The Aviation Magazine No:46 September-October 2016 | Page 18
The Focke‐Wulf Fw 190 was designed in the late 1930's and was first flown by the Luftwaffe in August
1941. The Fw 190 was superior to the RAF's Spitfire and as more entered the war the balance of air power
began to shift. It was used as a fighter, fighter‐bomber and ground‐attack aircraft. This aircraft was origi‐
nally flown by Lieutenant Rudi Linz who was shot down by the Allies in 1945 just after claiming his 70th
kill. The Military Aviation Museum acquired this 190 A‐8, Blue 4 in 2013 and is continuing its work to make
it air‐worthy once again.
On display at the museum is a 1949 Junkers JU 52. This German aircraft model was manufactured from
1932 until 1945 and served in both civilian and military capacities. As a civilian aircraft, it flew with over a
dozen air carriers as an airliner and freight hauler. As a military aircraft, it flew with the Luftwaffe involved
in troop and cargo transport and briefly as a bomber. The museum's Junker Ju 52 was build by CASA in Ge‐
tafe, Spain. It served in the Spanish Air Force until 1976 but only accumulated 1,500 flight hours. In 1976
it was sold to the Commemorative Air Force, a Texas‐based non‐profit company committed to the preser‐
vation of historic aircraft. The Military Aviation Museum purchased the aircraft in 2010. It is estimated
that there are only seven JU 52's flying in the world; the museum's JU 52 is the only one in North America.