Re: PAW 22: Warbirds - careful, WW II vets!

Douglas:
Thanks for fascinating background information on the 109. Yes, this is one of the versions with a Merlin engine (the giveaway is the exhaust location up high instead of down low like the original Daimler-Benz engine). I had thought the owner just had it retro-fitted with an available and serviceable engine and had no idea of the extensive Spanish usage or licensed construction.

I hadn't known the company that built the engines for the old WW I SPAD XIII biplanes was in business as late as the '50s either.

At 10:01 AM 5/31/2004, you wrote:
Hi Mark,
really wonderful, sharp images, I really love these old prop driven machines, nice to see that people are still keeping them up where they belong .

The BF 109 is however a Spanish built HA-1109, the Spanish company HA licence built the ME (or Bf) 109 from March 1945 to sometime in 1953 using a Hispano-Suiza engine.After 1953 they were built with a Rolls-Royce Merlin (a further development of the engine used in the late models of the Spitfire and Seafire), these were designated HA-1109-M1L Buchon (Pigeon). Production ceased in 1956. Although the aircraft shown has an (almost) perfect camo
paint job ( The "Balkenkreuze" on the wings are not quite right in size and position) it must be one of the post war versions which never flew in action with
German markings, the original DB or Jumo (Junkers) powered models had a slightly fatter engine cowling too.
The Spanish airforce was in great demand for films, e.g. "The Battle of Britain", as they used quite a bit of either original, or licence
built, German aircraft, quite a few of the JU-52s still flying originated there.
Douglas





lurchl@xxxxxxxxxxxxx schrieb:

I went south to Watsonville for the 40th annual Fly-In Airshow today. The Air Force Thunderbirds are at Mountain View, California's Moffet Field this weekend but I prefer the old prop-driven planes. This was one of Germany's best:
http://www.mountain-and-desert.com/California/Airshows/DLC-WAT-FLY-IN0012-5.htm


And for the alternate, the more wing area (and power) you have, the more aerobatic you are. I just hope they can keep the smoke out of their eyes!
http://www.mountain-and-desert.com/California/Airshows/DLC-WAT-FLY-IN0032-5.htm


All comments welcome.

Mark Bohrer
www.mountain-and-desert.com
Adventure travel and wildlife photography

Mark Bohrer
www.mountain-and-desert.com
Adventure travel and wildlife photography 


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