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The restauration of an aviation legend

Nils Alegren´s Caravelle Simulator Project

© by Nils Alegren / flyCaravelle / YouTube

Source | Nils Alegren / flyCaravelle / YouTube | 06 March 2024 2 minutes
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle, a French short/medium-range jet airliner is indeed a legend. It is considered the world’s first jet-powered airliner to be developed for the short and medium-range market. In the early 50s, the French aircraft manufacturer SNCASE sought to manufacture a passenger aircraft that utilized newly developed jet propulsion technology. To be able to start this undertaking, SNCASE formed partnerships with British companies. By the time the Caravelle entered revenue service on April 26, 1959, the firm had been merged into the larger Sud Aviation conglomerate. Various elements of the Caravelle were designed for maximum passenger comfort and operator convenience. In some configurations, the Caravelle cabin was furnished with rearward-facing seats – an arrangement rather uncommon amongst civil aircraft. This highly interesting documentary outlines the story of the Sud Aviation Caravelle and sheds light on the early French and British cooperation. The second half of the documentary is about Nils Alegren and his passion for restoring the cockpit of one of the world’s most iconic aircraft. Alegren always had a passion for this aircraft type as his mother had once worked as a stewardess on board this Air France model. When the last Caravelle model was put out of service in the mid 90s, Nils Alegren was almost obsessed with buying a cockpit and restoring it. On his 30th birthday he made his dream come true. He knew exactly where to look for such a cockpit. The owner of just the right cockpit from France contacted Alegren and was fascinated by the idea of him wanting to turn it into a flight simulator that enables the pilot to operate the aircraft. He sold the cockpit of the “Poitou” to Alegren in 2012. After 5,000 hours of work the cockpit was finally restored and turned into a fully-fledged aircraft simulator! For more please check out www.flycaravelle.com