Plane from Spain

Air Classics, Nov 2001 by O'Leary, Michael

HAROLD KINDSVATER HAS THE DISTINCTION Of HAVING THE ONLY FLYING HISPANO HA-1112 IN NORTH AMERICA

"What was that?" questioned Randy Sohn as a single-- engine fighter made a headon diving pass in front of the B-29 Superfortress he was flyin, over Harlingen, Texas, during October 1976. The aircraft in question was an Hispano HA-1112 Buchon (the name of a deepchester pigeon found in the Seville region of Spain) operated by the Confederate Air Force at that organization's annual October airshow. Randy and the crew of FiFi were preparing to re-create the American atom bombing of Hiroshima an event that would spark worldwide protest, especially from the Japanese!

The Hispano was barreling down through the sky to make a line - very tow - pass for the large crowd of spectators. With throttle full forward, the pilot apparently misjudged his altitude and flew smack into the ground. The airplane impacted the grass in a level flight altitude and skidded for well over 1500 feet before coming to a stop. The pilot threw open the armored canopy and beat a hasty exit.

A recovery crew raised the plane and the landing gear was lowered. The Hispano was towed back to the flight line and a large plastic jug was put alongside the damaged fighter soliciting donations from spectators for the plane's rebuild!

How did a derivation of the famed Messerschmitt 109 arrive at this remote Texas location? One must go all the way back to the turbulent days of the Spanish Civil War.

Fascist Francisco Franco had his Nationalist forces fighting a no-prisoners war with Republican forces but he was able to draw upon the nearly unlimited military resources of his friends in Nazi Germany. Hitler had sent the Condor Legion to Spain and not only did the force of fighters and bombers ably assist Franco, the war-torn skies over Spain also served as an excellent training ground for a new generation of German pilots as well as a testing arena for a whole new series of warplanes being clandestinely built by the Germans.

With the eventual Franco victory, the majority of Germans withdrew and most of the combat aircraft were left behind to help form the new Ejericto del Aire. The majority of Messerschmitt fighters were B and E variants and during 1943, the Germans would supply a further 15 used Bf 109F-4s. The Germans had also left behind quite a bit of maintenance material and the Spaniards were able to establish the Maestranza Aerea de Logrono which catered to the maintenance and repair of the Messerschmitt fleet. With the use of precise jigs, the Spaniards were able to repair damaged 109s and keep the fleet in good order.

Spain attempted to keep neutral during World War Two as Franco feared an invasion if the Spanish military took an overt action against the Allies. However, with the invasion of North Africa and heavy military action in the Mediterranean, the Spanish made an effort to seal off their southern and eastern air spaces against possible incursion. Messerschmitts and Polikarpovs undertook this mission to either force down intruders or draw them back across the border.

With the end of the war, quite a few Messerschmitts remained in fully operational condition but, during February 1946, France closed all air, sea, and land frontiers with Spain and this was the start of a near world-wide embargo of the Fascist regime. Combat aircraft from the Armee de fAir made constant incursions into Spanish airspace and this forced a response from the Messerschmitts and other aircraft. During this time period, the accident rate rose dramatically but the French finally reopened the frontiers during February 1948.

During 1945, the Spanish decided to re-designate their military aircraft under a more logical coding system. Caza was Spanish for fighter so surviving Bf 109Bs became C4s while Bf 109Es became CSs, and F models became ClOs. Even after the French embargo was lifted, the finances of Spain were not good and spares including ammunition and fuel - were very limited so the number of flying hours decreased while the number of accidents increased. For example, in 1950 No. 23 Regimiento was able to field only three flying Bf 109Bs, a half-dozen Es, and three Fs. During 1951, another designation change took place and C4 and C5 became C4B and C4E, and ClO was changed to C4F, making the Messerschmitt designations a bit more logical.

By 1953, the few remaining survivors were stood down but the Spaniards needed some form of replacement. During 1942, a manufacturing license had been obtained by Hispano to build the Bf 1090 in Spain. The country obtained 25 airframes (apparently G-2/G-6 variants) that were minus tails and engines. The Spaniards decided to fit the Hispano-Suiza 12Z-89 V-12 powerplant but the first of these aircraft was not completed and flown until 2 March 1945. The plane was designated HA-- 1109-J1L (unofficially known as the Bf 109J) but testing showed that the powerplant was not really suitable. However, it was decided to press on when a further six engines arrived from France in mid-1951 and these were fitted to six airframes - three German built, three Spanish (apparently) built.