for corrosion. Thankfully our SCFA members will still have the opportunity to get airborne
this year as our Douglas DC-3, HB-IRJ will be flying many scenic flights and appear at airshows this year.
Among various destinations, it will also cover some of the flights that had been planned for our Connie.
The SCFA is set up as a member association; the exception however is that any support and work contributed is voluntary
and nobody in our association is compensated for their efforts. As far as maintenance is concerned, our aircraft is treated
like any other commercial aircraft of its category and is held to the highest standards. There are no compromises or
exceptions; if something needs to be repaired, we will not shy away from any expenses necessary to maintain our aircraft.
This is a continuation of our strict safety standards that have been upheld for the past six years of operation.
Aft beam corroded
The annual major inspection, which was conducted at the hangar at Lahr airport has revealed that the corrosion is extensive,
particularly at the „Cap“ of the aft beam of the wing. The corrosion has progressed further in the right wing than on the left
side. Considering our aircraft is 55 years old, corrosion is nothing unexpected or out of the ordinary. This problem is usually
discovered even in aircraft, which have only been in service for a few years and is a natural biproduct of aircraft age.
The SCFA maintenance team has consulted several experts to assess the extent of the damage and get advice on a plan of
action to tackle the corrosion. The conclusion of the meeting was that it would be most practical and efficient to completely
replace the cap of both aft beams. This requires the removal of aircraft wing parts. Unfortunately this will be a very time
consuming process. Experts anticipate roughly 5000 man-hours of maintenance work to be necessary for this procedure.
Shortened flying season too costly
The required maintenance could be completed within six months. If the Connie was able to start into a new flying
season in August 2010 we would start off the new season with a financial lag due to our normal operating costs as
well as pilot training, insurance and maintenance costs. We would not have enough time in this flying season to
secure our financial situation for the following year. It is for this reason the SCFA committee has decided to keep our
Connie on the ground this year and resume flying operations in the spring of 2011.
Investment in the Connie's future
The cost of the entire corrosion treatment will be roughly half a Million Swiss Francs. Due to the extent of the
damage, not all maintenance will be conducted by volunteers. This enormous amount exceeds the current
possibilities of our association. As a result, we will be looking for new sponsors during 2010. All new sponsors will
have the opportunity to invest in the bright future of our beautiful aircraft. After the corrosion treatment and with four
overhauled engines our Connie will bring joyous moments in the air and excitement on the ground to many of her
friends and fans in the years to come.
http://www.superconstellation.ch/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; under "Agenda Recent Updates: 02.01.2010"aviodromefriend wrote:Well, feeling sorry for the L-1049, maybe their DC-3 should fit in better in this event. [selfish]Having seen their Super Connie a few times already, and never seen their Dakota, I would even like if they bring their Dak instead of that three-tailer[/selfish]
We shall see...The largest meeting of “Candy bombers” of all times: 75th anniversary of Douglas DC-3/C-47. Sept. 4/5, 2010 with our "Romeo Juliet" (that's Dakota HB-IRJ) to Lelystad, Netherlands. http://www.aviodrome.nl" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
So, what can be expected ?Stratofreighter wrote:It is now official that no foreign Dakotas will attend this event...
They advertise oldtimer cars for this one also now. (Well, I hope this one will turn out more worthwhile to attend than this weekend's James Bond event.)piet61 wrote:So, what can be expected ?Stratofreighter wrote:It is now official that no foreign Dakotas will attend this event...
Why? I see on the site of the Danish Dakota and the Dakota of Norway that they are confirmed for this date?Stratofreighter wrote:It is now official that no foreign Dakotas will attend this event...
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