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…
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Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
Wow , what a sound !!!!
Wow , what a sound !!!! My Dad heard these fly over so many years ago !!!
Dear Sirs;
Such a Plane, a Piece of History, deserve to be in Perfect shape. Great!!!!
Great work on the beautiful old FW-190. Thank you for your hard work in restoring this warbird!!
Fantastic restoration, Goshawk have done a brilliant job
Sounds beautiful! Can’t wait to see the 2nd original BMW powered FW190 take flight!
As an radial engine mechanic and test cell tech, I love the sound of this engine. You can feel the power just by listening to it. Thanks to Goshawk for assembling this beautiful plane.