Air International 2021-04
I.Harbison - Stellar work
The joint NASA/DLR-operated jet arrived in Hamburg for its second extended maintenance visit at the end of September 2021
SOFIA has visited Lufthansa Technik at Hamburg for a D-check and two extended maintenance visits since 2014
Lufthansa Technik's Hamburg facility is one of very few sites to offer MRO services for the 747SP
Just three of the 45 Boeing 747SPs produced are in regular use. Pratt & Whitney Canada operates the other two as engine testbeds
SOFIA is now midway through its anticipated 20-year operational life
Lufthansa Technik staff are dispatched to SOFIA’s Palmdale, California base ahead of it flying to Hamburg for an extended maintenance visit to familiarise themselves with the 747SP
During modifications between 1998 and 2007, the 747SP was fitted with a glass cockpit. However, the flight engineer’s position was retained
In the middle and rear section of the A340’s cabin, seats, galleys and overhead bins were removed to make room for a patient transport isolation unit surrounded by an airtight tent with negative pressure, so air could not escape
A Lufthansa Airbus A340-300, D-AIGZ (c/n 347), was converted for medevac use and had been planned to be used by the German Government had the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak become widespread
The Open Skies Airbus ACJ319 was modified to incorporate apertures on the underside of the fuselage for cameras