History of F-BGNJ

 

 1953 - 1967

F-BGNJ en 1956 à Orly
Under the registration F-BGNJ, the Super Constellation n ° 4519 of type L-1049 C, was delivered to Air France on November 2, 1953. He is today the only survivor of the 24 aircraft bought by the French Company from Lockheed. Put into commercial service on November 15, 1953, it opened the most prestigious lines: the BGNJ crisscrossed the whole world transporting the greatest celebrities of the time from Paris to Buenos Aires, from New York to Paris, or even flying over Pointe à Pitre, Pnom Penh, Caracas, Tokyo ...

In 1956, it was modified to L-1049 G.
F-BGNJ ORLY 30 avril 1958

 

 1967 - 1999

It was on August 8, 1967, after 24,284 hours of flight under his colors, that he was struck off the Air France fleet. It then briefly carries the Spanish registration EC-BEN, before being acquired in 1968 by Air Fret. It then took the F-BRAD registration and was immediately used by Air France crews to carry out medical evacuations in Biafra, at the origin of the “Aviation Sans Frontières” association which was born 10 years later. The Lockheed Super Constellation F-BRAD 1049-G landed definitively in Nantes, for its last flight in 1974. It narrowly escaped a scrap which was reserved for it and was bought by Mr. GABORIT, an individual who maintained it for several years with few means to show it to the public in the parking lot of the terminal. In 1999, it was bought by the Nantes-Atlantique Airport Chamber of Commerce and Industry and entrusted to our association for its restoration.

  • 08/11/1953Arrival in Orly

    Registration Number : F-BGNJ

  • 9/11/1953 BV Classification Visit

    Registration Number : F-BGNJ

  • 01/08/1954 ACCIDENT: Mexico City – Courrier Orly-Mexico

    Registration Number : F-BGNJ

    During a taxiing maneuver carried out on the ground by the personnel of the Mexico City stopover between the hangar, where maintenance operations were carried out, and the landing area, the Super Constellation F-BGNJ hits a sidewalk with the left train. Left train collapsed. The Left Plan has hit the ground.

    Aircraft damage, according to AF message : Left main wing, front spar, web and sole broken. Drag schreck, Fullerum train broken. Significant damage to the platform interior by lifting cylinder wheel train. Flap n ° 5 breaking. Upper wing cover plate above n ° 5 to be replaced. Nacelle 2 little damaged. Platform 1 seriously damaged. Channel radia crushed oil. Compressor cabin damaged. Lower drift to repair. Rudder to replace. Propeller 1: 2 damaged blades. Propeller 2: 3 damaged blades.

    Repairs undertaken on site will probably not be completed for 7 months; the cost will be borne by the insurance covering the device

    More information here

  • 23/02/1955Convoying back to Orly

    Registration Number :F-BGNJ
 
Collection C. LE JARIEL

  • 23/02/1955
    to
    17/03/1955    Repairs + Grand Visite 1 Orly - Weighing: 33595 kg

    Registration Number: F-BGNJ
    Number hours: 1974

  • End of may 1955 Grace Kelly comes out of the Super Constellation L-1049-C F-BGNJ

 

  • 01/08/1956
    to
    01/12/1956    Major overhaul N° 2
    modifications weight specifications identical to 1049G

    Registration Nb : F-BGNJ
    Nb Hours: 4493

The F-BGNJ in Orly in 1956

F-BGNJ en 1956 à Orly

  • 07/01/1957Major overhaul

    Registration Number: F-BGNJ
    Nb hours: 7 828

  • 29/01/1957Certificate of Airworthiness N°2 new formula

    Registration Number: F-BGNJ
    Nb Hours: 11 102

  • 07/01/1961High Density Conversion

    Registration Number: F-BGNJ
    Nb hours: 20 845
 

F-BGNJ In Amgueel/In Eker août 1962    -   photo Yvon Liny

  • 11/11/1962Visit Of Aircraft Aging+ spar repair

    Registration Nb : F-BGNJ
    Nb hours: 23242

  • 01/09/1963Chartering Air Inter (7,37 Hours)

    Registration Nb : F-BGNJ
    Nb hours: 24141

  • 01/11/1963Revoking of operation - Storage

    Registration Nb : F-BGNJ
    Nb hours: 24281

  • 11/04/1966Destockage + RG

    Registration Nb : F-BGNJ
    Nb hours: 24281

  • 01/09/1969EC-BEN (Trabajos Aereos Y Enlaces) Sale Cancelled

    Registration Nb : EC-BEN
    F-BGNJ in the colors of TAE (Trabajos Aereos Y Enlaces) and registration number EC-BEN in Orly-North "Direction du Matériel Air France" - January 1967 - He never flew in those colors

  • 01-08-1967Re-registration F-BGNJ (AIR FRANCE)

    Reg. Nb : F-BGNJ

  • 08-08-1967Sold back to Gesto Finance Panama

    Immat : F-BRAD
    Used, with Air France crews for medical evacuations in Biafra. At the origin of the association "Aviation Sans Frontières" which will be born, under this name, some 10 years later.1

    Air Fret's L-1049G F-BRAD operated from Libreville throughout the conflict, with some flights being carried out on behalf of the French government. He is believed to have been involved in the airlift of the first batch of MFI-9Bs to Libreville. Towards the end of the war, F-BRAD acquired the "Biafran top" color scheme as can be seen here during its visit to Abidjan on November 23, 1969.
 

  • 31-12-1969Purchase by Catair

    Reg Nb: F-BRAD

  • 22-06-1973Air Fret

    Reg. Nb : F-BRAD

Last Flight to Nantes

Dernier Vol pour le F-BRAD, F-BGNJ
May 2, 1974 - After having flown over the whole world, a Super Constellation will perhaps arouse vocations in Château-Bougon. (press article) 11:43 a.m.! Coming from the south, a four-engine aircraft appears which describes a wide detour over the Nantes countryside, as if it wanted to soak up the landscape before abandoning the roads of the sky.
It is indeed, the Lockheed Super Constellation of the Catair, F-BRAD, bought by the Aéro-Club de Nantes to allow - in the near future - a ground visit of this Super G, with which on November 24, 1952 , Air-France created its Paris-Tokyo line via the India route in 45 hours.

© Photo Steve Williams
 
One of the first photos of F-BGNJ at Château Bougon

One of the first photos of F-BGNJ at Château Bougon