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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 12:27 pm 
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Location: Freiburg / South Germany
Hello forum,

after that my account crashed these weeks and there is no chance to recover my threads and post, I will start a new one to bore you a bit with the latest news from MeierMotors in SouthGermany, exact Bremgarten airfield EDTG nearby Freiburg.

My name ist Matthias Dorst, I am 48 years old, married and the webmaster of MeierMotors http://www.meiermotors.com. MeierMotors is a maintenance and restauriation shop, spezialized on historic airplanes and of course warbirds.

Story began in the nintees as the Meier brothers bought a Yak-11. The brothers managed the German Registration and flew that ship. After they managed the same thing with an americanized Yak-3 (Allison-engine). At this second, meierMotors was the "adress" for Yakovlev airplanes in Germany. The so called "Yak-Nest" was born. They maintained and restored the planes in their hangar, placed on the Freiburg-City-Airfield EDTF. Achim Meieris the pilot, Elmar Meier the technician. A perfect team with the dream of warbirds in their heads.

In 2007 another milestone ..... MeierMotors bought the P-51 HuntressIII. A Mustang in Germany, what a big thing. The first Mustang since 1944 with German registration. Again, the task was to assemble the fighter and of course to recieve the German registration. Hard work, very hard work, but they managed it and D-FBUN was sold to the private owner. I will tell (again) the story of D-FBUN in a seperate thread (if you want). Elmar and Achim were very happy.

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One day in 2007 Elmar told me "Matthias, the sensation is perfect, we will get another one !" . So in September 2007 the P-51 "Darlin Ann" reached Feiburg an took the airfield in a perfect lowpass ...

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On of the "old projects" in the "old shop" was the Flugwerk Fw190 A8/N WkNr002. This project belongs to Jerry Yagen and the team had the order to bring that bird in the air.

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Here a picture of the tailplane in the year 2007. In the background you can see another Yagen-project, a Buchon. This Buchon will be converted in a Bf109-G with Daimler-Benz engine

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This was MeierMotors in the early years. In the year 2009 the shop moved to the new facility on the Bremgarten Airfield EDTG. The old shop got too small, too much projects and of course EDTG is perfect for flight tests.

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Regards from Germany
Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:38 pm 
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Thanks for the update and great photos. Welcome to the WIX!

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:39 pm 
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The new facility has everything a warbirdshop should have ... place, place, big airfield, industrial zone, again place :D and of course a good team. In that shop there is work for now 7 apprentices, a team for the bodywork and of course a seperate shop for the paintjobs.

The Team

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the paint shop

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EDTG was formally an airfield used by the French in the fifties, after that the German Airforce used the airfield as base fot rhe Reece Sqd 52, at first on RF-84, later RF-104-G and "good ol smoker" RF-4E. The airfield was given up in the 80ties and a industrial zone occupied the ground. The rundway is huge, wide and long. Perfect for warbirds.

A new teammember, Juergen Meier (another Meier, but not from the family :D ) strengthenedthe team. Juergen was formally teammember of the Flugwerk company. He is from this second away responsible for the Focke Wulf project of Jerry Yagen. Years later he is responsible for all planes :D :D poor Juergen. The pilots trust in this "Schwarzer Mann"

Juergen and Walter Eichhorn

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In 2008 another Mustang arrived the shop. The TF-51 "Miss Stephanie" , later "DreamGirl" . Same job as on Huntress or Darlin Ann, but this plane belongs to the company. Achim is also flying instructor and with that TF he is able to teach other pilots flying a Mustang. That the other business case of MeierMotors, a warbird flying school. The owner of the Ex-Darlin Ann took some hours with Achim before he took the controls of his single seater. The TF has got the German Reg D-FTSI.

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In 2009 the next "big ship" arrrived in the shop, a Chance Vought F4U-5NL Corsair. What a sensation ! This mighty plane in Germany. The F-AZYS was restored in South France for several years to series-7 standard and flew in the dress of the Aeronavale. In December 2009 the plane arrived in EDTG

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The year 2010 began with another sensation, the Focke Wulf Fw190 A8/N (Flugwerk) G-FWAB was sold to a German customer and MeierMotors got the task to build it up, of course with German Registration. Serial 908554 was the second Fw190 in the shop and later in 2010 another one joined the planes, F-AZZJ.

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At the same time another container reached the facility. The famous "Kindsvater-Buchon" was delivered to the shop. same tasks, assembly, maintenance, restauration, German registration and so on. Later in the year Walter Eichhorn managed the "first flight" with German Reg and ferried some days later the fighter to the new owner "air fighter academy GmbH" based on the island Usedom, North Germany

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In April I got a call from Elmar. "Come along, we will get a Spitfire, approach 1500" .... wow a Spitfire. Now all famopus fighters are at the MeierMotors shop .... another milestone

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Regards from Germany
Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 1:52 pm 
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Okay ... latest news ... as you might know, the Spitfire MkVIIIc D-FEUR had a small cooling problem at the Duxford Flying Legends show. Returning back home it was time to maintain the plane a bit. As part of this maintanance efforts the Spitfire got new wing radiators installed.

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Here the Spit in the shop ... what a beauty. By the way, this engine is not the "matching" engine. The original Rolls Royce Merlin is undergoing an overhaul at Mike Nixons Vintage V12´s in the United States. After the engine is back in Germany it will be mounted in the airframe and then this Spitfire has it matching heart !

One of the maintenance works is, as I said, to replace the leaking wingmounted coolers. MeierMotors is now able to replace the coolers of a P-51 Mustang, Buchon and Spitfire by new ones in a turnaround time of 6 weeks !

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Here the new radiators for the Spitfire

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love that plane !

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Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:21 pm 
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Awesome! Is the hangar open to the public or is it strictly a private collection?

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:50 pm 
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Holy CRAP!!!!!! You all now see what i have always wanted for my birthday present.. every year for my entire life!

All that is missing is a jet black Corsair!!! :wink:

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 2:56 pm 
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Pat Carry wrote:
Awesome! Is the hangar open to the public or is it strictly a private collection?


Hi Pat, no, its not open for public, but I am sure if you are in Germany there would be apossibiliy... just ask :D MeierMotors is not a collection, MeierMotors is a "normal" shop for airplane maintenance and restauration. All the planes are costumer-planes, maintained and stored at MeierMotors. So, not a museum, its a place to work on aircraft .... I think its paradise :D

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Regards from Germany
Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


Last edited by Matthias Dorst on Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:51 pm 
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Hi Matthias, thanks for the news and pictures.

I also red on a french forum about the Sea Fury stored in France for years in La Ferte Alais, and now at the Meier Motors shop for a complete restoration.

If you have any more information about her, be sure that will have interest for them ;-) Thanks

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:02 pm 
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Iclo wrote:
Hi Matthias, thanks for the news and pictures.

I also red on a french forum about the Sea Fury stored in France for years in La Ferte Alais, and now at the Meier Motors shop for a complete restoration.

If you have any more information about her, be sure that will have interest for them ;-) Thanks


sry, no informations at this point, I havent seen the plane yet. I have seen a Bristol Centaurus enginge, thats all. But I will inform you on the homepage and of course here on the board.

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Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:29 pm 
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Matthias Dorst wrote:
Pat Carry wrote:
Awesome! Is the hangar open to the public or is it strictly a private collection?


Hi Pat, no, its not open for public, but I am sure if you are in Germany there would be apossibiliy... just ask :D MeierMotors is not a collection, MeierMotors is a "normal" shop for airplane maintenance and restauration. All the planes are costumer-planes, maintained and stored at MeierMotors. So, not a museum, its a place to work on aircraft .... I think its paradise :D

From the pictures you have provided, it looks very close to paradise!

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:05 pm 
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lets talk about the planes over there and of course abaut the current and new projects :

    Customer planes and projects stored and maintained at MeierMotors

  • Boeing Stearman - maintenance > stored in France
  • Chance Vought F4U-5NL Corsair , serial124541, ex F-AZYS, under restauration
  • Focke Wulf Fw190 A8/M WkNr.002 D-FMFW > Jerry Yagen , new prop, new maingear, further testflights theses days
  • Focke Wulf Fw190 A8/N WkNr 980554 , ex-G-FWAB > private owner , under construction
  • Focke Wulf Fw190 A8/N WkNr 990013, ex F-AZZJ > private owner , under restauration
  • Hispano Aviacion Buchon, WkNr. 234, D-FMVS > air fighter academy GmbH Heringsdorf, maintenance (100hrs-check)
  • Hispano Aviacion Buchon, WkNr.133 / C.4K-64, Reg.: N109FF, Jerry Yagen Fighter Factory, under restauration
  • North American AT-6 , Serial 8-8177, D-FASS , private owner, storage and maintenance
  • North American AT-6, Construction Number 76-3556, D-FITE, air fighter academy GmbH
  • North American /Noordyn) AT-16 FS728, serial 43-12569, D-FCRP, private owner, storage and maintenance
  • North American P-51 D, Serial 44-72811, D-FBUN , private owner, storage and maintenance
  • North American P-51 D, Serial 44-72773, D-FPSI (ex-G-CDHI), Christoph Noethiger Switzerland, storage and maintenance
  • North American TF-51, Serial 44-73871, D-FTSI, private owner, storage and maintenance, training use
  • North American TF-51, Serial 44-63473, private owner, restauration project
  • Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk VIIIc, Serial 6S/583793, D-FEUR, private owner, storage and maintenance
  • Supermarine Spitfiretype VS509 (T9), MJ772, restauration project
  • Yak-3U, Serial 470202, D-FLAK, Maxi Gainza, storage and maintenance > rebuild and paintjob 2010
  • Yak-3M, Serial 470103, N42YK (ex-D-FYAG), Jerry Yagen Fighter Factory > repair 2009, based in Virginia
  • Yak-3U, Serial 470107, D-FJAK „White 100“, Chris Vogelgesang, storage and maintenance
  • Yak-3M, Serial 470204, D-FYGJ, Stephen Stead, > aircraft is for sale ! > storage and maintenance
  • Yak-3U, Serial 470110, D-FAFL, Mikael Wikström, storage and maintenance
  • Yak-3M, Serial 470105, D-FLUG, private owner > restaurationproject 2010, finished awaiting maiden flight
  • Yak-11, Serial 171103, D-FYWM, private owner > storage and maintenence
  • Yak-11 (Let C.11), Serial 171101, D-FMAX, Herbi Allimann Switzerland, storage and maintenance
  • Yak-11 , D-FJII, MeierMotors

.... and there are some projects in the pipeline ..... later more

I think I will start again a thread about the Fw190 A8/M project D-FMFW ... stunning story

To be continued & good night :D

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Regards from Germany
Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 3:39 pm 
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some highlights in 2010

That was really great ! 3 Mustangs, Spitfire, Corsair, 2 Focke Wulf, 2 Yak3 and a Noordyn AT-16 ..... the shop was pretty full.
It happened in week 29, cause José Flores (foreman of Vintage V12´s) was in the shop doing some maintenenance at the 4 Merlins and 2 Allisons

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on the right D-FPSI "Lucky Lady VII" (Ex-Susy, Ex-Darlin Ann), then TF-51 D-FTSI (ex. Dream Girl) and Fw190 A8/M D-FMFW. Outside you can see the private plane of Marc Mathis :D He can make things with that thing .... stunning :D

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on the left side in the shop the Mustang D-FBUN (ex Huntress III)

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Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 31, 2011 4:35 pm 
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I found the hangar I wish to be buried in! :lol:

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 12:18 pm 
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*******

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Regards from Germany
Matthias Dorst
(webmaster MeierMotors GmbH/ EDTG)
http://www.meiermotors.com


Last edited by Matthias Dorst on Sat Feb 05, 2011 4:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 2:13 pm 
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Interesting.

Time for yet another paint scheme for TE184, perhaps?


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