SCFA C-121C/L-1049F Super Constellation

The project to bring one of the very last airworthy Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellations to Europe started in the year 2000, when the “Super Constellation Flyers Association” (SCFA), founded by a group of Swiss pilots and aviation enthusiasts, bought a former Aerochago freighter aircraft in the Dominican Republic and ferried her to Avra Valley, Arizona, to carry out repairs and modify her to passenger standards. However, after a lot of work on the aircraft the U.S. FAA unfortunately did not grant the necessary certifications, and at the end of 2002 it looked very much as if the project had to be abandoned. Shortly afterwards the SCFA got in contact with the owner of the Camarillo based Super Connie (known as the “Camarillo Connie”), who wanted to sell his aircraft. This Connie, registered N73544, already was certified for carrying passengers, and after long negotiations an agreement was made for a lease/purchase deal for the plane, a former US Air Force Super Constellation C-121C which had been touring the US airshow circuit for many years. The Super Connie was prepared for the trans-atlantic flight to Europe in the early months of 2004, and on April 26 she took off from Camarillo – now sporting the titles and logo of the project’s main sponsor, pilot’s watch manufacturer Breitling – to arrive at her new home base at Basel airport on 8 May 2004.

The aircraft then successfully operated sightseeing flights for SCFA members until the year 2016. After the 2016 flying season the Connie was grounded for repairs and, as the necessary repairs unfortunately were too complicated and costly, it was decided in the spring of 2019 to abandon the project and dissolve the SCFA. The aircraft has been bought by German investors in the meantime and was transported by road to Bremgarten Airport in Southern Germany at the end of November 2019 to be made airworthy again by MeierMotors. Keeping fingers crossed that this huge undertaking of an estimated three years will be successful and the Connie will fly again one day!

I also have a couple of movies of some of my flights in this beauty on my YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/c/RalphKunadt/videos.