# 75 year old Messerschmitt BF109 E4 flys again !



## v2 (Jan 4, 2013)




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## Crunch (Jan 4, 2013)

Wow. Way cool!


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## Wayne Little (Jan 4, 2013)

Awesome!!


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## VERSUCH (Jan 4, 2013)

Love it.


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## meatloaf109 (Jan 4, 2013)

Beautiful!


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## vikingBerserker (Jan 4, 2013)

Excellent!


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## Airframes (Jan 4, 2013)

Bl**dy marvellous!


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## Torch (Jan 4, 2013)

Wow!!!


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## Crimea_River (Jan 4, 2013)

Gotta think that's an old vid. It's Russell's 109 in Niagara Falls and has been flying for years. And I think there's another 109E flying somewhere else if I'm not mistaken.


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## tyrodtom (Jan 4, 2013)

That aircraft is feathered in the 2006 Flight Journal, when it first joined the Ed Russell's collection, though the article doesn't state when the flights were made.

That very same aircraft was flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille early in his career in the Battle of Britain, force landed by him, was repaired. Then saw action in Russia.


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## stona (Jan 4, 2013)

Yes,and by the way Wiki has got it wrong again. It is not "ex JG 2" but 1.(Jagd)/LG 2. 
Marseilles flew it on ocassion between 10th August and 2nd September 1940,when it crash landed,50% damaged,at Calais-Marck (just East of Calais proper) following combat with Spitfires. He had been escorting an attack on RAF Hornchurch.
Cheers
Steve


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## Maximowitz (Jan 4, 2013)

If anyone has a diving suit and a metal detector we could always salvage Wick's from the bottom of the English Channel.....


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## AirWolf (Jan 4, 2013)

It doesn't really matter if it flew before this, does it. It's just fantastic that it flies.


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## stona (Jan 4, 2013)

AirWolf said:


> It doesn't really matter if it flew before this, does it. It's just fantastic that it flies.



I don't know about that. This aircraft has more than one famous name attached. Marseille gives it a certain cachet. It was earlier flown by Friedrich Geisshardt who also went on to win the Ritterkreuz with Eichenlaub.

This particular aircraft launched the careers of two of Germany's most decorated aces.Provenance adds value to any antique and aircraft are no different.

I do agree that it's great to see it flying 

Cheers

Steve


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## Crimea_River (Jan 4, 2013)

Yep. Saw it in person and it's a beauty.

Hi Paul, long time mate!


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## Rogi (Jan 4, 2013)

Best clip of the year, really like it


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## Crimea_River (Jan 4, 2013)

Here's the other one, in Everett.


_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avts3FFUW30_


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 4, 2013)

Absolutely beautiful!



stona said:


> I don't know about that. This aircraft has more than one famous name attached. Marseille gives it a certain cachet. It was earlier flown by Friedrich Geisshardt who also went on to win the Ritterkreuz with Eichenlaub.
> 
> This particular aircraft launched the careers of two of Germany's most decorated aces.Provenance adds value to any antique and aircraft are no different.
> 
> ...



I agree. Part of me wants to see these aircraft flying. Hell every time I have seen a Bf 109 in flight, it blew my mind . Hell any WW2 warbird flying is amazing. At the same time however, part of me would rather these aircraft not fly. There are so few of them left. Better to see them in museums than not have them at all. 

Having said that, as a 109 fan, I find this just beautiful as can be. Such an amazing aircraft.


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## GrauGeist (Jan 5, 2013)

I would love to see these magnificent old warriors retired and out of harm's way since we have the technology to build reasonably priced replicas these days.
On the other hand, it's such a joy to see them take to the air


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## nuuumannn (Jan 5, 2013)

Fantastic clip, a bit of stiff cross wind blowing across the field, would have given the test pilot the jitters on landing, I imagine, especially if this was its first flight. I remember the first time I saw a Bf 109 in a museum; it was like seeing something alien for the first time; here was a GERMAN fighter! Small, sleek and deadly looking. Seeing the '109G fly in the UK was always a thrill.


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## J dog (Jan 5, 2013)

Yes it is absolutely gorgeous but I want to see it last even longer in a museum because not many of these come along every day. It is better to have it live many more years than having it die down after many uses. Thank you for that! It made my day.


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## johnbr (Jan 5, 2013)

_View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfvQnlYB3IE_ 
was sent this.


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## Crimea_River (Jan 5, 2013)

Thanks John, that's a much better video of the FHC machines.


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## Matt308 (Jan 5, 2013)

Great video, but I could throttle the SOB who put the stoopid music over the top of the whole thing. WTF was he thinking!?!?!


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## tyrodtom (Jan 5, 2013)

Matt308 said:


> Great video, but I could throttle the SOB who put the stoopid music over the top of the whole thing. WTF was he thinking!?!?!



That's one of my usual complaints with a lot of the videos on U-Tube, both race and aviation, some idiot places their favorite music over the engine sounds and take away a lot of the overall impact of the video.


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## Micdrow (Jan 5, 2013)

Sweet!!!


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## parsifal (Jan 5, 2013)

I supose when they restore German aircraft to flying condition, they have to use a substitute engine. How many DB 601s are still used in flyable aircraft. If the engine has to be substituted, its a bit of a hack job on a true piece of history.

Might explain why music is dubbed over the top of so many of these clips


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## tyrodtom (Jan 5, 2013)

Listening to a Merlin, or Allision in a Bf109 is still prefered to somebody else's choice of music.

In every one of those clips, the Bf109 had a inverted V engine, a pretty sure sign that they've got DB engines.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 5, 2013)

As far as I know the 109G's that were restored by the Messerschmitt Stiftung in Germany use original DB 605s. Sounded like it too, when I saw them fly.


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jan 5, 2013)

I agree, very cool to see it up!


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## Gnomey (Jan 6, 2013)

Very cool! 8)


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## SPEKTRE76 (Jan 7, 2013)

Wow such a beatuy, I teared up.


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## nuuumannn (Jan 8, 2013)

I don't think there's ever been any other engines in original Bf 109 warbird restorations; they've always had the original DB engines, that is, other than Buchons. There have been Buchons retrofitted with DB engines, though and given Bf 109 noses.

Sweet clips


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## parsifal (Jan 8, 2013)

nuuumannn said:


> I don't think there's ever been any other engines in original Bf 109 warbird restorations; they've always had the original DB engines, that is, other than Buchons. There have been Buchons retrofitted with DB engines, though and given Bf 109 noses.
> 
> Sweet clips




Well, I have toi say im very glad to hear that. How do thyey get spare parts, like engine rings, pistons, valves, injectors and the like. I suppose by rebuilds, but there must be some backyard workshops somewhere making some of the parts, surely.


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## bobbysocks (Jan 8, 2013)

found a good story on this bird..with history and everything. evidently this plane doesnt like to fly on the 2nd day of the month....lol engine overhauled every 100 hours at a cost of $300.000+ ( aint cheap to own a warbird )...

http://www.airshowsreview.com/TheMagazine-Aug-Sept2010.pdf

as for the parts....if you have the money...someone will make it for you. i would suppose the stocks of original stuff has long since been used or scrapped....but ya never know.


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## nuuumannn (Jan 9, 2013)

> How do they get spare parts, like engine rings, pistons, valves, injectors and the like?



They make new ones. You can pretty much reverse engineer any component with the right amount of money and technology these days. Bf 109G Black 6 in the mid 1990s, what a lovely machine:






























> as for the parts....if you have the money...someone will make it for you. i would suppose the stocks of original stuff has long since been used or scrapped....but ya never know.



Snap - you beat me to it Bobbysocks.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Jan 9, 2013)

parsifal said:


> Well, I have toi say im very glad to hear that. How do thyey get spare parts, like engine rings, pistons, valves, injectors and the like. I suppose by rebuilds, but there must be some backyard workshops somewhere making some of the parts, surely.



The Messerschmitt company is now owned by EADS which also has the Messerschmitt foundation in Manching. In Manching near Munich they restore original Messerschmitt aircraft. There are actually pleny of DB 601 and DB 605s that survive today, and as far as I know they also make spare parts for them at EADS. I could be wrong however, but I am pretty sure they do. 

Every 109 that I have seen in flight, has an original DB engine in it. In Manching they have 3 of them. One of them is Ha-1112 that has been rebuilt with a DB 605.


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## parsifal (Jan 10, 2013)

I just love the pictures guys. Especially the one with two old adversaries side by side. A staged picture, I am sure, but one still worth taking.


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## nuuumannn (Jan 10, 2013)

> Especially the one with two old adversaries side by side. A staged picture, I am sure, but one still worth taking.



Absolutely, I have an identical one of the same '109 next to a Spit PR.XI. It's odd in that the Bf 109 looks small even next to a Spitfire. A menacing looking little beastie...


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## stona (Jan 11, 2013)

Those photos of Black 6 look like Duxford. It's not unusual to see former adversaries side by side along the flight line there on an airshow day.

Cheers

Steve


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## nuuumannn (Jan 11, 2013)

> Those photos of Black 6 look like Duxford.



T'was indeed Duxford; Legends 1997.


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## stona (Jan 11, 2013)

The year it crash landed in a field on the other side of the motorway.







ACM Sir John Allison,the pilot, refused to allow rescue crews to damage the aircraft further by cutting him free,preferring to wait nearly an hour for the aircraft to be lifted for him to escape. 

Another Messerschmitt design flaw,the lack of any kind of side door (Spitfire) or kick out panel (Hurricane) meaning that coming to rest inverted leaves little chance of escape with potentially fatal consequences. An important but usually overlooked consideration in the "what would you prefer to fly in the BoB?" type scenarios.

Cheers

Steve


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