Fw 190

**James D** · 12-22-2010, 01:05 AM

by Sokol

What a shame! Unique original paintwork destroyed, half of the original aircraft dumped and replaced with new made parts for airworthness, then probably it is a matter of time to see it end in a ball of fire and black smoke, just like it happens to at least 2-3 "restored" warbirds each year! If someone needs a flying FW-190, there is FlugWerk with their new built excellent replica aircraft. But no, lets destroy the last original plane of the kind! How sad...

Nonsense. If 2 or 3 warbirds were destroyed each year there would have been none left many years ago. And if it is maintained in flying condition, then it is also 100% better cared for than if it is stuck in a museum. You should remember that even if not flown that hangar fires are not so uncommon. Also, almost all of this bird is original metalwork and components.

Read here and learn....

Warbird Information Exchange • View topic - Rumor has it, another FW-190 has flown!

"This is a remarkably original aircraft. Excluding the engine which is rebuilt from half a dozen examples, new prop and all the electrics the vast majority of the structure is original. The wing had a new spar, couple of repaired ribs and a new leading edge but nearly everything else is original right down to the skins. Similar story to the fuselage. "

The original paint was anyway almost all gone when they found it.

**Sokol** · 12-22-2010, 10:04 PM

Maybe nonsense for you, but let the people decide, given the facts!

21 August 2010, Spitfire crashed, pilot killed
March 2010, AT-6 Texan, 2 killed
15 September 2010 Hurricane crash, pilot charred in the wreck
11 March 2009 Hurricane crash landed, fortunately no casualties
8 April 2000 Spitfire crash, pilot dead
July 2007 TWO P51 fighters collide, one pilot killed, one injured
3 December 2009 rare two-seater Spitfire crash, fortunately no casualties
10 July 2003, Heinkel-111 /Spanish built/ crashed, the two pilots killed
20 February 2003 P51 Mustang, pilot killed
11 March 2010 P51 Mustang, pilot killed
6 April 2010 P-40 crashed, pilot killed
17 July 2007 P51 crash, pilot killed
5 October 2005 Hellcat crash, pilot killed
26 July 2005 P51 Mustang crash, pilot killed
29 May 2004 P51 crash, pilot killed
20 February 2004 P51 crash, pilot killed
6 September 2001 P51 crashed, 2 pilots fortunately hit the chutes prior to that!
1996 P38 Lightning crashed at Duxford, pilot killed
6 June 1997 P38 Lightning crash, pilot killed
The great original Me-109 of Duxford barely avoided destruction in bad landing a few years ago and is grounded for good since then
One of the EADS two Me-109 broke "leg" at Berlin airshow, it was damaged, but easily the situation could be fatal!
Another Me-109 want through a painstaking full restoration, only to finish its first flight on its belly in a field, the engine rolling in the dirt several meters away form the rest!

My list is FAR, FAR from complete! Sadly, great many warbirds have been lost forever in such accidents! Just 2-3 of the listed aircraft could be restored, although badly broken. The rest are complete, total loss! Yes, each year 2 or 3 are lost! Sometimes even more!

**Sokol** · 12-22-2010, 10:17 PM

"Stuck in a museum"? Hell yes, that's the way I would love to see every single warbird still existing! The opposite, flying, leads to a smoking pile on the ground, sooner or later!

And even if not a crash, the restoration to airworthness is nothing but ruining the old historical aircraft! Structural elements replaced with new made ones; skin metal replaced; engine heavily messed with; all wires, pipes, metal ropes replaced with new ones; all electric devices rewired or replaced; all hydraulic devices fully reworked or replaced; new modern system like navigation, fire extinguishers, radio, etc. added with all the drilling and reworking needed. Each and every of the many aircraft parts is evaluated and too many are replaced with new. That is the way an old warbird is returned to flying and it is a total butchering of a historical piece! It is converted to 50 % replica during the "restoration" process - then why don't you build a 100% replica and leave the historical pieces alone!

this particular FW-190 will always be a prime example of barbarism! A time capsule, with impossible to find anywhere on Earth original paint, it was a complete and great Original WW2 190. I would never understand how these people had the courage to remove the original paintwork! And it is only the tip of the iceberg. It is like... like..... like making a hot-rod from the historical blood-stained car of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria!

**James D** · 01-12-2011, 11:57 PM

Well, quite a few of the aircraft on your "smoking hole in the ground" list are now flying again.
I think ME109s have a 100% accident record on the display circuit, and yet there are more around now than ever before since the war.

I do understand your point about removing original paint and fittings, but unfortunately for you (and fortunately for me I guess) it´s up to the the super-rich guys who can afford to buy and restore these things. I can see both sides of it. With the Focke Wulf would have been an interesting thing to look at in a museum, exactly as found, but I would be a lot more excited to see it fly over my head, as originally intended.

**DaveM2** · 01-19-2011, 04:36 AM

The Allen Fw190 is a largely original aircraft, all but three of the original fuselage skins were reused! JME removed all the new skins put on by 'Flying A' when they had it, (fortunately all the original skins were stored). Even the original radios are installed and are working! Paint chips were taken from protected areas of the airframe and are being matched and re applied as per originally.
The aircraft is an example of what can be done with time, high standards, and of course a huge amount of money.
I generally agree that such finds should be conserved and displayed as static exhibts ( such as the Finnish Brewster Buffalo and Russian P-39), however it must be remembered that there is also a risk involved-over 90 historic aircraft were destroyed when the LeBourget Museum store burned down back in the early 1990's.
This Fw will not be flown often and when it does it will be under very controlled conditions ( as with all the Allen aircraft). Hopefully it will outlast us all!

regards
Dave

**swiss76** · 02-18-2011, 02:25 PM

by DaveM2

The Allen Fw190 is a largely original aircraft, all but three of the original fuselage skins were reused! JME removed all the new skins put on by 'Flying A' when they had it, (fortunately all the original skins were stored). Even the original radios are installed and are working! Paint chips were taken from protected areas of the airframe and are being matched and re applied as per originally.
The aircraft is an example of what can be done with time, high standards, and of course a huge amount of money.
regards
Dave

Very interesting infos. You have source on the net?

**DaveM2** · 05-04-2011, 03:17 AM

Sorry for the late reply. A very interesting article on the restoration in this magazine, detailing the effort to keep it original.
Current Issue

**Sokol** · 06-14-2011, 11:11 AM

If that nice old B-17 was "stuck in a museum", it should not meet its tragic end in a corn field...

June 13, 2011

B-17 Bomber “Liberty Belle” Crashes Near Chicago

To tell the news in short, after many years of keeping it airworthy by dumping original parts and replacing them with reproductions, finally just a day ago the precious historical aircraft was completely destroyed by "keep them flying" enthusiasts, as it burned on the ground following emergency landing, caused by fire onboard.

**DaveM2** · 06-14-2011, 11:39 PM

That doesn't mean a thing-Ninety (90) historic aircraft were lost in the Le Bourget Museum fire back in 1990, a dozen more in the San Diego air museum fire. There is a place for both flying and static aircraft and sadly there are risks for both.

Dave