CHECKSIX - Report / Oppenheim 2005

It’s amazing what can be achieved when people with a particular passion work hard to achieve their goals. In spite of numerous obstacles (restrictions, restrictions and more bureaucratic restrictions) faced by airshow organisers in Germany, the small team of Uwe Ramerth (already responsible for several successful events) managed to organise a truly fantastic display in the form of the Oppenheim Airshow on the weekend of 28th/29th of May 2005. Although it was purely a civilian show it nevertheless included numerous (older) military highlights including the long awaited, fully restored Messerschmitt Me-109 G4 owned by the Messerschmitt Aircraft Corporation (MAC).
Oppenheim airfield is a small glider field that had been recently improved to accommodate this particular event and while no one was sure if the Me-109 was actually able to use Openheims rather short runway its owners, Wilhelm Heinz, Siggi Knoll and Werner Grammel had twice previously visited the airfield to assess if in fact the Messerschmitt can land there, even though these visits were not conclusive. However, in the end the Messerschmitt’s landing was successful and a real pleasure to witness.

The “Gustav’s” restoration took some 7 years to complete being carried out almost entirely unbeknown to the general public. Its first official appearance was in October of last year, generating a lot of interest. There are not many original One-O-Nine’s still in flying condition as the majority are Spanish built Hispano HA 1112 M-1L Buchons (owners please forgive me, but these really don’t look or even sound as good as the original 109). Even though the MAC’s 109 is based on one of the Hispanos, it has been fully rebuilt to original G4 configuration, powered by a Daimler Benz DB-605 A engine. The owners are obviously very protective about their aircraft resulting in its attendance at only a very limited number of events in the future – currently this aircraft has only 20 flying hours recorded in its log book!

Oppenheim’s short airstrip presented less of a problem to the Chance Vought F4U-4 and very rare Spitfire Mk XIX both owned by Cristophe Jaquard of France. The Mark XIX was an unarmed photo recconnaisance version of the Spitfire powered by a Rolls Royce Griffon engine rated at 2 ,050 HP. The original version was equipped with a five-blade propeller whereas the Spit displayed at Oppenheim utilized a contra rotating three-bladed double prop. Both aircraft were not only part of a static display but also performed in the flying displays as well. Apart from the flying displays, other major attractions at Oppenheim included the various joy flights on offer (for wealthy customers). For some 175 Euro one could book a flight in an original Junkers Ju-52/3m operated by the Swiss Ju-Air company – not very cheap for a 40 min flight, but still a bargain compared to the 250 Euro one had to pay for a 15 min flight in a North American AT-6 Harvard. If one wanted to spend a lot less money, but nevertheless still experience a flying legend he could have flown in one of three Antonov An-2 for just 40 bucks. For a bigger thrill one could also have flown in a Yak-52, a Christen Eagle or even a Pitts 12 – with some form of aerobatics thrown in of course.

The most interesting type (from the aviation enthusiasts point of view) offering joy flights was indeed the only surviving Sikorsky S-58 helicopter still flying in Europe. The S-58 (military designation H-34) was widely used in the 1960’s and 70’s by both military and civilian operators. The machine flown at Oppenheim was re-painted in the colours of the German Army to play a major role in a new movie about the 1960 Hamburg flood, where this helicopter was instrumental in saving so many lives. Visitors to airshows always have their particular favorites – while some may like warbirds, others might prefer jets or thrilling aerobatics displays (both solo and formation). And although there were no jets present at Oppenheim, there absence left nothing lacking at all. A stunning solo display was flown by Uli Dembinski in his Yak 55 while Ali Oeztuerk in his “Purple Violett”, a highly modified Pitts Special powered by a 400 HP Lycoming engine, also provided the crowd with a thrilling performance.

TA stunning solo display was flown by Uli Dembinski in his Yak 55 while Ali Oeztuerk in his “Purple Violett”, a highly modified Pitts Special powered by a 400 HP Lycoming engine, also provided the crowd with a thrilling performance. HE highlight was nevertheless the appearance of the Royal Jordanian Falcons who commenced their 2005 European tour at Oppenheim. Other attractions included a Focke Wulf FW-44 Stieglitz, several Harvards, Douglas AH-1 Skyraider and a very rare Potez 60. The Oppenheim Airshow 2005 was a great success with the large number of visitors proving that aviation events such as the one are always very popular and in great demand – especially in Germany!

Robert Kysela, managing editor

appendix:

While we were writing this article, we still had been very happy to see once an original Messerschmitt 109 in a flying display. To our deepest regret we were told, that this Me-109 had a serious landing accident on the 15th of July this year, causing lots of damage to the engine, landing gear and fuselage as well. Fortunately the pilot, Siggi Knoll, was uninjured, but the Messerschmitt is almost a total loss. The estimated cost for the restauration is about 100.000.- Euros, which has to be financed privately by the owners. To achieve this goal a donation account has been established for people willing to help to bring back this milestone in the air.

Robert Kysela, managing editor

contact:

Werner Grammel
ME-AIR-COMPANY

Adalbert Stifter Strasse 11
D-72461 Albstadt

Federal Republic of Germany