"The last Air France Super-Constellation, registered F-BGNJ, will never fly again... Yet, even grounded, it remains a symbol of pride, firmly standing on its landing gear. When you stand in front of this monumental aircraft — 35.41 meters long, 37.62 meters in wingspan, and over 36 tons empty — you can’t help but be struck by the apparent elegance of its main landing gear. How can such a slender landing gear, in comparison to the vastness of the aircraft, support such a giant?
Although the F-BGNJ has ceased to roam the skies, it still requires occasional maintenance, rare but essential. Every intervention is carried out with meticulous care. The four wheels of the main landing gear are disassembled, cleaned, and then repainted. Each one is carefully cleared of any impurities that could compromise its structure. The tires, capable of withstanding up to 10 bars of pressure, bear witness to the robustness required to support this giant aircraft, now anchored to the ground.
Another key aspect of these maintenance operations is the hydraulic braking system, once crucial to ensure safe landings. Today, this system is no longer functional due to the lack of hydraulic pressure, and the brakes are therefore no longer used. However, they continue to be regularly inspected, not for their usage, but to ensure that the integrity of the landing gear — on which the aircraft's stability depends — remains intact. Even inactive, these brakes are an integral part of the F-BGNJ's technical heritage.
During these rare operations, the plane rests on hydraulic jacks, a sight both impressive and delicate. The massive frame of the Super-Constellation seems suspended, held only by these jacks. Working under such a gigantic mass requires not only technical expertise but also a certain amount of audacity! However, the enthusiasts who care for this giant of the skies take each intervention very seriously, aware that every action counts in preserving this legendary machine.
Thus, although the F-BGNJ no longer ascends into the skies, it retains all its majesty. Thanks to these exceptional attentions, it defies the passage of time, immobile but still proud, a witness to an era when propeller planes reigned as the absolute masters of the sky."
