Recently on a boke tour...

[Skybird]

[ edit:bike tour :damn: ]

... that happened to be today Idecided not just to drive to the supermarket, but when having finished the shopping, set course for a wide arch into the countryside that finally had me standing in front of the gates of the regional airport FMO. Stepped up the chairs to the public visitor platform, and what did I see below me, in front of the main terminal?

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/5185/img1011qt0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/1248/img1011zz9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Nice that I always have my small digital compact camera in my rucksack.

I waited 20 minutes or so, then left. Not good. Ten minutes later while already far away from the perimeter and at the local channel again, I heared the "knatternden" motors of it behind me, and then saw the bird slowly overtaking me in a wide, comfortable sweep on my right side, and then heading away. It still was low, and if I wouldn't have had packed back the camera, I would have been able to shoot one or two screen-filling pictures of her.

Nice regional airport, btw, very relaxed and unexcited.

[Tchocky]

That's flying history right there :)

great pics!

[Konovalov]

Fantastic find that you stumbled upon there Skybird. Pity about the slight reflection from the glass. I'm sure your identity is safe however. ;)

If only you had a video camera to perhaps post on youtube. The only time I have seen a Ju52 was at Duxford a few years ago now. Not sure if was airworthy. Probably not. In any case brilliant find. :yep:

[fatty]

Cool find!

And a rare glimpse of the Bird himself in the reflection of the window, no less :D

[Oberon]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/8/8e/Officer_Crabtree.jpg

"Good moaning, I was on a boke tour...."

J/k Sky...those are great pics, I wasn't aware there were any air worthy 52s around, thank god there are! Quite a unique aircraft with that prop in the middle there! :up:

[Skybird]

Hm. I expected to earn some smiles, not this ehem... enthusiasm... I do not know if the plane is stationed at FMO, or is only a guest, but it was in the sky on sunday, too (saw it from far away), and in recent years, during summer, I caught up a glimpse of it once a year, too.

we expect some rain and bad weather here, but after that, since I like biking and sometimes choose a tour goal just for fun, nothing speaks against going there again at times. with a little luck I should be able to get much better and hopefully: closer pics of it.

Germans call it "alte Tante Ju", btw: "old aunt Ju".

[AntEater]

That's D-AQUI (actually D-CDLH), Lufthansa's Ju-52.
It is the only Ju 52 with 3 bladed props due to a bit unhistorical restauration, on the other hand, it is a genuine german build Ju 52, not a spanish or french copy.
It is based in Frankfurt and quite a common sight (and sound!) around Frankfurt in Summertime.
I think there must be around 5-6 airworthy Ju 52s in Europe right now, 3 in Switzerland, 2 in Germany and 1 in France.
Personally I've seen 3-ship formations of Ju 52s over Frankfurt some years ago, and last year they had a five ship formation at on warbird show in Germany.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MicZSA7rKOs

Btw, as a VERY long term restoration project, Lufthansa is restoring a Fw 200 Condor
Now that will be a sight!

[Oberon]

That's an impressive soundtrack! What a wonderful sound! Must download MAW for CFS3, they have a flyable JU-52 IIRC.

[Jimbuna]

I have that soundtrack in my GWX gramaphone folder....just can't remember the bloody title :damn:

[Skybird]

I could cry that I have not stayed those 10+ something minutes longer -it would have rolled closer before turning, and that would have brought it closer to the observation platform. It would have turned and showed me it's flank, and then tail. Today, landing and take-off operation at FMO was at western direction, in the picture that would have been from right to left, and the beginning of the runway is close to the terminal. Imagine the series of pictures that would have been possible, and my flash card was empty, capable to hold 157 pictures at max resolution.

I just thought that business was being done there so slowly that I concluded that it could take another hour before they would eventually do anything interesting.

:damn: :damn: :damn:

Got a glimpse at the complete million-jackpot, and then I got payed one dollar. That's how it feels. :arrgh!:


Mqany years back, when the Brits still were operating Gatow in Berlin, they had a DC3 during a visitor's day. I was fascinated by that old thing much more than by anything new.

But it shows that bad American aircraft quality. DC3s are famous to notoriously lose their third centre-nose propeller. In fact they lose them so easily that nobody cares to repair them anymore. :lol: Falling down DC3-propellers became known as "UFOs", and that nowadays there is not much talking about UFOs anymore is due to the limited number of operational Dakotas today.

[AntEater]

"Fliegerlied"
sung by Hans Albers
By who else? Hans Albers was the Shah Rukh Khan of german 1930s cinema
:rotfl:

[Sailor Steve]

IMqany years back, when the Brits still were operating Gatow in Berlin, they had a DC3 during a visitor's day. I was fascinated by that old thing much more than by anything new.

But it shows that bad American aircraft quality. DC3s are famous to notoriously lose their third centre-nose propeller. In fact they lose them so easily that nobody cares to repair them anymore. :lol: Falling down DC3-propellers became known as "UFOs", and that nowadays there is not much talking about UFOs anymore is due to the limited number of operational Dakotas today.
WHAT? DC-3's never had a third engine, though I do think I remember hearing about some being modified with turboprops in more recent years. And they never had a problem with losing ANY props that I remember.

[Skybird]

OMG, I really gotcha this time, it seems. :rotfl: :rotfl:

[joea]

OMG, I really gotcha this time, it seems. :rotfl: :rotfl:

One point to Skybird. :lol:

[The Avon Lady]

OMG, I really gotcha this time, it seems. :rotfl: :rotfl:
One point to Skybird. :lol:
I would deduct a point from Sailor Steve instead. :yep:

[Jimbuna]

"Fliegerlied"
sung by Hans Albers
By who else? Hans Albers was the Shah Rukh Khan of german 1930s cinema
:rotfl:

Danke :up:

[Sailor Steve]

OMG, I really gotcha this time, it seems. :rotfl: :rotfl:
One point to Skybird. :lol:
I would deduct a point from Sailor Steve instead. :yep:
D'OH!

Only one point? I had to read Skybird's gotcha and both replies twice before I even got it. I'd deduct half my life (which is definitely more than I have left. :dead: :dead: :dead:

[Tchocky]

And people say Germans are humourless!

roffles :)

[Skybird]

Damn, that plane is gone again, read it in the news. Need to wait and hope that it returns for another three days next summer. I am confident, since it had spent several visits here anyway since I moved here. I only need to learn the word just in time. Will even book a flight around the city, then.