80 years old and not the least bit tired

On September 30, 2026, a very special anniversary was celebrated in a relaxed atmosphere—complete with grilled sausages and drinks—at the Osnabrück-Atterheide airfield (EDWO). The guest of honor was a still-sprightly elderly lady from the Cessna "140" series, which had been certified for flight exactly 80 years earlier in Wichita, Kansas (USA).



Exactly 80 years ago on September 30th, 2026 Cessna 140 D-EFAS was certified for flight at Wichita, Kansas. A very good reason to celebrate indeed.

However, she did not stay long in the "Land of the Free and the Brave"—as the United States still likes to call itself. After stints in Switzerland, Bad Gandersheim, and Hamburg during the 1950s, the aircraft—now registered in Germany as D-EFAS (and nicknamed "Lumpi")—arrived in Osnabrück the following decade, where she has felt right at home ever since.

This comes as no surprise, given that for the past four decades, she has been lovingly cared for by her "family"—a group of four co-owners. Werner Mattner, Heinrich Lüpping, Georgios Pantelakos, and Sven Weigelt currently look after this "old lady"—described by W. Mattner as "trouble-free to fly, yet sometimes stubborn." Most recently, Heinrich Lüpping handed over his share to Rolf Bockbreder due to his advancing age.



Left to right: Werner Mattner, Georgios Pantelakos, Rolf Bockbreder and Heinrich Lüpping (Sven Weigelt is missing from this image).

This fabric-covered classic beauty, D-EFAS, has completed flights all across Europe—to Great Britain, France, and even across the Alps. We wish for her to continue flying for a long time to come.