The German aerospace center DLR retired the last flying example of the VFW 614 on 27 June. The Rolls-Royce M45H-powered regional jet was manufactured by the Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke in Bremen in the 1970s, now part of Airbus. Its most notable feature was the engine installation in pods on top of the wing. Only a few of the 21 built survived after the programme faltered in 1980. Newly delivered aircraft were scrapped. Aside from DLR's aircraft, only the German air force used three of the type as VIP transports until 1998. DLR's aircraft was modified in 1985 to include a fly-by-wire system which could be reprogrammed as a flying simulator. DLR has yet to decide whether the aircraft will go into a museum or serve as a ground trainer, for example. What is clear is it will not be scrapped.
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DLR |