Junkers JU-52/3M-4 SN No. 24 F-AZJU Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis

Junkers JU-52/3M-4 SN No. 24 F-AZJU | Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis

Junkers Ju-52-3M F-AZJU arriving at Orleans Bricy for the 2025 Airshow

STATUS: Airworthy
LOCATION: La Ferté-Alais, France
OWNER: Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis
ROLE: Transport
BUILT: 1943
LENGTH: 62 ft (18.9 m)
WINGSPAN: 95 ft 11 in (29.24 m)
ENGINE: 3 × ENMASA BETA4
MAXIMUM SPEED: 178 mph (286 km/h)
RANGE: 810 mi (1,300 km)

The Junkers Ju 52/3m, often affectionately dubbed “Tante Ju” (“Aunt Ju”), is one of aviation’s most celebrated transport aircraft. This example F-AZJU is preserved and operated by Amicale Jean Baptiste Salis (AJBS), based at the La Ferté-Alais airfield (Cerny, France) and is now Europe’s only flying “Auntie Ju”.

The Ju-52’s was first built in the 1930s and remained in service for than a quarter century. It became obsolete as a bomber by 1939, but because of its durability, simplicity of design and handling characteristics, it continued to serve throughout WWII as a versatile workhorse of the German transport fleet.

Originally thought to have started service with the Spanish Air Force, where it was wearing the registration T.2B-212 and was used for parachutists training until well into the 1970s. It then moved to a film production in England, before the AJBS acquired it in the 1990s.

During the disassembly of the aircraft a surprise was revealed. In the main fuselage, which was due to its long use with the Spanish Air Force considered as a Spanish license-build version “CASA 352L” of the German Junkers Ju 52/3m (3m standing for “3 Motoren” – three engines), a German identification plate was discovered. It wore the construction number 24 and 1943 as the year of construction so its history had to be re-written!