Warbird Meetup in Oberhausen near Weissenhorn, 2019

This year marked the 10th edition of the traditional international warbird gathering, held at the MFC Oberhausen model airfield near Weissenhorn. More than 60 pilots from Germany, Austria, Italy, Sweden, and Switzerland showcased over 100 highly detailed models.

Some pilots arrived as early as Friday to familiarize themselves with the field and the surrounding area. Glorious midsummer weather with correspondingly warm temperatures provided the perfect conditions for one of the highlights of the 2019 model flying season.

In the evening, there was a night show featuring fireworks. The safety of the spectators in Oberhausen was not neglected: double safety fences secured the runway. Flight director Hans Zschippig also praised the pilots’ discipline. Spectacular or daring maneuvers took place only over the open field, and flyovers of the spectator stands were prohibited anyway.

From World War I fighter planes to beefy aircraft from the 1940s, from the early days of turbine-powered flight all the way to modern jets—everything could be marveled at in the skies above Oberhausen. It didn’t matter whether it was a Focke-Wulf, North American, Messerschmidt, Grumman, Heinkel, Lavochkin, or many others—whether electric, combustion engine, or turbine—everything was presented to the enthusiastic audience at the highest level.

on display. And even on the ground, the warbirds were honored; in addition to various dioramas, visitors could marvel at, for example, a Willys Jeep equipped with a Browning .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a tripod. The small four-wheel-drive vehicle was remote-controlled and pulled a child in a trailer.

Each pilot lined up with his model in the queue, so every pilot had his turn in a completely relaxed manner—whether it was a solo display, a spontaneous formation, or a team that had honed their skills through countless flight hours—chapeau!

In the morning, we had a light wind blowing parallel to the runway; in the afternoon, there were at times strong gusts coming from the front, filling the grounds of the MFC Oberhausen with the hum of radial engines, the hiss of turbines, and the whir of electric motors. Three Lavochkin LA-7s from ScaleWings, with a wingspan of 2.8 m and powered by Moki 250 motors, were demonstrated.

Next to the MFC Oberhausen clubhouse, the members set up a hangar tent, covered food stands—including a grill area, tables, and benches with sunshades—a coffee tent, a massive generator for power, and much more.

Andy Nusser demonstrated his self-built Ju88 with a wingspan of 3.5 m, a length of 2.46 m, a weight of 24.8 kg, and powered by 2× ZG62 engines. The Ju88 has a

A remarkable history (nearly 15,000 aircraft were built, and not a single one is still flying). But being able to admire the Ju 88 as a model and watch it fly does make up for it a little. The MFC Oberhausen model flying club built three of these superb models: one in green, one in a desert scheme, and one in a winter scheme.

More photos at:
[www.mfc-oberhausen.eu/galerie/aktuelles-projekt-ju-88](http://www.mfc-oberhausen.eu/galerie/aktuelles-projekt-ju-88)

The P-51 Red Baron, built by Mario Bühler, is particularly special, featuring 2× Hacker Q80 L6 motors and 2 counter-rotating 3-blade propellers, which deliver 15 PS (2×5.5 kW).

Two Jeti Mezon Lite 130 ESCs were installed. The model has a takeoff weight of 23 kg.

The original was flown by Steve Hinton at the 1979 Reno Race. After an engine—

After the crash, Steve wrecked the P-51. He suffered several broken bones. He built the P-51 “Wee Willy 2” from the wreckage. He is now president of the “Planes of Fame” museum in Chino. See [www.planesoffame.org](http://www.planesoffame.org), which restores the most warbirds to airworthy condition in the U.S.

Always present in Oberhausen is the St. Margarethen Model Aircraft Club [www.mfc-margarethen.at](http://www.mfc-margarethen.at) from Styria, such as Franz Obenauf with his P-47 and a 400 Moki radial engine. As standard, every model is equipped with a Moki radial engine. I had been really looking forward to marveling at the B-17 built by Peter Pfeffer. According to the pilot, unfortunately, the version with a wingspan of 5.70 m and a takeoff weight of 92 kg no longer exists.

The P61 Black Widow, built by Karlheinz Wender (known as “Charly”), has a wingspan of 3.6 m. The full-scale model is powered by two Sato FG84 engines and weighs 24.6 kg. Charly also has his ½-scale Fokker DR.I with a wingspan of 3.60 m. To complete his fleet

To transport them, Charly converted an old trailer into a model transporter. The Swiss team was represented by the two brothers Erich and Kurt Wächter, who performed a flawless formation flight with their AT-6s. CARF-Models showcased a P-47 “Tarheel Hal,” a P-47 Razorback, a Harvard AT-6 “Texan,” and an F4U—

1D Corsair, all built to a scale of 1:4.5 with Moki 250cc 5-cylinder radial engines. The four factory pilots put on a spectacular show with formation flying and low-level maneuvers.

Worth mentioning is the P51 Strega, built and flown by Thomas “Mister Kolm” Bogner himself on a 1:4 scale, with a wingspan and length of 247 cm, weighing 24.8 kg and powered by a 3-cylinder, 4-stroke, 230-cc engine (Fiala 34*18 inches). The sound is just like the original, which can be admired every September at the traditional Reno Race in Reno. ■

See [www.mfc-oberhausen.eu/flugtag-warbird-treffen](http://www.mfc-oberhausen.eu/flugtag-warbird-treffen)