by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 13, 2013 | Airlines |
Lufthansa took delivery of their latest 747-8i, D-ABYK, earlier this afternoon and is now enroute to Germany to join the fleet.
I was in Everett last weekend and saw her parked on the ramp going through final delivery preparation. Of course with the luck that I had, I was a few days too early.
D-ABYK going through final preparations ahead of delivery. Unfortunately she was parked far away from the observation area making it tough even for a 500mm lens!
Fortunately, Sandy and Christina from Future Of Flight, Boeing’s public aviation center located at Paine Field, were gracious enough to offer to take photos as D-ABYK left Everett after being delivered to Lufthansa.
Here are the pictures that they emailed me earlier today showing D-ABYK departing Paine Field:
D-ABYK departing Paine Field on August 13
If all goes well, D-ABYK will enter service on September 2 when it begins flying between Frankfurt and Mexico City.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 12, 2013 | Airlines |
AUSTRIAN has completed the full overhaul of their long haul fleet so now anyone traveling on AUSTRIAN to it’s long-haul intercontinental destinations will benefit from the new cabin interior, upgraded Inflight Entertainment System and enhanced dining experience.
In all, 4 Boeing 777s and 6 Boeing 767s were retrofitted over the last several months. During the upgrade, 2,538 new seats were installed, costing €90 million to complete.
The new cabin interiors have not gone unnoticed by passengers. As a result of this investment, passenger satisfaction on long haul routes has improved by a whopping 31%.
US-based passengers can experience this great new product from AUSTRIAN’s US gateway cities including New York (JFK), Washington DC (IAD) and Chicago (ORD).
by Lufthansa Flyer | Aug 11, 2013 | Airlines |
75 years ago today (August 11), Lufthansa completed its first non-stop transatlantic flight when a Focke-Wulf FW200 Condor landed in front of thousands of onlookers at New York’s Floyd Bennett Field after departing Berlin’s Staaken airport the previous day.
The aircraft completed the the non-stop flight in 24 hours 36 minutes, setting a new record for a transatlantic crossing. It would break its own record on August 13 when it returned to Berlin in only 19 hours 55 minutes. The aircraft, D-ACON and nicknamed “Brandenburg”, was piloted by Captain Alfred Wenke and Captain von Moreau.
The Focke-Wolf pictured at Floyd Bennett Field (courtesy WWIIvehicles.com)
Keep in mind that this was the pre-war version of Lufthansa. During WWII, Lufthansa was liquidated by the government and assets were seized for service in the Luftwaffe. The second iteration of Lufthansa emerged shortly after the end of the war and became the Lufthansa we know today.
For the record setting flight from Berlin, the aircraft averaged an altitude of only 2000 meters (6500 feet) and average speed was approximately 255km/hr or 158 miles per hour. The low altitude was required since pressurized cabins had not yet been introduced and 6500 feet above ground level is known as the maximum height that most people can withstand without experiencing altitude sickness.
This feat confirmed the viability of long-haul airline operations and created the impetus for aircraft manufacturers to develop and deliver aircraft that could reach all corners of the globe in unprecedented fashion.
“Brandenburg” would go on to set yet another record when it completed an amazing non-stop flight from Berlin to TOKYO in 46 hours 18 minutes on November 28, 1938 piloted by the same crew. Unfortunately during the return flight the aircraft was lost when it performed an emergency landing in the Pacific near Manila, Philippines.
For you Lufthansa fans, you may recognize that the ‘Brandenburg’ name flies proudly today. It is the nickname that was bestowed upon Lufthansa’s first 747-8i, D-ABYA that entered service on June 1, 2012.
