Part of Lufthansa’s efforts to restore the Lockheed Constellation Starliners AUBURN — Lufthansa officials have seen the grassroots, online petition — signed by more than 5,400 people in less than 10 days — asking that the company reconsider its plan to dismantle its historic Super Star Constellation after a decade-long restoration project here. Their petition signers’ plea […]
lufthansa landing
Auburn-Lewiston airport to start planning for massive hangar’s life after Lufthansa
Part of Lufthansa’s efforts to restore the Lockheed Constellation Starliners AUBURN — When Lufthansa Technik announced plans Thursday to dismantle its “Super Star” Constellation and send it back to Germany after a 10-year restoration project, the timing came as a surprise locally. Bettyann Sheats, chairwoman of the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport board of directors, said they knew […]
Lufthansa to move ‘Super Star’ from Auburn to Germany
Part of Lufthansa’s efforts to restore the Lockheed Constellation Starliners AUBURN — After 10 years, the “Super Star” Constellation is taking off — or at least moving on. Lufthansa Technik announced Thursday that it will be removing the wings from the historic aircraft, packing it up and taking it to Germany later this year to finish […]
Video: Fire-suppression foam released at Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport
Part of Lufthansa’s efforts to restore the Lockheed Constellation Starliners AUBURN — Firefighters responding to the Lufthansa hangar at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport on Monday morning walked into a wall of foam over their heads after a malfunction in the fire suppression system filled the building with foam and briefly trapped four people inside. “Apparently, they […]
Super Star coming together in Auburn
When Lufthansa Technik officials heard about the impending sale of three of the remaining four Lockheed Super Star Constellation aircraft in the world in 2007, a historic vision came together: Cobble together parts of all three aging Constellations in order to get one back into the air for the first time in decades. Lufthansa Technik […]
Auburn mulls taking over Lufthansa hangar
AUBURN — Operations at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport could save about $49,000 per year by taking over the lease for the hangar housing Lufthansa Technion’s Constellation project, councilors were told Monday. City Councilors were briefed on a plan to purchase the hangar from Nobility, LLC, which would pay off the contract, which has 14 years […]
Museum offers second chance to see plane project
LEWISTON — Museum L-A is offering a second chance to see the Lockheed “Super Star” reconstruction project at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport with behind-the-scenes tours on Saturday, Nov. 12. Participants will sign up for a tour that leaves the museum at 9:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. Available spaces are limited due to a waiting list from […]
Restoring the Super Constellations
One of the last missions of the Lockheed L-1649A Starliner, which now sits stripped bare in a hangar at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport, was to transport cattle. Its final flight, in the early 1980s, was its arrival in Auburn from Florida. Only 44 Starliners were built, between 1956 and 1958, and were the cream of the […]
On into the starry past of air travel
In their heyday, Lockheed Martin Super Constellation “Starliners” operated by Lufthansa could shuttle 30 people on the world’s longest airplane ride: 23 hours and 19 minutes, from London to San Francisco. Privileged passengers lounged in luxury aboard these “Super Stars,” and could cloister behind curtained beds while enjoying the latest in-flight entertainment: recorded music, played […]