The museum’s 2.111E was built as s/n 155 and taken on charge by the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force) as B2-H-155 in 1950, but due to a lack of engines was put into storage. In 1956, it was fitted with Merlin engines and modified to photographic and map-making configuration. It was accepted by the Spanish Air Force on December 14, 1956, as B2-I-27, to serve with the Spanish Air Force Cartographic Group.
In 1968 it was painted in WWII Luftwaffe colors and used in the film Battle of Britain, one of more than 30 CASAs used as stand-ins for the unavailable genuine Heinkels. From 1970 to 1972, the aircraft was operated by 403 Escuadrón from Cuatros Vientos, near Madrid. In November 1972, it was transferred to 406 Escuadrón at Torrejon in Spain. In January 1974, it was transferred to 46 Grupo in Ganda, Canary Islands, and active in the Spanish campaign in Western Sahara.
On January 21, 1975 B2-I-27 was returned to the air armaments factory in Seville, officially listed as surplus, and placed into storage: from all available information it appears that B2-I-27 was the last CASA 2.111 in active service with the Spanish Air Force.
Now registered N99230, in October 1977 the CASA was ferried across the Atlantic by British warbird pilot Neil Williams for new American owner Dolph Overton, receiving a new color scheme representing Kampfgeschwader 51 (KG51) “Edelweiss” of the German WWII Luftwaffe. It was loaned to the Confederate (now Commemorative) Air Force for a couple of years in the late 1970s, the organization taking on maintenance and operation duties at his expense, before the aircraft returned to Overton’s base in Florida. In 1983 the aircraft was sold to David Tallichet who displayed it at the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, KS.
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum added B.2-I-27 to its collection in 1995, the aircraft’s delivery flight into Addison Airport being its last to date. Today, however, the fuselage was airborne for the first time in 29 years… although not in the best of ways! At this time, there is no news on plans for the museum collection.
Typical greed by a bunch of ignorant ‘stuffed shirts’, more focused on serving ‘bidnissmen’and their private jets rather than the aviation enthusiasts. I wish that I had non-ex visited more than once…signage directing potential visitors was almost non-existent.
The airport would not renew their lease because they want the space for more business Jets. After 31 years the airport essentially kicked the museum out. Next door to the museum was a flight school called Monarch they did the same thing to them.
Would be awesome to see the 111 back in the air
In Spanish markings maybe, but KG51 dropped bombs on my Grandmas and my mum & dad. My grandfathers were safely serving on the front line in the RAF and British Army. Read up on the Hull Blitz, my house has bomb shrapnel scars to this day from one of their 250kg bombs.
Sad your family suffered from the effects of WWII but I’m sure the RAF and US AirForce dropped a few on German families as well. We all lost family and friends from the war but time to let things be done with. You only are hurting yourself with carrying on with those grudges. On top of that this is showing historywould be the same if I carried animosity of the Japanese. It isn’t the war materials or the people who fought them but the leadership in which caused the calamity to begin with.
It dropped a few bombs on Spain as well during the Civil War as part of the condor Legion. Fighting for Franco so you might struggle finding an inoffensive cour scheme for a weapons of war.
Who wants to see any plane in Spanish markings besides Eric T Cat? The German markings and the fact of it flying in the movie is part of it’s real history and not that bombs were dropped on his family by a He111 in WW2.
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Is a crying shame that politics and other b.S. Seem to always come in to conflict with G.A. aviation. I just hope that the way forward is found.So that thit’s precious museum relics.Don’t end up rotting in a storage unit somewhere.
As a 9yr old little boy I actually was in this aeroplane on the Battle of Britain film set at Duxford 1968.Only 1 of 2 the Spanish airforce brought for the filming.My father was a Royal Airforce pilot with piston experience flying the spitfires only 9 of them 3 Hurricanes and 16 Spanish built Hispano Messerschmidt.I have a photo album with many pictures of the He 111
I met Mr. Cavanaugh at Sun and Fun while presenting my dad’s book Truth Flies With Fiction. Dad flew 73 missions in B-25s and awarded two DFCs. I was out of books and he wanted a copy. He handed me a $100 bill and said “bring it tomorrow!” Of course I got him his copy and he insisted I keep the cash. So sad to hear this news
Mesa CAF lost their 2111 in a fatal crash in 2003, I miss that bird.
I’ve always wanted to see a 111 (or 2.111) in the air. It’s a shame this one will seemingly never fly again, and even moreso a shame the CAF lost theirs. I’m glad I got to see it, in it’s former home. I hope to visit it and get up close and personal with this wonderful plane again someday.
My Daughter and I saw a Spanish He 111 (may have been this one) at Wichita Falls, TX in the late 90’s (i think). We took pictures of it and an inside tour too! Marvelous indeed! It was with the B 17 “Sentimental Journey”, which we saw for the second time. Unforgettable Marvelous experience for both of us. I certainly hope this aircraft is restored at least to display status.