Curriculum Vitae of FOCKE WULF Fw P 149D, Werk Nr. 115
Hi folks,
my name is Focke Wulf P 149D and I was born in Bremen/Germany back in 1960.
I think this is my last name, because I have around 189 brothers and sisters and they call them all the same. The only thing that makes us different, is the little tag they gave each one of us. Mine says, Iīm No.115. By the way, on the picture, Iīm the one up front on the right hand side!
Because my parents couldnīt feed so many kids, they soon sold me to the "German Ministry of Defense". This actually made no sense at all, because these guys already had 72 kids from Italy which looked exactly like me. After a few more month, we were 262 children all together. Obviously, money was no factor at the German MoD. Everything was well organized, but with so many kids around, they couldnīt make up their mind how to call me. In Eggebeck, North Germany, my new home, they first called me AS+440, then AS+074. Soon they switched to SB+421, SB+215 and finally everybody agreed on "German Air Force 90+95". I kept this name until the MoD decided that Iīm old enough to leave their house in early 1972.
Again I got a new master, which was called "a Civilian". He, again, gave me a new name: D-EFNR and brought me to my new home. A nice little airport with a grass runway. He called it "Borkenberge" in Germany. First, I was afraid going in and out of this short strip, but after a little while, I got used to it and it was not so breathtaking any more. You must know, our original brakes were a little bit weak. In Germany we called them "killifitty", which is a more elegant word for rubbish. But today, most of us are either converted to Cleveland or Goodyear wheels and brakes and they are doing just fine.
But all of a sudden, I didnīt feel so pretty any more. My new stablemaids all had wonderful colored make-up and I still had this ugly olive-green and stone-gray military finish with a red daygloe paint on my wing tips. So I asked my master for a new outfit. He replied that he just had bought me and might not have enough money for cosmetics. But, in any case, he had to ask his wife first, cause she might have had the same desire.
Of course I won. - I got a nice blue, cream and beige paint scheme! As a compensation for his wife, I got a little tattoo. They wrote her name on to my skin. From this day on, I was called "Doris" for the next 24 years.
Unfortunately my master died way too early. I sat sadly at the airport, which, in the meantime, had a nice asphalt runway and nobody took me out for a ride anymore. Iīve had an ugly "For Sale" sign hanging on my nose. But what worried me most, was this uncertain feeling: What new master would I get? Finally somebody signed a contract in 1996. The guy didnīt look too promising to me. On the next day somebody else showed up. It was a guy like me: A little bit on the heavy side and about my age. It was love on first sight! But it was too late. I was already sold!
But sometimes destiny has got different plans for you.
My new master backed out of the contract!
No money! He never had!
So, I quickly was sold to the other one, my first and only love, Bernhard.
He immediately flew me to Bremen, my place of birth, where he just did his transition course as a captain with Lufthansa German Airlines. On an Airbus A321. This must have been an easy job, because he flew me almost night and day and put around 40 hours on me, just within a few weeks.
Then we flew to a little airport close to Frankfurt, called Egelsbach. After that flight I didnīt see Bernhard too often any more. He always had to fly that much, much younger Airbus. I was a little bit jealous, but he promised me to bring his PIPER Super Cub over from Praha, so I wouldnīt be so lonely any more. This Super Cub looked very good, it had just been overhauled to better than new condition, but it still was a 42 year old woman. I would have preferred two 21 year old girls instead. But you canīt have it all!
To be honest, this girl never made it to Frankfurt in time. Like most girls in the middle ages, it took her quite a while before she finished her make-up and be ready for a date.
In the meantime, Bernhard came out to the airport one day with two friends.
Manfred Tschigor and Bob Mather.
They opened my cowling, gave me a health check-up and put lots of stuff inside my belly.
They fitted, what they called a 80 Gallon ferry-tank, checked me out, topped my mains and then Bernhard, Bob and I were airborne, heading for Luxemburg.
In Luxemburg they filled me up to the last drop. About 140 US Gal, enough for almost 10 hours at long range cruise. I still had no idea where we were heading for. We crossed the English Channel. Uhhhh! Iīd never seen so much water before! It was almost getting dark when we landed on a little airport called Walton Wood in England. A guy called Peter Scott invited Bernhard and Bob for dinner. When we departed on a very hazy next morning, I was keen to know where we were going to. But all I heard was, that Bernhard and Bob talked about a very lovely lady called Louise and that the dinner had been excellent.
I didnīt feel too well. We had to find our way around a few CBīs.
I picked up some ice and to show how uncomfortable I was, I shock my engine a little bit. My two pilots got quite nervous. They finally landed at Wick/Scotland, checked my engine, topped me off once more and filed a flight plan to Iceland! Boy, I was shocked! This is about 550NM over the open sea. And I tell you, this water is cold, ice cold. But at least the weather was not too bad. I had to fight a 30KT head wind, but we all could enjoy a nice view onto the Faroer Islands, which is a rare occasion. But to show my concerns, I ran my engine a little bit rough again.
The next morning my pilots prepared me for flight at 7 oīclock, but we didnīt leave before 11am.
It was a cold, rainy and windy day. I didnīt understand too much what my pilots were saying, just a few words like Florida, lots of ice and that nobody else is flying in that shit !?!? Bernhard said something like "Have to be back in 3 days. Donīt want to miss my final check ride." Aha, this f...... young Airbus again! Otherwise he wouldnīt be that stupid and fly on a day like this! I was jealous!
On our crossing, we flew any altitude between 200ft and 15.000ft. We saw icebergs and glaciers
as well as thunderstorms.
After stopping at Narsarsuaq, Goose Bay and Burlington,VT, we even passed behind Hurricane "Fran", which gave us our first and only tail wind component of about 40 knots.
And after more than 4300 nautical miles, flown in almost 40 hours within 4 days, we landed at our final destination, FD44, E a g l e s N e s t A i r p o r t in Florida/USA. My new home.
Bernhard says, it would be the dream (airport) of his life! And I must say heīs right!
- On the next morning, Bernhard discovered one of my primer lines being broken. Pumping fuel close to my exhaust!!!
Now we knew what had made me feel bad for the last few days!
Of course Bernhard got back to Germany in time for his check ride. I think he passed, since the next time he came back to Eagles Nest, he bought me a new outfit inside and out.
So, look yourself, isnīt it pretty?
At the beginning of the new millenium, Bernhard got a call from somebody who wanted to buy me very badly. Bernhard first denied the offer. But this nice guy from Connecticut obviously fell in love with me and kept sending emails across the Atlantic til Bernhard gave up and agreed to give me away. Now I belong to Scott, my future master.
And I got a new name as well. Called N 888FW, Iīm now listed as an Experimental Airshow Exhibition Aircraft with the FAA.
Experimental ??? A bit strange for a 40 year old factory airplane, that has crossed the big pond on itīs own wings!!!
Bernhard and Scott flew me along the American East Coast, all the way up from Eagles Nest to Conneticut. On this 1000 Mile trip, flown in just one day, I crossed the New York TMA along the Hudson River, passing the twin towers of the World Trade Center
as well as the Empire State building.
This was an old dream coming true! Flying through one of the busiest airspaces in the world, even without talking to ATC! I tell you, these Americans are pragmatic. And I wish, something like this would be possible in Europe too!!!
Half an hour later I landed at my new home. KHVN
Bernhard said, heīd be in a hurry to catch the airlines back to Florida. But this, I guess, was only an excuse.
When he turned around for the very last time to say Bye-Bye,
I think, I saw big tears in his eyes.
But I have the feeling, that Iīll see him again someday!
-The End-
PS: In 2001 Bernhard bought one of my brothers, S/N 173. His friend Mr. Karsten Friedel, an ATP and commercial flight instructor, as well as Mrs. Claudia Leichthammer, Karstenīs girlfriend and, at the time, a PPL student pilot, already ferried him across the Atlantic.
And Bernhard also bought a Maule MX7-235B. She already arrived in Florida too. He recently put her on brandnew Aqua 2400 straight floats.