Warbird Information Exchange

I was happy to see that last night, just before turning in, and added it back onto the flyer's list (though I know it was just a ferry flight for now). Watching from afar, I too hope they're able to complete everything necessary to have it ready in time for the November airshow.

Great to see NH749 is back in the air; I recall seeing her at Camarillo in 1999 which was a treat! I previously saw her in a hangar at Cranfield in the UK back in 1983 and looked forward to another XIV on the UK display circuit; sadly her owner died when his Devon crashed at Shoreham just a week later.

John, here is an update for you. Sea Fury F-AYSF (formerly D-CRZY) has moved to France and from what I've heard, it is going to be based near Dijon, if I recall correctly.

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Tom

Thank you, Tom!

Newly-added to the list is the just recently-completed Bf 109G-6 WkNr. 161471, registered as N109GF, which had been undergoing restoration/conversion by Rare Bird Aviation in Hungary the past few years. The airframe is believed to be mainly that of one of the ex-Connie Edwards Buchons, c/n 190, C.4K-126 (AKA "Yellow 9" G-AWHD, last registered as N90603), now registered with the identity of and possibly fitted with some original parts from the original Bf 109G-6 WkNr. 161471, which saw service with the Luftwaffe squadron JG27. Fitted with a DB 605 engine and configured as a stock Bf 109G-6, the aircraft has been test flown at least a few times now in Hungary, piloted by Klaus Plasa, and the aircraft's ultimate destination, post-flight testing, is believed to be in North America (I've put it on the list in Hungary, for now). It is painted as how it is believed that WkNr. 161471 looked when it flew with JG27 as "White 10".

The Netherlands-based P-51D 44-74425 "D@mn Yankee" (PH-PSI), was involved in a wheels-up landing at Oostwold Airport on September 30, 2023, after the landing gear failed to extend.

Looks like a belly landing after MLG wouldn't extend.

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/346105

Thank you, Mike, I'll fix the description. I actually had it down as being an off-runway forced landing, just from the photos I had seen, but it was being reported in the media as being a runway overrun.

Here is a video by Nik Coleman on the recently-completed Bf 109G-6 (converted Buchon, despite what the video says) N109GF in Hungary: https://vimeo.com/868676874?fbclid=IwAR ... gdLX0CMbdw

Some screen captures from the video:

John how many me109’s are flying, or are close to flying? Not Buchons, but 109’s with the DB engines.

The number of DB-powered Bf 109s that are active or potentially close to flying, is 9, but the number that have been active this year is quite lower.

- In Germany, it is my understanding that the Hangar10 fleet of aircraft are in the process of having their annuals completed and progressively being returned to flight following the museum's sale over the summer. That collection includes the DB 605-powered Bf 109Gs D-FMBD, D-FMGS and D-FMGV (which haven't flown in over a year). Also in Germany, Eberhard Thiesen's DB 601-powered Bf 109E D-FEML has been very active this year.

- In the United States, there are two active DB 605-powered Bf 109Gs; N109GY owned by the Military Aviation Museum, and N42109 owned by Bruce Winter. With some of the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Collection aircraft on a slow progression back to flight, the DB 601-powered Bf 109E N342FH will hopefully return to flight again within the next few years (last time it flew was 2018).

- In England, the DB 601-powered Bf 109E G-CIPB has had its engine undergoing work in mainland Europe. Earlier this year, it was reported by Peter Monk that the engine might be back in the aircraft by the end of the year, at which point it will be flying again shortly thereafter (last time it flew was in 2018).

- And currently in Hungary is the newest DB 605-powered Bf 109, N109GF, just completed for Boschung Global, bringing the count of those active or potentially close to being active to 9.


Additionally, at the Messerschmitt Foundation in Germany, they've been working on the restoration and overhaul of their two DB 605-powered Bf 109Gs, D-FWME and D-FDME, for the past several years. I'm not sure about the status right now of D-FDME (Yellow 3), which I noted was stripped down quite a lot last time I saw it a year or two ago, but D-FWME (Red 7) has been looking very complete as of late, having been undergoing complete restoration since 2017. Also in Germany, there are the two early DB 601-powered Bf 109Es under restoration and nearing completion at MeierMotors - one owned by Hangar10, and the other, the Spanish Civil War example, currently being offered for sale.

In England, there are at least three-to-be DB-powered '109s under restoration, with a Bf 109G and Bf 109F under restoration for Graham Peacock, and a Bf 109E under restoration for Guy Black.

Wow! What an amazing reply John. Thanks kindly. Is it possible that the DB engines are becoming less complex and more available? And could we see an influx in more DB powered German aircraft? Like perhaps an me110?

Just dreaming a bit.

Nik's video is no longer available and sadly it appears no-one saved it to the Internet Archive. Lots of very lively discussion online as to whether this airframe is:
- WkNr.161471
- a new-build 109 with said identity
- a Buchon with said identity
In the video Paul Borschung asserted the fuselage was a genuine 109G-6 for which they knew the history etc, however Buchon experts have pointed out the cockpit access steps are clearly those of the HA-1112M1L...

Regardless, I think it looks gorgeous and the Rare Bird team have done a fantastic job. Even if the JG emblem on the cowl appears to be slightly incorrect.

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Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG".
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

"It's his plane, he spent the money to restore it, he can do with it what he wants. I will never understand what's hard to comprehend about this." - kalamazookid, 20/08/2013
"The more time you spend around warbirds the sooner you learn nothing, is simple." - JohnB, 24/02/22

I personally don't care that it is a Buchon conversion (I really like the looks of it), but I do take issue when someone thinks that no one is going to know better when it is claimed to be otherwise. There are details around the fuselage, like the lack of the hand hold and step on the starboard side, as well as some missing access panels in the rear fuselage, such as for the primer fuel tank and MG pressurization tank, as well as the unique (Buchon-type) external power plug/cover that's fitted, which all point to the fuselage being of Buchon origin. If the fuselage is not an original Buchon fusleage, its been built to Buchon spec. Close-up images of the wings, showing the lines of rivets and screws, clearly indicate they are of Buchon origin as well, with their double wing spar construction (compared to single spar original G wings). The port wing also lacks some access panels (another difference between Buchon and true G wing),
. The project only began a few years ago, with Rare Bird Aviation even describing it as a complete airframe they began with (the same thing they stated when they made the Buchon to G-14 conversion for Hangar10). The roughly three-year time span of the project also precludes the possibility of it having been a ground-up resto or new-build (which we've seen take up to a decade or more with other companies, and something that Rare Bird has never done in the case of the '109).

Obviously, if they themselves aren't aware of those detail differences, the owner and restorer would think they could pass it off as a genuine Bf 109G simply by rebuilding the tail and rudder with the correct profile, detailing the cockpit to G-model type appearance, and adding the correct firewall forward (engine, prop, cowls).

Personally, the only thing I'd like to see different about it is to have the armored glass installed in the rear of the canopy, like original G canopies have.

Hear hear. It looks fantastic and if I was lucky enough to see it at an airshow I'd be overjoyed to hear a DB fly in a 109 shape. But to say it has documented history as one airframe but the machine does not...

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Zac in NZ
#avgeek, modelbuilder, photographer, writer. Callsign: "HANDBAG".
https://linktr.ee/zacyates

"It's his plane, he spent the money to restore it, he can do with it what he wants. I will never understand what's hard to comprehend about this." - kalamazookid, 20/08/2013
"The more time you spend around warbirds the sooner you learn nothing, is simple." - JohnB, 24/02/22

Nic Coleman? Is he something to do with the movie industry? Vague recollection of being on the end of a phone call a few years ago from a guy with that name; he was looking for an engineering assessment of a disused airfield he wanted to use for filming a sequence with an AN-12. Can't recall we did the investigation but I did tell him (or our Engineering director) that RAF C-17s and Atlases had used the runway during recent exercises!