Focke Wulf Fw 190F-8

Scan QR code to read about the incredible history of this Fw 190 and what it took to restore the fighter to flying condition.

Photo: After years of meticulous restoration the Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8 is complete. The aircraft will eventually be moved from Gosshawk Unlimited in Arizona to the American Heritage Museum in Massachusetts.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190F’s in-depth restoration has been decades in the making. This Fw 190F8 “White 1” has embodied the most exquisite and thorough restoration work ever completed on a WWII aircraft. Attention to detail was extreme. For example, the decision was made to have exact German WWII rivets manufactured rather than utilize standard off-the-shelf rivets. Then, utilizing sources deep within Europe, Fw 190 crash sites were scoured to find small components needed to bring the airframe up to exact WWII combat condition.

The instrument panel (right) is 100% authentic and has no visible concession to modern airworthiness. The dynamic paint scheme illustrates the subtle camouflage and surface detail that helped “rewrite the book” on restoration of WWII aircraft. A strenuous effort was undertaken to research the original camouflage utilizing modern technology and then have the paint recreated by a German Factory that supplied the Fw 190 paint during the war.

The Fw 190’s nose ring is made of steel. In many wartime reports, Allied pilots and gunners noted their bullets bouncing off the cowl. Russian gunners using smaller caliber weapons referred to them as “paint scratchers” since the bullets would deflect off the cowling.