Jerry Yagen’ Military Aviation Museum in Pungo, Virginia received their ‘Messerschmitt Bf-109G-4’ today. Actually based upon the airframe of a Spanish-built Hispano Buchon C.4K-64 variant, the aircraft has been carefully modified to represent a Bf-109G-5 with the appropriate Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine and cowlings. WarbirdsNews has been following the restoration of this aircraft by Meier Motors in Eschbach, Germany for some time now. This August, we reported on her first post-restoration flight at Eschbach, with the highly experienced warbird and current RAF instructor pilot Flt.Lt. Charlie Brown at the controls (click HERE for details). Following the requisite period of evaluation and wringing out of any squawks in her performance, the ‘109’ was ready for her customer in the USA just two months later. The Meier Motors team carefully dismantled the fighter, and packed her in a shipping container in October for the two week voyage by sea to her new home in Virginia. The aircraft arrived at the Military Aviation Museum on November 3rd, whereupon staff immediately got to work unloading their precious cargo. Once she is reassembled and checked out, the museum’s chief pilot, Mike Spalding, will take the controls and fly the magnificent Luftwaffe fighter from Pungo’s famous grass airstrip.
The Military Aviation Museum’s ‘Bf-109G-4’ will then become the only late-model Messerschmitt Bf-109 flying anywhere in North America. She is expected to become a favorite on the east coast air show circuit. Many congratulations to all who took part in this project, and especially to Gerry Yagen for putting the resources into getting the ‘109 flying. WarbirdsNews would also like to thank the Fighter Factory’s chief mechanic Thomas Kurtz for sending us these photos!
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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.
It’s modified to look like a G-4 not a G-5, which was a mid-war machine not late-war.
You are correct Chris. We have edited the article. Thanks.