Overcome a few hurdles

Willi Reschke was born on February 3, 1922. In February 1940, at the age of 18, he volunteered for the Luftwaffe with the goal of becoming a fighter pilot. He flew with Fighter Wing 301 “Wilde Sau” and was one of the few pilots to fly the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 in combat during the final phase of World War II. During his missions, he was shot down eight times, resulting in four crash landings and four parachute jumps. Willi Reschke survived the war and died on July 5, 2017, in Thuringia.

In a previous report, I mentioned that Roger Steiner has a fondness for German World War II aircraft. Now he’s taking on the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 project. Over the course of about two years, Roger has been working on his model on and off, overcoming several hurdles along the way. With a great deal of patience and craftsmanship, Roger once again presents us with a unique model airplane.

The Focke-Wulf is equipped with a truly powerful motor, allowing the model to take off after just a few meters. Roger decides on the spur of the moment to launch it. Although he’s very nervous, he flies his masterpiece calmly and without taking any risks over the MB Buttikon airfield. The model flies very smoothly; the electric motor would have enough power for 160 km/h, though Roger hasn’t tried that yet, of course. It’s time, and Roger begins his approach for landing; the model is still traveling a bit fast, but it touches down gently and rolls to a stop. Roger’s hands are shaking as I’ve rarely seen before,

The relief is written all over his face.

On subsequent flights, Roger takes more and more risks as he gets to know his Focke-Wulf better. Caution is advised during landing, however—the model doesn’t like it when it’s going too slow.