redvannerAnother example. When the filming of “Battle Of Britain” was over, 2 Buchon´s and 1 CASA 2.111 were brought to Germany for film promotion. They ended up at Siegerland Airport, where I, as a 13 years old sat in 1 of the Buchons. After a few years outside, not getting any better, the club that owned them wanted to sell them. Guess what? No interest at all. One went to the RWTH Aachen (technical university), now at Sinsheim Museum. The other one didn´t find a buyer for quite a time. Finally, in 1973 Doug Champlin bought the 2. Buchon for 6000 DM (then about 925 GBP (sorry, no GBP sign on German keyboards). If I did the math correctly, it would be nowadays round about 9000 € (8200 GBP). This one is now at the Museum of Flight, Seattle as a 109 E. BTW the CASA was restored by Deutsches Museum München, and is exhibited in Schleissheim. If I only had the money in `73…. but as a 17 year old…. no way.
Michael
redvannerThough I have not flown a Sie 3, I have seen one at the Siebert workshop. It was said, they took the Ka 6 as a kind of template to build an improved glider. In fact Siebert license built Schleicher types. Our club still has a Siebert built Ka 6 CR of 1966, actively flown throughout the years. Quality of this one is excellent, even better than some Schleicher ones. Especially harmonisation of all axes is superb, aileron, rudder and elevator perfectly in unison. Though a far cry from the newer designs in respect to glide angle and speed, this is the plane I liked to fly best, and most.
Michael
redvannerI especially like the Spitfire V with DB 605. I would love to see one converted, but I doubt anyone will do so. Due to the relative rarity of these engines it would be a lot more expensive to build and operate than one with a Merlin. But it would be a surprise and eyecatcher at every airshow, wouldn´t it be?
Michael
redvannerI have been there, but couldn´t remember it :o, or simply that much Spitfires in the air, I did not know where to look first and last…., lol.
Michael
redvannerNice. I always liked that paint scheme.
Right Daz. Though the scheme was not strictly correct. If you look closely at the markings on the fuselage, they are aligned with the upper side of the fuselage, that was wrong. Correctly they should be aligned with the underside. But anyway, I did like it much better than the new one, Yellow 3. It was remarked by some that this kind of scheme would not fit a G-10, but earlier versions. I do not know, but in my opinion it looks much too “streamlined”. But who I am to criticise Messerschmitt Foundation / EADS?
Michael
redvannerThanks for posting that 🙂
You are welcome. I thought there might be some like-minded people scanning this forum. 🙂
Michael
redvannerI need the measuremnets of the ME 109 antenna , can anyone help me out!?
Bets Jabba
You could always ask MeierMotors, they have 4 different Bf 109´s in their workshop right now. I am quite certain Matthias will comply if you ask him quite nicely…..
Michael
redvanner………
The 109s are all converted Buchons.
Yes, and all 3 of them are in for maintenance / repair, none of them airworthy at the moment, at least that is what I know. G-6 D-FMBB is in for long planned major overhaul since considerable time, I believe she is the one that clocked most hours of the 3. G-10 D-FDME is getting a “new” engine. G-4 D-FWME is in for repair after bellylanding at Roskilde Airshow (Denmark), maybe engine overhaul as well as bodywork, though pilot Klaus Plasa did a remarkably good job in getting her down with minimal damage.
I doubt they will go to Flying Legends, as the policy of Messerschmitt Foundation is to attend few selected airshows, due to keep the planes going for a longer time. Though G-4 has attended RIAT in one of the last years, I can not remember when at the moment. The Me 163 might be a possibility, but I doubt they will tow it with their Do 27 to Duxford. They went quite regularly to ILA Berlin, and Hahnweide, as well as Zeltweg (Austria).
Michael
P.S.: One tiny piece that I would like them to change with their homepage: 1. English version (might come), 2. Proper regular updates on the current state of their planes and intended participation at airshows (I doubt that one, as their former one wasn´t up to date either, you only got information where they have been in the former years….) 🙁
redvannerIt most probably will be an engine off one of the first batch of 130 CASA 2.111´s, either an A, C, or F model, if info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CASA_2.111
is correct.
The more famous (due to surviving examples not the least those being flown in the BoB film) ones are those with Merlin. Due to unavailability of Jumo 211 after the old stocks were used up, Merlins took their place, same with the DB´s in the Spanish 109´s (first HS-engined version was HA-1.109).
Michael
redvannerBlimey,that reads like some sort of horror story especially from such an experienced ,highly trained and gifted pilot.I hope the new owners/pilots have good insurance.
Well, I do believe the pilots wanting to get conversion training today will definitely have clocked more hours than the rookie Luftwaffe pilots. In early 1944 the average fighterpilot had 160 hours total flying time when transferring to the operational unit, later in ´44 that was further reduced to 112 hours average. This consisted of 2 hrs. gliders, 50 hrs. primary training, 40 hrs. advanced training, and only 20 hrs. operational training (average timeframe then: 5 months). So when flying a G-12 they had around 92 hours. And the trainer might not be the best around either. I believe anybody trying a conversion training today, will be better suited, having a lot more hours on high performance taildraggers. And a trainer today would not fly the G-12 singleseated from the rear seat. And the additional idea is, to be able to offer joyrides. Though they will not be cheap, one or another might want to experience the 109 from the rear seat as a passenger as well.
Michael
redvannerAmbitious. I suppose Meier, restoring 4 DB-engined 109s at the moment, are working on the same basis that EADS do. That is, if you have enough of them, you have at least a chance of having one of them working at any given time.
Mike, there are 3 different customers there. E-1: Robs Lamplough, G-4: Jerry Yagen (MAM / Fighter Factory), G-6 and G-12: Air Fighter Academy / Hangar 10, none of those planes / projects is owned by MeierMotors AFAIK. BTW the canopies of a G-12 are not standard Bf-109 canopies, they are modified ones. The left and middle parts are pivoting to the right, right side of canopy is fixed (due to stability reasons of the cockpit area?). And all G-12´s were modified from standard G-models (G-2 to G-6 IIRC), none were newbuilt fuselages.
Michael
redvanner“an opportunity arose to take voluntary exit”. somewhat reminds me of ‘Where Eagles Dare’ and the double agent in the Ju-52 !
Does he have the parachute in reach, or is he even ready to jump? (You just triggered the picture)
Michael
redvannerThough it was severely hampered by being overweighed and underpowered (due to RLM insisting on the use of “unimportant engines of low horsepower”), and only quite few trickled to the operational squadrons, wasn`t in fact the Henschel Hs 129 B-3 the “real” predecessor of the A-10? Similar concept as the Il-2, (heavy armour), similar or even better punch than the Ju 87 G? Only the use of inappropriate low horsepower engines (poor handling due to overweight and being underpowered) and the even less than low production kept it from being a remarkable or even noticed as quite a good concept. IMHO it would have been a better attack plane than the Stuka with a more powerful engine (say BMW 801).
Michael
P.S.: … and it was 2 engined as well, contrary to Stuka and Sturmovik…
redvannerYes, it came out of the Museum at Oshkosh. Bought, bent, fixed, and for sale again in a short period of time.
There is a rumour in a German forum that “another” 2-seater will be going to Heringsdorf instead sometime, some speculation it [I]might[/] be a (still to be built) Bf 109 G-12. I stressed rumour and might, because there is nothing factual be known so far, at least not by me. It might be purely speculation, but if true, it would explain the sale. Maybe just simply the need for money for the 2 Bf 109 projects. But if true, they have a damaged (more or less unloved) Buchon that could be the core of a G-12 (just my own speculation).
If there is any reliable information available, I will keep you informed asap of course. :eagerness:
Michael
P.S.: I doubt the owner would sell the Spitfire if not for a more wanted (or more loved) project / plane. (Of course my personal opinion only.) But buying and selling is part of what collectors do, isn´t it?
redvannerPeter, best information you might be able to get about this project is here: http://www.messerschmitt-bf109.de/ , click on the left side at “Neuigkeiten” (News), on the linked page the first article (with links) dated 24.11.2013 is the relevant part. Though there is a british flag for English text on the left lower part, most of the text is available in German language only. But if you`d like any part of it translated, please PM me.
Michael
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