Airworthy 109s/Buchon's as of August 2016

[Mark Allen M]

Here's the "Dunkirk" movie machine



and a couple real pretty shots

[JohnTerrell]

Here's the "Dunkirk" movie machine

Which is also the same aircraft as "Yellow 10" in the third and fourth photos - the "Yellow 10" markings is its current permanent scheme, which is a recreation of the same scheme the aircraft wore during the making of the movie "Battle of Britain". Not sure how much longer it will have the "Dunkirk" movie paint applied until it is washed/scrubbed off.

[Warbird Kid]

Here's the "Dunkirk" movie machine

Which is also the same aircraft as "Yellow 10" in the third and fourth photos - the "Yellow 10" markings is its current permanent scheme, which is a recreation of the same scheme the aircraft wore during the making of the movie "Battle of Britain". Not sure how much longer it will have the "Dunkirk" movie paint applied until it is washed/scrubbed off.

Really wish the POF 109 made it across the pond. Two 109s dogfighting against three Spitfires is a lot better than one.

[pjpahs]

Jerry Yagens ME 109 G4 according an article in Aeroplane (magazine) posted on MAM facebook states that.. originally he was to restore a Buchon HA-1112-M1l-(C.4K-64) at Meier Motors but the fuselage was no good. He had a ME 109 G4 there with good fuselage so mated the good buchon wings with the ME109 plus other parts , new skins, DB 605 etc.. The German edition of our FAA deemed that enough original parts were used that it would retain the Werk # 19257 and be a true ME 109 G4. He had collected wrecked 109's from Russian etc. so had plenty of original parts. The Buchon was returned to Virginia Beach and may be in one of his "Area 51" hangers you can't see inside.

[Speedy]

I've asked this question before and never gotten a straight answer, but I'm trying to find the history of the Planes of Fame's Buchon.

Before PoF, it was owned by Harold Beal....or actually owned by the newspaper that Beal and Chub Smith owned....which made it a real legal struggle when Beal groundlooped it at Reno in '81 and donated it to PoF.

Before Beal, it was owned by Don Whittington. But I can't find any history of that airframe prior to 1976. I don't see it on the lists of any of the Battle of Britain movie birds, nor do I see it as one of the Victory Air Museum airframes.

Anyone?

[DaveM2]

Jerry Yagens ME 109 G4 according an article in Aeroplane (magazine) posted on MAM facebook states that.. originally he was to restore a Buchon HA-1112-M1l-(C.4K-64) at Meier Motors but the fuselage was no good. He had a ME 109 G4 there with good fuselage so mated the good buchon wings with the ME109 plus other parts , new skins, DB 605 etc.. The German edition of our FAA deemed that enough original parts were used that it would retain the Werk # 19257 and be a true ME 109 G4. He had collected wrecked 109's from Russian etc. so had plenty of original parts. The Buchon was returned to Virginia Beach and may be in one of his "Area 51" hangers you can't see inside.

The fuselage is brand new (you can see it being built on the MM website). The air frame has some original bits from the wrecks out of Russia (including the G-4 identity) and wings and other parts from the Buchon. The DB is from the Bf110 which landed in Switzerland during WWII.

[Eric1001]

OK, let's start here:

Bf-109s:
Bf 109 E-3 1342 (N342FH), ex-6./JG 51 "Yellow 8" (Pilot: Eduard Hemmerling) - crashed: 29 July 1940, Yellow 8 , Flying Heritage Collection, Everett, Washington.



Spanish examples (whether converted back to -109 or not):

Recently finished -109G-12 from Meier Motors

HA-1112-M1L c/n 133 C.4K-64 (N109FF), ex-USAFM, <<+- , Military Aviation Museum, Virginia Beach, Virginia, re-engined with DB605

HA-1112-M1L c/n 67 C.4K-31 (G-AWHE), movie: Battle of Britain "Red 8", Yellow 14 , Spitfire Ltd, Jersey

HA-1112-M1L c/n 172 C.4K-102 (G-AWHK), movie: Battle of Britain "Red 7", Red 1 , Historic Flying Ltd, Duxford, Cambridgeshire.

HA-1112-M1L c/n 139 C4K-75 (D-FWME) - Messerchmitt foundation, DB conversion

HA-1112-M1L c/n 156 C.4K-87 (D-FMBB), FM+BB , EADS / Messerschmitt Foundation, rebuilt with a DB605 engine


Wiki shows the following examples, not sure which are flying:

Bf 109 E-3 3579 (CF-EML) - This is the ex-Russell bird.

HA-1112-M1L c/n 235 C.4K-172 (D-FMVS), movie: Battle of Britain, ex-Victory Air Museum, <- + - , Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison, Texas.; Hangar 10 Air Fighter Collection GmbH

HA-1112-M1L c/n 234 C.4K-169 (N109W), movie: Battle of Britain "Red 5", <<- + - , Harold Kindsvater, Castle Air Force Base, California

Bf 109 G-14 610937 (N109EV), ex-Bf 109 G-10/U-4, ex-Bulgarian AF, Ex-Yugoslavian AF 9664, 172 Group / 83rd SQ "44", Green << ; Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon. - Pretty sure this one is static now.

I wonder how complete that Wiki list is.
For example, it fails to show the BF109-10/U4 "Gustav" that is on static display in POF museum in Valle Arizona.

This bird is special. It is a real war veteran, build in 1944, that flew combat on the Eastern Front.
It did not crash there and was eventually captured whole by the Americans near Munich in 1945.
They took it to the States and used it for evaluation purposes.
So it is a very unique bird because it is a combat veteran and is still completely authentic. Except for the prop, which got damaged at some point and was replaced by an American one.

In 1957 it was supposed to be scrapped, but Ed Maloney (POF founder) succeeded in buying it.

When I was there in 2011 I was told they probably would not try to get it flying again as it was completely original and they did not want to risk it.

Eric

[JohnTerrell]

I wonder how complete that Wiki list is.

As far as total surviving 109's/Buchons, that list hardly begins to scratch the surface. As far as airworthy 109's/Buchons, that list is also inaccurate and riddled with errors - including duplication of the same aircraft and miss-identifications and status of ownership of others (there are only 6 at this time, which I listed out earlier in this thread, that have been known to have flown within the past year - not to mention as many as three that have been/were airworthy within the past decade, but are currently not flying due to major servicing and/or engine overhauls, and another DB605-powered Bf-109G new-build/restoration at MeierMotors which could very well fly by the end of the year.).

There is quite a large number of 109's and Buchons, either in museums, in storage, or under restoration to fly, all over the world. As far as looking at the surviving 109's and Buchons, these two sites are very good sources to begin with (both sites cover both types):
http://axis.classicwings.com/
http://www.goodall.com.au/warbirds-dire ... chmitt.pdf

[JohnTerrell]

BTW, for those that don't follow the Erickson Aircraft Collection on Facebook, here are some photos that they posted last month of the status of their '109' project, which is based on a Buchon that has been converted to outwardly (and in the cockpit) depict a true Bf-109G-10, but powered by an Allison V-1710 engine. The aircraft has a correct for the Bf-109G-10 tail and canopy, with the Allison mounted low-enough to maintain the same thrust-line and prop location as a stock Bf-109G DB605 installation, and it is being fitted with all original G-model cowls, with the Allison exhaust routed through the cowls in the same locations where the DB605 exhaust would exit. Personally, I think this is an absolutely fantastic undertaking - all buttoned-up, she'll look like a stock Bf-109G-10 and in all likelihood fly like one too, and the long-term operational costs have to be considerably lower than if it were fitted with a DB605 (or even a Merlin).

It is scheduled to be completed/flown by the end of the year/before next year.

(Also, one can see the rebuild of the Erickson Aircraft Collection (former Jerry Yagen) Flugwerk Fw-190 in the background, which suffered a ground-loop earlier this year.)

The following photos are by the Erickson Aircraft Collection, re-posted from their Facebook page.

[Warbirdnerd]

Kermit Weeks keeps posting pics of the Bf-109 that is being restored for him in Canada. I cant find it listed on either Axis Aircraft or Goodall's lists. Anyone know the ID of that bird?

[marine air]

Thirty plus years ago the Buchons were cheap. You could buy one for about the price of a T-6. Typically they would get torn up in the first 4.5 hours. Dr Bill Harrison claimed he was the highest time civilian Buchon pilot in the world because he had 45 hours in his before he tore it up. The Bubba Beal/Knoxville News Sentinel one as well as the Whittington Buchon met the same fate.
About the time one thought he had the aircraft figured out, they would have a major groundloop damaging a wing spar, landing gear, and sometimes much worse. Disgusted, the aircraft would then be donated to a museum for a tax write off. This is what happened to the Buchon donated to the Kalamazoo Air Museum and the Planes of Fame.
The exceptions wold be the ones recently sold from the Connie Edwards collection. They may or may not have any accident damage. The one he donated to the EAA museum is supposed to be in perfect shape. Everything he donated to the EAA was in better than promised shape.

[StangStung]

I wonder how complete that Wiki list is.

As far as total surviving 109's/Buchons, that list hardly begins to scratch the surface. As far as airworthy 109's/Buchons, that list is also inaccurate and riddled with errors - including duplication of the same aircraft and miss-identifications and status of ownership of others (there are only 6 at this time, which I listed out earlier in this thread, that have been known to have flown within the past year - not to mention as many as three that have been/were airworthy within the past decade, but are currently not flying due to major servicing and/or engine overhauls, and another DB605-powered Bf-109G new-build/restoration at MeierMotors which could very well fly by the end of the year.).

There is quite a large number of 109's and Buchons, either in museums, in storage, or under restoration to fly, all over the world. As far as looking at the surviving 109's and Buchons, these two sites are very good sources to begin with (both sites cover both types):
http://axis.classicwings.com/
http://www.goodall.com.au/warbirds-dire ... chmitt.pdf

The wiki was just a convenient starting place regarding the currently airworthy birds. I knew I'd find the real knowledge right here, and so I have!

As far as a more encompassing list, I always preferred the Preserved Axis Aircraft site back when it was being updated regularly (though it's still a good resource). It's a pity they haven't done anything with it in two years, though I'm pleased it's still around at all.

[StangStung]

The goodall list is a great resource, thanks for posting. Only thing it lacks is pictures.

[Lon Moer]

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Before PoF, it was owned by Harold Beal....or actually owned by the newspaper that Beal and Chub Smith owned....which made it a real legal struggle when Beal groundlooped it at Reno in '81 and donated it to PoF.
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Anyone?

A little OT, but I was standing on the wing of Ridge Runner watching as this accident happened and it was almost like slow motion as the tail came around and the gear folded up underneath, right in front of the home pylon.
IIRC I should have a picture of it with the dust cloud still around it.

[Zac Yates]

Now that I can edit Wikipedia again - was banned for a year or so after pointing out on the TIGHAR page that they hadn't done any HAR - I'm always looking for warbird survivor listings to update. I'm happy to tackle the Buchon/109 one. Just need lots of sources, for completeness.

The Erickson BuchonG-10 is a very, very cool project. The engineering for the modified front end is superb and it really looks the business.