Pretty neat barn find.... The site is worth checking out for the pics. http://www.platinumfighters.com/#!ha-1112-m1l/c12zi 1954 Hispano Buchon HA-1112-M1L (License built Messerschmitt Me-109G) 5 to choose from Priced USD$800,000 - $1,100,000 ​ Airframe: 4x Original, unrestored, undamaged airframes Time capsule - barnfind Last flown 1968 (Battle Of Britain film) 1x airframe licensed and flown in USA - N4109G last flown 1973 Engine: Rolls Royce Merlin 500 / 45 1,600 h.p. Propeller: Dowty Rotol 4 blade propeller Aluminum blades Spares: These aircraft all come with a substantial spares package History: In 1942 the Spanish government arranged a manufacturing licence with Messerschmitt AG to build the Bf 109G-2, with DB605A engines, propellers, instruments, and weapons to be supplied from Germany. This proved impossible, as Germany was incapable of meeting her own needs, let alone Spain's. Only twenty-five airframes (minus their tails) and not even half the necessary drawings were delivered. Post World War II, production resumed on the Buchón's and the final variant was the HA-1112-M1L Buchón. It first flew 29 March 1954. The 1112-M1L was equipped with the 1,600 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin 500-45 engine and Rotol propeller, both purchased as surplus from the UK. This engine had a chin intake, that altered the lines of the Bf 109's airframe visually. Its armament consisted of two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza 404/408 cannons and two Oerlikon or Pilatus eight-packs of 80 mm rockets. It remained in service until 27 December 1965. The HA-1112-M1L's remained in flying condition until the mid-1960s. This made them available for theatrical use, masquerading as Bf 109's in movies like The Battle of Britain. These examples are HIspano Aviacion HA-1112 M1L's. These aircraft were last flown in the Battle Of Britain film in 1968. Upon completion of the filming of the Battle Of Britain they were disassembled and shipped to Texas where they have been in storage for 45 years. Image Unavailable, Please Login
"It first flew 29 March 1954." This certainly surprised me, as the aircraft would have been way beyond obsolete by that point in time. I know that many Latin American countries used WW2 aircraft (P-51, F4U, etc.) as late as the early 70s, but I wouldn't have thought that Spain would field a fighter, in 1954, that was already obsolescent before the war ended.
They may still have some worth, even though they are neither original nor warbirds - but I seriously doubt that the worth would be $1,000,000. Still, you never know how far a frog will jump until you poke him in the ass.
King of the ground-loopers. Weak landing gear attachment. Killed hundreds of fledgling Luftwaffe pilots in landing accidents.
Bob- stop being a kill-joy. Besides, i was talkin bout flyin, not landin! From a design standpoint, why are the gear that narrow? Is it so they attach directly to the fuselage?
If I remember correctly the merlin turned in the opposite direction to the DB motor, yet the spaniards didi not change the tail design. So there was torque and tail all trying to turn the plane in the same direction. A few spanish 109s have been converted to proper DB power. What does one of the new build FW190s cost? Went in casa Ju52 powered by p&w mtors tears ago in south africa. Whatever the value of the 109's now its got to have been a great investment of an IOU. There also appear to be a whole lot of merlins sitting on stands. 1960's junk is now treasure.
Yes, should have been stronger that way, but was not. And the wheels had a LOT of negative camber when they were down... didn't help. In contrast, the FW-190 had the gear hinged near the center of the wing and lowered outward for a pretty wide stance. Great platform. Some of them had an air-cooled radial (BMW) and others had an inline liquid cooled 12 cylinder engine. Grumman actually looked at a captured FW-190 when they were designing the Bearcat... wide stance, lighter than the Hellcat, etc.
To put some camber in the wheels (like the spitfire) it would have caused a bump or bulge in the wing upper surface and Willy Messerschmit steadfastly refused to do do it. Without the camber and the wheels splayed out it made the airplane very difficult track on the ground. The landing gear was attached to the fuselage to save weight in the wing but the trunnion support forgings were weak and broke many times. The original ME 109 only had 875 HP and it was a small lean little airplane. When I was in the air force I remember that the Dzus Fastener on older airplanes was rapidly replaced by the new type " Messerschmit latch...from guess what. Just like the "Jerry Can" to carry gasoline.
So what's Connie 's background? Anyone know the details of his time flying in the Nicaraguan civil war?
I happen to know a guy from St Laurence, Connie's hometown, that's who forwarded me the video. He said that Connie owns and operates the only quarry in the world that mines a certain desireable shade of Pink colored granite (I have no idea what that means), and that he's an oil and gas investor as well. I don't know much about his flying background other that what you saw in that video. Interesting guy! I heard about his son's tragic death when it happened a couple years back. Those are his son's children in the video.
Few people know about the permanent fin offset of the Me 109. I think that it was something like 3 degrees to the left.
From what I understand it was not corrected on the merlin planes, making them not so great to fly. Couple all that with a lrger frontal area for the merlin, anf no FI what you have is a batstardised. Apparently the worst 109's were the ones the Israelis got from the Czchs. A heavier bomber engine with less power, it flew but not great.
I'm sure I'm wrong but I seem to remember being told years ( and years ) ago by an aviation engineer of that era that the "upside down" Benz engine was possible because it was fuel injected and WM wanted the cannon in the spinner. Cant do that on the Merlin equipped 109's. Not sure how long a merlin will run inverted, but I do recall under certain "G" loads during dog fights RAF pilots complained the merlins quit or hesitated due to fuel starvation allowing the fuel injected 109's to get away.
