Old Jet Planes

Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade SG18 9EP England; Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, Stone Church Rd, Rhinebeck, NY 12572; Hugo Junkers, the pilot of a plane that was really ahead of its age. F13 was the first all-metal airplane. All the more noteworthy when you consider that in the year of their first flight in 1919, most airplanes were little more than simple devices made of timber and fabric.

A further Junkers garage aeroplane, the Tante Ju (Auntie Ju), began in the early 1930s as a civil aeroplane. She also saw an extended army duty as a transportation plane with the Luftwaffe during World War II and with several Luftwaffe and airline companies until long after the end of the WWII.

The Ju-Air of Switzerland located in Dubendorf (the same airport as the Junkers F13 replica) runs Ju 52s for leisure use. However, apart from these significant phenomena, the Dragon Rapide turned out to be a very dependable plane. Before and after the Second World War it was used by some airline companies.

The Douglas DC-3: An airplane that has proven itself over many years. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most important aeroplanes in the world. In 1935 it was first flown, and soon several US carriers were put into operation, making it possible to fly passengers from shore to shore. More than 600 had been constructed when the United States joined the Great Patriotic War and it was quickly transformed into a civilian transportation called C-47.

During the Second Word War, tens of millions were constructed where it was the working horse of the allied army in all theatres of battle. The DC-3 became the main pillar of many airline companies after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The DC-3 was used by many of them. More than 80 years after its first ascent, many different DC-3 planes still fly around the globe as evidence of its longevity and effectiveness, and it is still possible to make bookings on them.

The DDA Classics Airlines, Netherlands, has a DC-3 in KLM paint, which can be booked on planned dates and on inquires. DDA executive Alexander van Houtert tells how this particular plane has a long and remarkable story. In World War II she was on D-Day and later during Operation Market Garden in Normandy.

Chathams, New Zealand, chartered a DC-3 for sightseeing tours and also operate some regular service between Auckland and Whakatane. From Yellowknife, in the Canadian Northwest Territories, Buffalo Airways provides regular DC-3s. Those older planes could not rival the new jet airlines such as the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8, which they were replacing on long-haul missions.

Handfuls of Super Connies stayed in use in various civil and defence functions, some even in the 90s. Two Super Constellations are still in flight, one with the Schweizer Uhrenmanufaktur Breitling together with the Super Constellation Flexible Association, the other with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society of Australia.

Each of the remaining planes appears regularly on the Flight Demonstration Circle. From the CV-240, Convair manufactured an entire line of airplanes with the goal of substituting the beloved DC-3 with a more progressive pressurised cabiner. More than a thousand were constructed between 1947 and 1954 and put into operation by a large number of airline companies and Swiss Federal Armed Forces.

Air Chathams' Duane Emeny, air carrier and general secretary of Air Chathams, the only carrier still operating this aircraft, emphasizes the 580's reliability: "The Convair 580 was really ahead of its times and has extraordinary system redundancy. Chathams, New Zealand, has three of them still in service and can be booked.

One Boeing 707 - used by US President Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon and George Bush - is accommodated in the Force One Pavilion at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. When the Boeing 707 went into operation in 1958, the size of the globe became much smaller. Not only was the Boeing 707 significantly quicker than prop airplanes, it also established a standard for cabin ride quality and airplane styling, which, with some enhancements, still form the foundation for today's airline journeys.

Boeing 707 was a major contributor to the popularization of aviation. As of 2011 there are no more Boeing 707s flight operations. A possibility could be to invite aboard one of the few VIP-configured Boeing 707s still run by a fistful of government officials, or to make friends with John Travolta as the performer keeps one for his own use.

The DC-8, a competitor and contemporane of the Boeing 707, was also significantly involved in the transfer from propulsion to jet aircraft. The aircraft turned out to be a favourite commercial aircraft, which stayed in operation for many years with many airline companies and government agencies. Some DC-8s are still in operation as cargo ships and NASA remains ready for use as a flight lab.

Lacking glamour, the An-24 makes up for its ruggedness and dependability, making it an excellent choice for use in the wide open spaces of the Soviet Union. It was developed in the 1950' and is still in use today by civil and defence users, especially in areas with a low soil level.

Though most of the An-24s currently in use are either cargo ships or army transporters, the Ukraine airline Motor Sich Airlines continues to operate them on scheduled airliners. They can dare a weightlessness mission with a modified Boeing 727. The Boeing 707 and DC-8 did what they did for long-haul services, the Boeing 727 did for short- and medium-haul services.

When it went into operation at a large number of airline companies around the globe, it superseded a variety of prop plane models. If you are not in the Bolivian, Mongolian or few other country armed with civil services, your best bet is to fly the Boeing 727 to Iran, where the last of these Iran Aseman Air Lines operate.

Over 800 of them joined Aeroflot and other airline companies and aerial troops of the former Soviet Union. If you want to use the Tu-134, you better get it fast, because only a few of them are still in use. Present carriers included Aer Koryo, the DPRK airline (there are agents organising flights to the DPRK ) and the Russia carriers Alrosa and Kosmos Airlines.

Il-62 was the Soviets response to the Boeing 707 and DC-8. This was the most important long-haul aircraft of the former communist block, which was used by Aeroflot and the eastern pilot Interflug. In Russia there are still a few in administrative duty, but your last opportunity to get him on a scheduled plane is again with Air Koryo.

It was a very succesful airplane, recognisable by its twin-jet engine, which is situated in the stern of the airplane next to the stern. DC-9, relatively small, opened many "thin" jet lines - the industrial name for lower volume jetting. Later, it developed into the MD-80/90 range, for many years the third actor in the medium-haul jet segment, in competition with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A 320.

In 1997 Boeing purchased McDonnell Douglas and the MD-80 range was phased out. It may be argued by some that the DC-9 continues to exist in the Boeing 717 shape as the youngest and smallest of the MD-80/90 families was changed after the takeover of Boeing. Brazil's first advance into airplane construction:

Already in 1985 the Bandeirante was the first airplane run by a then small and little known Iranian carrier named Ryanair. It was the first airplane to be developed and manufactured by Airbus. Indeed, the Scoreboard has expanded since then and has become one of the two main actors in the aviation world.

Of these, five, the A300-600ST, were strongly redesigned by Airbus to transport parts and other parts between the Group's mills. Though most of the A300s in operation are cargo ships, you can still continue to operate the model commercial with Kuwait Airways and Mahan Air of Iran. She can be recognized by her three power plants on the back, in an alignment similar to that of her West European counterpart, the Boeing 727.

However, the Tu-154s' sleek form can be deceptive as it is a long life, rugged airplane used in all types of take-off and landing environments. The majority of airline companies have taken active steps to dismantle them in recent years. Besides the North Korean Air Koryo, the Alrosa of Russia and Belavia of Belarus still have the model in their fleet.

The Flying Eye Hospital of the Charity Orbis International is run on a DC-10. A few cargo ships remain, but the most notable preserved DC-10 was without doubt the Flying Eye Hospital, run by the Orbis International Trust, as a basis for ophthalmic care for people in need around the globe. Fokker 50, a local aircraft prop aircraft, was one of the most beloved Fokker aircraft, which had its origins in the early beginnings of aeronautics.