Her last 'Flight' To The Place Of Honor

VFW 614 / G15 (ATD) now at Bremen Airport

At 14th of january 2002 the DASA test aircraft VFW 614 / G15 (reg. D-ASAX) got its final parking position at Bremen Airport. During bright sunny winter weather two cranes were lifting the aircraft from the apron to the airports visitors-terrace.

The VFW 614 G15 ATD 'flies' onto the visitors terrace
of the Bremen airport (picture by Mrs. K. Schiestl)

Just beside the "Bremen-Hall", the airports exhibition and gallery of Bremen aviation- and space industry, the fully equipped aircraft will remain for static display and visitors attraction. Together with the famous atlantic-flyer Junkers W33 "Bremen", ERNO "Spacelab" and biplane Focke-Wulf "Stieglitz" our VFW 614 got its honorary display at Bremen Airport, demonstrating the end of sequence of famous Bremen aerospace industry projects.

Airport chief Manfred Ernst and Manfred Theis (head of Bremen Airbus Factory) had agreed to give G15 this honory place after conclusion of the design program of an advanced fly-by- wire "Electronic Flight Control System" EFCS. G15 was used as test aircraft for the development of the EFCS in the years 1999 and 2000 by company DaimlerChrysler Aerospace. From 1994 to 1998 the aircraft was retrofitted and equipped with a modern flight control system after being rescued from Lemwerder Airfield in not airworthy condition. So the aircraft got its second life with the EFCS Flight Control System (see VFW 614 G15 ATD).

The G15 started its first life in airline schedule (2300 hours) for airline "Air Alsace" in Colmar. After break down of the VFW 614 program manufacturer "VFW-Fokker" ferried the aircraft back from the customer to its production site Lemwerder.

In its first life the ATD was in airline service at Air Alsace
(picture of the G13 with 3184 hours and 4120 landings)

During Bremen Airport´s new years reception on 18th of january in the "Bremen Hall" Manfred Theis (head of Bremen Airbus-Factory) appreciated the VFW 614 program during his talk. He also mentioned the great number of Bremen aerospace industry projects from "Focke-Wulf" and following companies which are connected with the aviation history of Bremen.

We, the friends of the VFW 614, think that the G15 on the airport´s visitors terrace is a good but not the best solution. The very best thing would be to see the G15 flying again ...

Last visit in the ATD before it was moved: 614-friends (left to right) Jupp Quaschny
(leader flight ops ATD), Jochen Kruth (head of Weser-Wümme flight school FSG VFW)
and Olaf Kruth (Captain DLH/Condor)

Joachim Kruth

19.2.2002