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Press release
- 28.07.2003
- Aviation history in the skies of Hamburg
In September, Hamburg Airport Classics will celebrate 100 years of motorised flight
100 years ago, the Wright brothers made the first ever motorised flight. It only lasted
12 seconds, but it changed the face of travel forever. Hamburg Airport and Lufthansa Technik will celebrate this historic milestone with the 3rd Hamburg Airport Classics which marks this event.
Around 100 historic and modern aircraft from Germany and another nine European countries will take part in the event on the 13th and 14th September at Hamburg Airport. The expected 100,000 aircraft fans from all over Germany can expect an interesting range of props and jets from a century of aviation history. This year, the Hamburg Airport Classics, under the slogan "100 Years of Motorised Flight", is being staged jointly by Hamburg Airport and Lufthansa Technik. Hamburg's mayor, Ole von Beust, is this year's patron.
Besides the fascinating flight programme, there will be fun and excitement for both young and old: exhibitions, a flight simulator and a lively programme of entertainment ensure that the topic of air travel can offer something for the whole family. A behind-the-scenes look at the aircraft repair shop of Lufthansa Technik, children's animations or aircraft tours are sure to swell the numbers of veteran aircraft enthusiasts.
To fit in with the slogan, there will be a replica of the first ever motorised aircraft in the world: a Wright Flyer from 1903. The main theme of Hamburg Airport Classics 2003 is air transportation. For example, a Junkers Ju 52 "Tante Ju" to represent the beginning of modern passenger transport. Built in April 1936 by the Junkers factory Werken in Dessau for Lufthansa, this particular aircraft flew for Lufthansa until mid-1936. The fleet had a total of 80 Ju 52s. Between its overhaul in 1986 and the present day, 126,266 passengers have flown with the "grand old lady". At the Hamburg Airport Classics, the Ju 52 will offer flights over the Hanseatic city.
An additional highlight is the first flyable model of the legendary DC-2 which will fly into Hamburg with up to six DC-3 Dakotas. For the first time, the DC-2 and DC-3 will come together with the Russian DC-3 licensed construction, the Lisunov Li-2. Flights for "hearing and seeing" will surely be offered by the four-engine Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed L-188 Electra which embody the golden age of propeller aircraft.
In contrast with the veterans, the brand new Airbus A340-600 will clearly show the visitors how far aviation construction has come over the last 40 years. Airbus will present both the longest aircraft in the world and the A300-600ST Beluga transporter at Hamburg Airport Classics. Sure crowd-pullers are the unique Nord 2501 Noratlas and the C-160 Transall of the German Army, offering a look back at the history of aviation construction in Hamburg, at the current location of Airbus Deutschland.
The oldest still-flyable motorised aeroplane in the world, a Blériot XI from 1918, is sure to captivate not just children, and will surely form one of the absolute highlights of this the largest air show in Germany in the centenary year of motorised flight. Many other aircraft from the last 100 years and an exciting programme of entertainment are sure to make the 3rd Hamburg Airport Classics an unforgettable experience for the whole family.
Ticket sales have already started. Adult tickets for this aviation spectacle will cost €12 on the day (€9.50 in advance), concessions (12-17 years old) are €8 (€5 in advance) and children under 12 go free if accompanied by an adult. Shuttle buses will bring visitors to the festival site free of charge from the underground stations Alsterdorf and Niendorf. Ticket hotline: 0180 5075757
Your press contact for Hamburg Airport Classics 2003:
Schellenberg & Kirchberg PR
Tel.: +49 (0)40 59350500
mail@schellenberg-kirchberg-pr.de
