I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

R/C content: scale documentation doesn't get better than this! ;)

I was working in my shed in my backyard. I happened to have my camera handy. I am used to hearing Merlins and Pratt & Whitney's from time to time as well as the everyday puddle jumpers.

But then I heard a most unusual exhaust note. And I looked up and saw a planform approaching that I could not recognize immediately as the usual Mustang or T-6 or Corsair or even P-47 and Sea Fury I have seen fly over my house. (I live close to Van Nuys airport)

All of a sudden I recognized the shape and landing gear and just about dropped my load! I have never seen an airborne ME-109 before! It was awesome to see and hear one flying. Wow! :D

Fortunately I got 4 pics as it went overhead!

http://www.fototime.com/B9E7CBE12A2BAED/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/5013604C2B55BFC/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/A8B02F6C80FEB09/orig.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/F61C39E6E006262/orig.jpg

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Skip Holm flying the Spanish buchon from down there.
nice sounding Merlin

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Kmot.
Cool pics...I'll bet there are plenty of older British and European folks who have seen the same thing some 60 or so years ago.

"Keep 'Em Flying!"
Flak

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Really? Didn't sound like a Merlin to me. [sm=surprised.gif]

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

I caught a brief sight of it while I was out working on my garage (turning it into a workshop for building scale planes). It was flying a simulated attack on a B-25. It was too far from me to identify it at the time. My first thought was that is was a P-51 or perhaps a P-40, but it looked different and it didn't sound like a either. It never occured to me that it could be an actual flying 109!!

Scott

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Great camera work, Kmot. You can tell it is the Spanish Merlin powered version if you look closely at the nose. The CAF's Bearcat was crusing around my neighborhood this afternoon. That thing is so quiet you don't hear it unless you are listening for it.

Jay

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

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"Even with the desired armamant, the EdA did not find the HA-1112-K1L very satisfactory, and it was only used as an operational trainer. In the meantime, Hispano-Suiza then abandoned production of the 12Z engine, and so in 1953 Hispano engineers turned to the British Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-45 engine, with 1,610 horsepower for takeoff. The British had earlier refused to provide Merlins as part of arms embargoes, but fortunately for the Spaniards the embargoes had finally been lifted.

The first conversion to Merlin power, designated the "HA-1109-M1L", took to the air on 30 December 1954 and demonstrated much improved performance, though it was still not as fast as a Gustav due to the clutter of the rocket racks and other close-support gear. The Merlin-powered aircraft went into production is the "HA-1112-M1L" and entered service with the EdA in 1956 as the "C-4K". 171 were delivered in all, some of them upgrades from Hispano-engined aircraft. "

just some info on the merlin powered 109's

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Another good read is the book that came out back in 1969 or 70 when Battle of Britain was released. It was mostly about the filiming of the movie, with a historical text following each chapter. Hamish Mahaddie (sp) found the 109's for the movie that were in service at the time with the Spanish Air Force, along with the Heinkle 111 bombers. The author describes a low level "beat up" by Adolf Galland, flying in a two seat 109! Sad to think all those Heinkles are no longer air worthy. At least there are a number of the Merlin engined 109's out there, along with a couple of the original Daimler Benz engined planes. Awesome pictures.
Sam

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Wow! Lots of cool info. I am guessing it sounded different because of the different airframe and 3-blade prop. All I ever hear normally are the Mustangs.

Also, I am amazed to read that Spain was using these WWII aircraft up into the 60's??? Wow! [X(]

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Man your lucky. I wish I could of seen it.:)

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

what a beauty to see fly,your so lucky to live in that area.

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

May have had an Allison like the one Mr. Ed Malony owned at the Chino air museum.

Steve

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

You know that fan in front will make the plane sound different.

At Duxford in 2000 there were three hurri's, 23 spits and two mustangs. The early three blade spits were absolute listening pleasure, the hurris quite muffled, the griffons were just nasty, the mustang's very loud and crackly, mid mk spits somewhere in between.

S1

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Sam,

There WAS one of those Spanish 111's still flying. It was owned and operated by Arizona wing of the CAF, but was completely destroyed in a crash July 10, 2003 when it had engine failure only landing approach. I was fortunate to see this plane up close and personal a few times over the years. Even though it was powered by Merlin engines, it was still quite a site to see it fly.

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Steve, the PoF Buchon has had the nose modified to look a bit more Daimler Benz-ish but it still carries the Merlin up front.

Kmot, here is the Buchon you saw along with a history of the airframe.

Serial #: C4K-169
Construction #:
234
Civil Registration:
G-AWHT
N9939
N109W
Model: HA-1112M-1L
Name: None
Status: Airworthy
Last info: 2002
History:
T.G. "Hamish" Mahaddie, Tablada, Spain, July 1966.
Hamish Mahaddie/Spitfire Productions Ltd, Duxford, May 15, 1968.
- Registered as G-AWHT.
- Used in movie "Battle of Britain".
Confederate Air Force, Harlingen, TX, Oct. 1968-1988.
- Registered as N9939.
- Damaged in ground loop.
Confederate Air Force, Dallas, TX, 1987.
- Rebuild started.
Harold E. Kindsvater, Clovis, CA, 1988-2002.
- Registered as N109W, March 1990.
- Flown in Luftwaffe scheme.


http://www.warbirdregistry.org/luftr...n-c4k169-5.jpg

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Hi Connery,
I'd heard about that crash, which killed the two crew aboard, but did not have any more details. My understanding is that He111 was the actual plane of Generalissimo Franco, the head of state. I've also heard a rumor (where do we hear these things?) that maybe the CAF was going to rebuild one so there will be at least one more He111 flyable again. On another point, I watched a show where some Rolls Royce techs were going over the Daimler Benz engine of the ME109 that had been originally captured in the Desert, and they said that it was a good thing the crank was straight, because even with today's technology, they would not be able to match the precision of the WW2 German factory. The amount of work that went into those planes is simply amazing!
Love the thread.
Sam

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Hope all is well.

Thanks Chad


Steve

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Kmot, do you ever head over to Chino? They have the only flyable A-36 Mustang/Apache and it has been in peices since it came back from 2 years in England. i was just wondering if anyone knows the current status of this plane. It is/was owned by the Lonestar Flight Museum here in Texas and I was going to go back and get a good set of detail pics for a build, but then found out that it had been sent to England for the big gathering of warbird show at Duxford and then shipped back to Chino for reassembly.

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Connery, the A-36 is owned by Tom Friedkin (Cinema Air) and was only on loan to the Lone Star Flight Museum. It has also been loaned out to several other museums including the now defunct Champlin Museum where I was able to get some pics of it. The lighting was not great for overall pics but I did get some half-way decent detail shots. I'd be happy to share when you get going on your Mustang. The Squadron Signal Walk Around book covering the early Mustangs is well worth a look also. I last saw the A-36 in May of 2004 and it was still in the back of the hangar at Chino awaiting reassembly. Right next to it was the Planes of Fame P-51A, also disassembled and awaiting a new powerplant. I've heard from sources that were at the show this year that not much has changed concerning the status of these two Mustangs. Here's a link to a pic I took of the two birds: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...47442625dpHrnV

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

I saw a Bouchon when I was living in Portland OR at the http://www.tillamookair.com/ museum. Even if the Museum calls it a ME109 is a spanish Bouchon, don't know if is airworthy or not. There are still flying in Spain and in the 60's they used them in quantities for the movie The Battle of Britain.
The only authentic Me109E I saw flying was out of Santa Monica in the late 90's. It had a Daimler engine and I stood 25 feet behind as she started to taxi. When idling the whole airframe shook like a G62! What a sight


JoseG

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

Lucky dog!!

Back in 1964-65 I was over here in Mallorca (Spain) in the john when my Dad shouted to me "Quick Alastair - Aeroplanes!!!"
I ran out with all the eagerness of an aeroplane mad 6 year old to see an He111 and 2 Me109s flying in a vic along the beach at about 100 feet!! They were at the same level as the hotel balcony and Me 109s were slightly lower as I remember.
Jeez, only 46 now and it makes me feel so old-Ive seen Me109s and a Heinkel 111 on active duty !

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

I have not been to the PoF museum in a very long time. I did see a couple of the air shows back in the late 80's.

Interestingly, my sister-in-law just gave me a gift membership to the museum as a retirement present. So my wife and I will be taking a trip down there soon.

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

No sign of the Planes of Fame P-51A at this year's show, but a fantastic show as always.

The Museum of Flying's Me-109E was supposed to transfer to Camarillo when them museum closed, but it never happened. They didn't want to risk the 15 minute flight or disassemble it to truck it. Too bad, as Camarillo is 10 minutes from home. I was staying in touch with the CAF museum just in case they changed their mind and flew it in. Instead, it sold to the guy in Canada who had just won a huge lawsuit (against Disney?). You were lucky to see the engine run, Jose. I wish I would have been there. I think they only flew the thing once after restoration.

Very cool what you saw, Alymcleod. Amazing how stuff you see as a kid burns into your brain. Especially something like that.

Again, great photos Kmot, especially considering you were in shock at the time! Hopefully we'll start seeing more of that 109 around.

Jay

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

I wanna see one of those sinister but pretty birds fly in person one day.......................

RE: I just saw an ME-109 fly over my house!
 

I taught I saw a puddy tat? I diiid I diddd see a puddy tatt :D