The Friends of the Swiss Air Force Association (VFL), to which JU-AIR belongs, has handed over one of its JU-52s to Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG. This will completely overhaul the aircraft and then make it available to JU-AIR again. If it stops flying, it will be exhibited in the Flieger Flab Museum in Dübendorf.
JU-AIR changed its organization with a view to restarting the JU-52 and outsourced the maintenance department to Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG in 2019. This began with the major overhaul of the JU-52 “HB-HOS” and is now also taking ownership of the aircraft. The aircraft is not expected to return to service before 2022, which is scheduled for summer 2021.
The second JU-52 with the “HB-HOP” enrollment remains the property of the Swiss Confederation. The VFL is currently preparing the aircraft for exhibition at the Flieger Flab Museum Dübendorf, where it will be on display from spring 2021. The third aircraft in the JU-AIR fleet, the Casa 352 “HB-HOY”, belongs to the Verein der Freunde historisches Luftfahrzeuge e.V. in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and is on display there.
Active AIR FORCE CENTER Dübendorf
Over the past few months, it has become apparent that the AIR FORCE CENTER Dübendorf has too little space for extensive event operations and the simultaneous major overhaul of historic aircraft. Junkers Flugzeugwerke will therefore leave the AIR FORCE CENTER and Dübendorf airfield at the end of July 2020 and complete the major overhaul of “HB-HOS” at a new location. JU-AIR CEO Kurt Waldmeier has completed his duties at Junkers Flugzeugwerke after the set-up phase.
He focuses on the realignment of JU-AIR and the operation of the AIR FORCE CENTER Dübendorf.
The AIR FORCE CENTER with the Flieger Flab Museum and Restaurant Holding was able to reopen on Tuesday. In the coming weeks, various activities will be held in and around the museum to entertain regular guests and inform visitors about the history of Swiss aviation. More about this on an ongoing basis at www.afc-fliegermuseum.ch/en/top-news/
Christian Gartmann has been the Communications and Media Officer at JU-AIR since 2018.