November 19, 2008 Unusual rescue mission in Maine Play video

(NECN: Amy Sinclair, Auburn, Maine) - The small airport in Auburn, Maine was shut down this morning to make way for history. One of the last remaining Super Constellation Starliners, known by plane buffs as "Connies," taxied down the runway on its way to a complete restoration.

The aircraft was one of just 44 Super Constellations ever built back in the 1950s. Until last year, pilot Maurice Roundy owned three of the only four left.

"Well, I'm a man who loves airplanes. I have since I was a young boy. So, you know, I rescued these planes because they were going to be scrapped, they were abandoned," says Roundy.

Click here to watch raw video of the plane.

Roundy repaired and flew two of them to his property next to the Auburn-Lewiston Airport in hopes of someday raising money to do a complete restoration, but money ran out, Roundy filed for bankruptcy and the planes went on the auction block.

A foundation funded by German airline giant Lufthansa bought all three planes for $748,000. The crew will spend the next three years restoring the aircraft in a 37,000 square-foot hanger. After that, it will fly home to Germany.

Because the plane was converted to a cargo carrier in the last chapter of its working life, the crew will have to retrofit the cabin and cockpit back to their original condition. Fortunately, the project manager says Roundy took very good care of the

"They're my babies and I've taken care of them, but it's time for them to move on, take responsibility for themselves," says Roundy.

When the work is completed, this Starliner will begin a new chapter in its storied life. Lucky travelers will be able to discover for themselves why these planes, known by Germans as "Superstars," remain among the most popular antique fliers in the world.