Annual Report 2005 by the Friends of the VFW 614

Dear friends of the VFW 614,

it's a fine feeling thinking back to the years when our 614 was setting milestones during her short history. The last year gave some occasions for a flashback. Last year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the maiden flight of the first VFW 614
production aircraft. The real first, the G4 produced in Lemwerder, took off for her maiden flight on 28th april, 1975. With pride the Lemwerder crew gathered at the apron and celebrated the first flight. A specially produced stamp was issued at that date for its application in several ducuments. The Lemwerder crew had manufactured a VFW 614 production aircraft for the first time at the company's own airport.

This aircraft (for the launching customer „Cimber Air“) also was used by VFW-Fokker for marketing demonstration flights at prospective clients. Doubtlessly, the higlight of the year was the 25 day North American Tour in october. During this tour the G4 (with her Danish registration OY-TOR) visited 25 destinations including all ferry airports. Together with company pilots Nielsen and Oltersdorf three engineers and VFW-Fokker sales personnel joined the flights.

Marketing support and tour planning was performed by the local Fokker-VFW Intl. representative William (Bill) Melberg. Bill was preparing several marketing visits at many airlines for the aircraft demonstration. Today, Bill remembers very gladly on that tour. Classifying himself as the one and only real 614 enthusiast in the USA, he is now a writer and aviation historian.

Read his following comments on the US-tour:

"It is hard to believe that it has been 30 years since the VFW 614 made ist first (and only) North American Demonstration Tour. It was quite a treat for me (a 'kid' just out of university) to be responisble for planning that tour on this side of the Atlantic (much more planning was done on the other side of the Atlantic), and to greet 'OY-TOR' and meet her crew in Washington, D.C., when it arrived at National Airport near the end of the tour.

As you know, I am especially fond of G4 having spent several weeks with her during the North American Tour. She was quite a lady, and I have many wonderful memories of that tour. It is hard to believe it was 30 years ago. It seems like only yesterday. But, as the leaves turn color here in the Upper Midwest -- orange, red and yellow -- I am reminded of that beautiful Fall season when we took OY-TOR to Ottawa and Appleton and Chicago and Memphis and Houston and Miami and Washington and Boston and all of the other cities in between. One of the highlights was the landing and take-off at Meigs Field here in Chicago.

Meigs Field no longer exists. It is now a park on Chicago's lakefront. Thus, the VFW 614 will always hold the record as the biggest aircraft to take-off from that tiny airport. Every time I board one of today's Regional Jets, I wish the 614 has enjoyed greater success. It certainly was a lot more comfortable than today's RJs!"

We are glad to remember the 30th anniversary of the VFW 614 North American Tour in this report. We have another anniversary. 20 years ago the only still flying VFW 614, series no. G17, started her service as research aircraft ATTAS at the german aerospace center. At 26th septembre 1985 the plane took off at Lemwerder Airport to her new homebase Braunschweig. G17 ATTAS was the last VFW 614 model which was delivered to a customer, the former DFVLR. Month before the DVFLR-engineers and Engineers from the Bremen/Lemwerder plant modified the former production aircraft in order to meet all requirements of the Braunschweig researchers. So the aircraft could fly into service as a flying simulator and advanced technologies testing aircraft. At that time the Bremen site belonged to the MBB-group.

Back to the presence. Our union "Friends of the VFW 614" is performing active support for preservation of the aircraft G14, G15, G18 parked in northern Germany. G15, former airliner of "Air Alsace" and later on the DASA Advanced Technologies
Demonstrator ATD at Bremen Airport is a great visitor's attraction at the observation deck. Visitor's admiration should not be limited to see the plane from the outside. A visitors tour inside the cabin with sightseeing of the advanced flight deck should
also be possible. We support the improvement of the aircrafts appearance and care. From 2006 the modifcation / improvement of cabin interior and outbord paintwork is provided. The new outbord coloring has to be adapted to the former corporate design of the VFW Fokker demonstrator aircrafts. Planning for the remodeling works started in 2005 at the project parties concerned Airport Bremen GmbH, Airbus Germany GmbH and union "Friends of the VFW 614".

For the manifold restoration works several financial help, donations in kind and personal help is required. We are very grateful that personal works and material for the outbord paintings has been sponsored by a Bremen company. Further supports, donations and sponsoring is welcome. Be a sponsor for the Bremen VFW 614. Every donation and help is welcome! Many thanks to all persons and companies who have supported us the last year.

The VFW 614 can now be flown by a PC-simulator. Two Bremen enthusiasts have finished the programming for the Microsoft Flightsimulator 2004. Many Thanks to Andreas Poppe and his friend.

Our union "Friends of the VFW 614" got some more members this year and is growing. Fine that more friends found our web site while we hadn't their home address. We got some more relations to the USA. Our Bremen group meets every 3 months to engross the thoughts. Excursions e.g. to DaimlerChrysler Mercedes factury Bremen or to "Transrapid" maglev system test facility in the Emsland are completing the opportunity for some presentations during the meetings.

Dear friends of the VFW 614, we wish you good luck and success for the new year 2006. Special greetings again to our friends Leif Nielsen in Denmark, Knud Bartels und Graham Reddin in Australia, Juergen Hammer in France and Bill Mellberg and Meike Bullen in the USA. Many greetings also to Rolf Stuessel, Udo Draeger and Hartmut Mehdorn.

Joachim Kruth, speaker of the Friends of the VFW 614

January 2006