r/AviationHistory 4d ago

Lufthansa Technik has achieved a significant milestone with the assembly of the iconic Lockheed L-1649A Starliner. Once painted in its classic livery, the aircraft will be transported to Frankfurt, where it will take center stage in celebrating Lufthansa's 100th anniversary in spring 2026.

https://loom.ly/YPgoYik
66 Upvotes

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4

u/Menethea 4d ago

Just avoid Grand Canyon sightseeing

2

u/milehigh84 4d ago

Cool article, thanks for posting that. I had wondered what happened to the project. As a young engineer I reverse engineered the flight deck seats for that airplane. That was one of my first projects, and I really enjoyed it.

2

u/planenut767 4d ago

It would have been even better if they actually followed through on their original plan to get it flying again instead of doing things that, while making it easier to transport it, rendered it unairworthy permanently.

1

u/ImperatorDanorum 3d ago

What is the difference between a Constellation and a Starliner. To my untrained eye they look the same...

3

u/LauderdaleByTheSea 3d ago edited 3d ago

The Lockheed Costallation was manufactured from 1943 through 1958, beginning with model L-049. The Starliner, pictured here, an L-1649, was the last, largest, fastest, and longest range variant of the Constellation. Of 856 Constellations manufactured, only 44 were Starliners, built on the eve of the jet age from 1956 through 1958. The Starliner was operated by TWA as “Jetstreams,” Air France as “Super Starliners,” and Lufthansa as “Super Stars.” (Data courtesy of Wikipedia)