Focke-Wulf Fw 190 ‘White 1’ Fires Up its BMW 801 Engine

The Collings Foundation’s rare Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 (Wk Nr 931862) fired up its equally rare BMW 801D powerplant this week, a milestone event in the aircraft’s restoration. Perhaps better known to the warbird world as White 1, its wartime squadron code, this former Luftwaffe fighter has not flown under its own power since going down in combat over Norway on February 9th, 1945; that situation is about to change, however. White 1 made the first step in its arduous journey back to flight in September 1983, when a recovery team collected its substantial remains from a snow-covered hillside in the Norwegian hinterland. Four decades later, and the aircraft is nearing the day of its rebirth in the capable hands of restoration specialists at GossHawk Unlimited in Casa Grande, Arizona. When it flies, it will have become just the second Focke-Wulf Fw 190 with an original pedigree to do so since the late 1940s! We will bring further details once the first flight takes place, but in the meantime, check out the magical note of its BMW 801 cranking up for the first time on the airframe…