Restoring the Super Constellations

: Kevin Kimball, right, of Dresden, and Andy Peacock, of New Gloucester, work on restoring the inside of the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport recently.

: The Lockheed L-1649 Starliner being restored at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport by Lufthansa Technik must be kept in a “zero stress condition” in order to remove any panels for restoration according to project manager Michael Austermeier. that means the plane must remain perfectly level and is frequently checked through out the day with laser levels.

: Gasoline is stored in the wings of the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, so the interior of the wings must be scrapped bare of all the old epoxy and finish that coated in the insides during the restoration of one of the planes at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport by German-based Lufthansa Technik. They must also replace every rivet on the aircraft.

: Michael Austermeier, project manager for the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner restoration, shows off the interior of the 1649 sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane is being used for reference, and the occasional part, during the restoration process.

: Michael Austermeier, project manager for the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner restoration, shows off the interior of the 1649 sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane is being used for reference, and the occasional part, during the restoration process.

: Michael Austermeier, project manager for the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner restoration, shows off the interior of the 1649 sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane is being used for reference, and the occasional part, during the restoration process.

: Benjamin Paine, from Texas, inspects the wings of the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner during the restoration process at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport recently.

: Concrete had to be placed inside the reference Lockheed L-1649 Starliner sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport after the engines were removed. If the concrete was not in place, the plane would tip over.

One of the last missions of the Lockheed L-1649A Starliner, which now sits stripped bare in a hangar at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport, was to transport cattle. Its final flight, in the early 1980s, was its arrival in Auburn from Florida.

Only 44 Starliners were built, between 1956 and 1958, and were the cream of the legendary Lockheed Constellation series. The planes carried passengers until 1966, when many of them were turned into cargo planes.

“It was a milestone in airlines,” said Michael Austermeier, Lufthansa project manager for the restoration. “It allowed Lufthansa back to the North American routes.”

The standard Starliner carried 86 passengers, but a swankier version could carry just 30 high-flyers in supreme luxury. Some slept in beds, behind curtains. Newfangled in-flight entertainment included tape players and loudspeakers. Back then, Lufthansa marketed the Starliner as its “Super Star.”

In order to get the plane ready for flight almost 30 years after being grounded in Auburn, Lufthansa mechanics are now replacing every rivet and any panels that are corroded. They are also cleaning out the wings for fuel storage and replacing the cargo doors with original passenger doors.

When the restoration is complete, Austermeier said, the German company plans to use the plane for VIP rentals and regular passenger flights.

: Kevin Kimball, right, of Dresden, and Andy Peacock, of New Gloucester, work on restoring the inside of the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport recently.

: The Lockheed L-1649 Starliner being restored at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport by Lufthansa Technik must be kept in a “zero stress condition” in order to remove any panels for restoration according to project manager Michael Austermeier. that means the plane must remain perfectly level and is frequently checked through out the day with laser levels.

: Gasoline is stored in the wings of the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, so the interior of the wings must be scrapped bare of all the old epoxy and finish that coated in the insides during the restoration of one of the planes at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport by German-based Lufthansa Technik. They must also replace every rivet on the aircraft.

: Michael Austermeier, project manager for the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner restoration, shows off the interior of the 1649 sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane is being used for reference, and the occasional part, during the restoration process.

: Concrete had to be placed inside the reference Lockheed L-1649 Starliner sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport after the engines were removed. If the concrete was not in place, the plane would tip over.

: Benjamin Paine, from Texas, inspects the wings of the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner during the restoration process at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport recently.

: Michael Austermeier, project manager for the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner restoration, shows off the interior of the 1649 sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane is being used for reference, and the occasional part, during the restoration process.

: Michael Austermeier, project manager for the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner restoration, shows off the interior of the 1649 sitting outside the large hanger at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport. The plane is being used for reference, and the occasional part, during the restoration process.