WHAT?!!! No news posted on the Fw 200 Condor progress? ...

[Mark Allen M]

For shame!!!!

From Rob Mulder CEO at European Airlines,

"It's time. Mission accomplished! After hours of work and dedication the restoration of the last Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor at Airbus Bremen is now complete. See it soon at Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin, its last destination." Salvaged in Norway from many years ago and restored in Bremen. The CONDOR restoration, was carried out at Airbus in Bremen (hull and wings), at Lufthansa in Hamburg (chassis, elevation and side control gear, hullback) and at Rolls-Royce in Oberursel (motors).

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Fri May 28, 2021 10:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

[aerovet]

Rob, at least someone got my point

This is wonderful to see.. So no military markings for this one?

Gert Jan

[Warbird Kid]

Truly an amazing feat. Amazing to see it completed! Or at least in mostly one piece! Looks like the interior will not get all the details to go along with it! I rember reading awhile ago that the intention was to rebuild the 200 as a pre-war airliner.

[Maty12]

Now that is beautiful! Amazing looking aircraft and a wonderful restoration so far. Is the landing gear partially retracted so that it fits in the building?

[Matt_in_NC]

More pics here:
https://fw200-restaurierung-bremen.de/2021/05/19/status-19-05-2021/

I was wondering the same thing about the gear...it's a phenomenal feat they've accomplished just getting it to this point! I do hope they can eventually finish outfitting the cockpit, interior, etc, but that can all be worked on in time. Just unbelievable considering the corroded mess they started with, and always nice to see an aircraft brought back from extinction!

[Vagabond]

Regards the gear:

My browser translation from the FW200 site reads:

“ For safety reasons, we cannot extend the chassis completely, because our hydraulic supports cannot hold the hydraulic pressure for a longer period of time. The hydraulic supports are positioned under the wings and serve to keep the machine at a certain height level so that the chassis is relieved and can also be fully retracted and extended. Replacement supports are currently not available. Therefore, the machine rests on the (hydraulic) supports without hydraulic support and the chassis can only be retractable in half.”

[old iron]

https://fw200-restaurierung-bremen.de/2016/12/06/werknummer-0063/

This webpage includes a video that shows the disintegration of the aircraft as it was suspended above the salvage barge. Painful to watch.

I wonder if those who recovered the Civil War submarine Hunley learned from this video. The Hunley recovery included an in-place construction of a framework to support the entire craft.

[Scott Rose]

Neat, I had forgotten about this one.

[kalamazookid]

This is an absolutely incredible achievement. I had no idea there were any Condors under restoration. Awesome!

[bdk]

I remember a blurb in Air Classics decades ago about a surviving Condor fuselage that was going to be used as a restaurant? Anyone remember that or the disposition of those parts?

[p51]

This is an absolutely incredible achievement. I had no idea there were any Condors under restoration.

I had no idea, either. What a pleasant surprise!

[Archer]

“ For safety reasons, we cannot extend the chassis completely, because our hydraulic supports cannot hold the hydraulic pressure for a longer period of time. The hydraulic supports are positioned under the wings and serve to keep the machine at a certain height level so that the chassis is relieved and can also be fully retracted and extended. Replacement supports are currently not available. Therefore, the machine rests on the (hydraulic) supports without hydraulic support and the chassis can only be retractable in half.”

Someone needs to donate a set of jacks! The webpage shows a video of the gear moving. Incredible to see the complete airframe, I only saw a small part of it in Berlin as they displayed an already restored fuselage section in the Technik Museum during the restoration.


DSC_0559_resize by Jelle Hieminga, on Flickr

[Noha307]

It's worth noting that they actually used parts from four different Fw 200s in this restoration:

• Fw 200 C-1, WkNr 0002
• Fw 200 C-3, WkNr 0063
• Fw 200 C-4, WkNr 0140
• Fw 200 C-4, WkNr 0163

What's up with the instruments in that picture? It looks like the dials are just two-dimensional print outs and not actual instruments. I can't tell though, it could just be the lighting. The seat looks original though.

I wonder if those who recovered the Civil War submarine Hunley learned from this video. The Hunley recovery included an in-place construction of a framework to support the entire craft.

Or the RAFM's Do 17 recovery.

[Warbird Kid]

What's up with the instruments in that picture? It looks like the dials are just two-dimensional print outs and not actual instruments. I can't tell though, it could just be the lighting. The seat looks original though.

My guess is they finished the main airframe / powerplant work, now the team can focus on the interior which hasn't been completed or installed yet. I'm assuming it will be on display, while the crews continue to work inside. This gives visitors a kind of, two-for-one deal. A mostly complete looking plane, but still having some life to it as people work. I've seen a similar theme at NEAM with there Airship Gondola, DC-3, B-29, etc.