Messerschmidt Bf109 Buchon Red Seven flying at 2015 Flying Legends
Development of the Bf (Me) 109 goes back to 1938, when Messerschmitt AG 8 started development of a lightweight fighter plane for a competition held by the Reich Air Ministry Willy Messerschmitt designed the aircraft, provisionally given the designation Bf 109. The fighter was designed & built as a low-wing monoplane, an all-metal monocoque construction & retractable landing gear, closed cockpit, automatic leading-edge slats, landing flaps & variable-pitch propeller. The prototype Bf (Me) 109 V 1 made its maiden flight on 28 May 1935. By 1937 it had already become the first German landplane to break the world speed record, achieving a speed of 611 km/h. (380mph). The Bf(Me)109 went into production for the German Luftwaffe in 1937, becoming its standard fighter. Numerous models were built to adapt the Bf(Me)109 to changing requirements over time. Production of the Bf(Me)109G with the higher performance DB 605 engine, starting in late 1941. The last production version built in Germany was the Bf(Me)109K, starting in autumn 1944. By the end of World War II, about 34,000 Bf(Me)109s had been built, the largest production run of any fighter aircraft ever built. About 1,000 more were built abroad, with a number of different engines, until the end of the 1950s. In Spain, some remained in service with Rolls-Royce Merlin 500/45 engines as late as 1965 under the designation HA 1112. Bf(Me)109 D-FWME “Red Seven” was originally a Spanish production aircraft with the serial number 139 and was rebuilt into a G-4 version with a DB 605A engine. 1950: Probable year of construction 24/10/1958: 71st squadron. 01/04/1965: 471st squadron 18/10/1965: Acquired by Maestranza Aerea de Sevilla. 12/12/1965: Decommissioned after 216 hours, flying time. 07/1966: Purchased by Battle of Britain movie production, transported to England 2007: The owners contact what was then EADS. Negotiations run smoothly and EADS becomes the new owner of the Rote Siebe
Size: 3780px × 3024px
Location: Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambrisgeshire, UK
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: aircraft, battle, bf109, britain, buchon, fighter, flight, flying, german, luftwaffe, messerschmidt, red, rote, siebe
