Vintage Aircraft - Classic Aircraft - Photography

Vintage Aircraft or also known as classic aircraft usually describes flying machines that are, at least, older than 30 years of age. The age is the most commen denominator, though, that is where the similarities end. Vintage flying machines are everything from monplane to double decker, WW I and WW II machines, anything from civil aviation that is in good condition and still flying.

Thankfully, vintage fly-ins allow us to watch and enjoy these machines on a rather regular basis. Even if that requires some travel to be at a classic aeroplane show. In the following you will find some photographic material and documentary on vintage flying machines. Enjoy.

Aircraft Junkers JU 52/3m

The Junkers JU 52 was an aircrift build by Junkers Flugzeugwerk AG, Dessau that performed its maiden flight in 1930. Nicknamed Auntie JU was originally constructed as a single-engine aircraft with a civilian use as transport aircraft. Soon the JU 52 was produced as a trimotor plane. The intended use now widened to passenger carrier and transport plane, first being used by Swiss Air and Deutsche Lufthansa.

It did not take long and German military detected the unsusal qualities of the plane and the JU 52 was produced medium bomber as well as military transport aircraft. First deployments of the JU 52 were during the Spanish Civil War. During WW II the JU 52 was deployed as troop and cargo carrier on all fronts.

The plane was such a success that production continue until 1952 with quite a number of these planes still in use by the end of the 1980s. The last planes in use flew until 2017 in Germany and in Switzerland and were then grounded by Swiss Aviation. One of these vintage aircraft is still stationed at Hugo Junkers Hangar at Moenchengladbach Airport (images of that plane follow below).