Page 102 - Demo

100birth certificate been sent with the flight plan?!) %u201cWe have 5 aircraft in the pattern, expect a delay.%u201d I look across at John, sitting tucked in on my starboard wing. %u201cI%u2019ve got plenty%u201d %u2013 New Zealand sense of humour is almost as good as German. %u201cOscar Lima formation, what time delay?%u201dhoping that talking through clenched teeth has not muffled my transmission too much. Recognising a measure of tension in my voice, ATC is really on the ball and, without further exchange, %u201cLufthansa you are now No3 behind a Messerschmitt 109 and a Spitfire, delay your turn for the localiser10.%u201dLanding a 109 is not as bad as history sometimes relates......well, not quite as bad. The wheels come down asymmetrically %u2013 the hydraulic pump can only manage one at a time %u2013 and then there is the considerable manual effort, and time, of winding down the flap.Luckily, she is very speed- stable, and my cockpit gyrations do not displace her from a reasonable approach path. The finals turn must be curved, as the tail-down view out of the front is quite simply appalling. Rolling out of the turn over the runway, gently cutting the power, and then flaring into the 3 point attitude has to be seamless.But she sits down really quite well, and your head is constantly moving left and right looking out of the sides %u2013 because there is no view forward. Indeed, it is not so much the touchdown that is fun but a short second or so later.... The previously mentioned small decorative fin and rudder, put on by our friend Willy to make it at least look like an aeroplane, start to lose aerodynamic effect quite quickly, as the wings blank the airflow over the tail-plane. Brakes (on this early Buchon) are not a good option at high speed either, as they fade dramatically, potentially leaving you with very modest aerodynamic directional control, and no means of stopping. But she behaves impeccably, and rolls out without a wiggle %u2013 thank you again, God. As I turn off the runway, I watch John execute an impeccable landing in the Spitfire %u2013 showy Kiwi!Augsburg is the home of the Messerschmitt, and literally thousands were built here during the Second World War. Given the numbers that were produced, it is not surprising that the 109 shot down more aircraft than any other fighter aircraft ever built %u2013 a record that will