Flying Bulls DC-6 - Restoration of a Diva

Salzburg Airport in the summer of 2004, a former commercial airliner built in 1958 cautiously heads onto the runway. For four years, an international team of mechanics and engineers has worked tirelessly to restore this aircraft after tens of thousands of hours of work. Today is the day this classic Douglas DC-6 can return to the skies the team is eager to have everything working correctly during the extremely laborious

restoration

the aircraft was disassembled and completely reassembled the aircraft will become the flagship of the

flying

bulls

a fleet of aircraft belonging to a certain energy drink producer from Austria this is an unusual aircraft with a colorful past Windhoek July 2000 haha ​​the writer and Ziggy Angora of the

flying

wolves have arrived in Namibia with a team of pilots and engineers for the purpose common of preparing an old commercial airliner for a trip of a lifetime 5,000 miles from Windhoek to Salzburg the agent dc-6 now has a new owner after being used as a tourist plane in Namibia only the best vintage instruments in the cockpit the machine looks being in good condition was next - the last DC-6 to come off the production line, both crew and planner expected in Salzburg in four days, after some detailed checks and necessary repairs, it is finally time for the Pilots and passengers witness the rebirth of this girl from the 50s, the old

diva

.

It rolls onto the runway with a bit of heaviness It takes a lot of muscle power to steer the veteran This is what makes this old plane so charming to pilots The plane takes off and hooks up There are all kinds of spare parts on board 5,000 miles of desert bush and The passage ahead is the route that takes them from Namibia to Zimbabwe at 17,000 feet above sea level at a cruising speed of just over 300 miles per hour. The first stop is Victoria Falls. Tomorrow they will continue their journey to Entebbe in Uganda, which is located directly on the equator.

At this time there is a civil war in southern Sudan which forces them to make a detour after stopping to refuel and one night of Egyptian splendor they begin their return home after four days and twenty-eight hours in the air the dc-6 reaches Their dead end destination Salzburg the pilots are proud of what they have achieved inland penguin without any problems and it was a very enjoyable fight. I feel very privileged to have been able to be a part of this and I am glad that it has found a good home, but the enthusiasm for the plane dies down after the first maintenance the condition of the plane is worse than expected a full

restoration

is needed we always miss a look at this marketing in value we are very lucky that some things have almost come to an end One or two of the engines, for example, did not break down.

After taking a closer look under the trim panels, we saw how really necessary a major restoration was to feel like everything worked. Another mortem. No one present knows what this means in terms. For repairs, our Time Vintage specialists from England, America and Alaska are in charge of bringing the

diva

back to life. It is not an easy task. It takes months to find the necessary professionals until a team can be formed. Be-bop-a-lula shake when you work. with old airplanes it becomes personal it's a battle it's not like a modern airplane like a modern car where you can just pick up the phone and order or you throw it in the trash you buy a new one it's just irreplaceable and the work we do We're doing to this aircraft and the level to which we are taking it.

I'm sure that in 50 years it will be the only plane of this type flying, but all other planes will be scrapped, you know? Or in the mayor of the desert. Because it is economical to operate, not only will this plane probably be the best piston engine plane on the ground, but also when we take it to the VIP level it will be unique, all the basic parts of the plane will be overhauled and replaced. Where there are signs of corrosion, approximately 50% of the outer layer of the DC-6 must be replaced. Mechanics work on fuselage components by hand.

Metal is worked with traditional tools, you just have to run it at peak hours, dozens. of engineers and mechanics are in the hangar unpleasant surprises arise again and again this is a nest of African waffles there are hundreds of aids throughout the plane the electrical systems must be completely updated 40 miles of cable are required months of maintenance work is necessary detective before he can find all the spare parts. The DC-6 is colorful. The past took its toll in 1958. The old diva was bought by the Yugoslav state airline. President Tito had it refurbished as a luxury aircraft for state visits here in the former GDR in 1975 Tito sold the plane to Zambian head of state Colquhoun from when he tired of the DC-6 the jet age was accelerating even in Africa left it on an airport apron and finally sold it to someone in the season.

After a delivery period of more than a year, the four specially adapted 2,500-horsepower Double Star engines arrived at the hangar from the USA. The aircraft's engines are equipped with sensors and connected to new on-board computer monitors in the cockpit later to be installed. It is used to show pilots data on engine performance and temperature. One of the biggest problems turns out to be finding new disc brakes. A search is carried out around the world involving dealers, collectors and aircraft graveyards until finally a game is found, but the search does not end there, our game. disc brakes will last approximately 400 landings the dc-6 is prepared for its new paint various color schemes and liveries are being discussed and tested the dc-6 is new the paint job combines the old with the new more and more testing is needed functional the plane is raised and the landing gear finally adjusted the final preparations before the star engines can be tested after several tests it is time for the four engines to be tested on the plane the equipment is tense everything has been connected correctly Oh right Oh, the The first motor starts immediately, darling Burley, that's just after some initial difficulties, the second and third motors run clean, it's been brilliant, it's mega, it's nice to see a drone, it's alive, though, the fourth engine has unexpected problems with a propeller, we installed the propellers in hangar 9.

We bought the plane here for hangar eight and did our ground runs, then we found out we had a problem and developed an oil leak, so we had You have to remove the propeller, change a seal and rebuild the propeller, put it back on the plane and transport it. I did some ground runs and that fixed it, so there was no problem, so that cured the leak after 46 years, the second inaugural flight is closed. Yes, Luke, this year after year before they didn't realize it was because Artigas wouldn't be free. The plane's maiden flight is always something special and after four years of restoration this will be huge for all of us, we can't wait, we are all very excited, we admit it, one thing we can say: it is a better plane now than when it left. the factory is the site of the Santa Monica Senate is vacant Santa Monica for NASA after four years of restoration the new vintage DC-6 is ready to take off the DC-6 on the runway an emotional moment for all involved at the latest as to try to exploit meaning and we go all the way down as we fly, we are incredible, it has been a real pleasure to have the privilege of being part of this operation, they took us down again for a visual inspection, today it sucks, it is a pleasure because we are giving many of the mechanics who have worked for three to have long, hard years there for the first time directly on the machine and I love the look on their faces and they worked so hard for so long that the restoration has been a true feat of strength.

Fortunately for the diva, even at her age she still has fans.