HA-1112 photos

[speeddemon]

So...here's an obscure request. Anyone out there have color photos of the Whittington Brothers old HA-1112 when it was painted up as Ernst Udet's "D-ISLU" #6? This would have been in the mid-70's....not sure if this was before or after the "Miss Florida II" scheme for Reno '76, but it was definitely before the Eastern Front camo job that they gave it in about '78--because that was the scheme that Bubba Beal had it in when he bought it from them.

I am 99% positive that it was painted blue with a red stripe & swastika on the tail, with white markings.

But in one of the warbird rags that came out just recently, some company has come out with a die-cast of Udet's plane and it is all red...not blue.

Am I finally getting old enough that my brain fade is starting to kick in? I'm so confused......

[RandyGoss75]

Re: HA-1112 photos

It was blue Brad, I will look for pictures when I get home. RG

[speeddemon]

Re: HA-1112 photos

It was blue Brad, I will look for pictures when I get home. RG

Okay, so my memory is NOT fading me then.

So why is this model RED? There was only ONE...it was a one-off "BF-109 V14" that Udet picked out for the 'race'--which was some kind of European 'air meet'. And the plane crashed during the event.

[stuntflyr]

Re: HA-1112 photos

It is red because the V14, D-ISLU, race#6, was red. It did crash (during a forced landing by Udet after an oil line came off) during the event. It was originally a one off as it was a converted B and first to sport a DB601. At Zurich "37 it had a special DB601 Rennmotor II which made 1565hp at 2620 rpm and 48.5 inches.

Oh, I read your post again.
The V-14 wasn't the only one, there was V13, D-IPKY, race#1 as well at the '37 Zurich meet, it was blue/gray (RLM 63) or gray/green (RLM 02) and was also a DB601 powered ship. It was converted after V14.

I would love to see pics of the HA-1112 in the Miss Florida and the blue scheme. Anyone to post them here? I would really appreciate it!

Chris...

[BellCobraIV]

Re: HA-1112 photos

Okay, so my memory is NOT fading me then.

So why is this model RED?

Maybe it has to with lazy researchers or those just don't care. You know Darryl's Bearcat in the Pylon Bar at Reno had a red paint job on it in it's "Smirnoff" livery. Don't older slides and negatives distort true colors pretty severly? Wingman? Victor?

[speeddemon]

Re: HA-1112 photos

It is red because the V14 was red that crashed (forced landed by Udet) during the event. What was your question?
Chris...

Well, the question was WHY? The common understanding that I've always had is that it was blue...just like the other BF-109 varients that raced at that meet. And I guess since Whittington painted his -1112 blue, that was sort of reinforcing that belief.

All I've ever seen of the original that Udet flew and crashed were black and white...and it appears to be a very dark color in those black and white photos. The (admittedly brief) accounts of that event that I have read have said there was a squadron of 'blue' BF-109's of multiple varients.

Just out of curiosity, how did you know, or find out that D-ISLU was red? I'd be interested in finding out.

[stuntflyr]

Re: HA-1112 photos

According to a contemporary newspaper found by Swedish researcher Anders Bruun, also a poster here from time to time. He says the newspaper article translates to saying this; "Has something happened? Where is Udet? Oh, there comes the red machine, slowly and smoothly the engine throttled down, and lands on the airfield."
Also in Udet's autobiography he states it was a red one he flew to Zurich. Another newspaper article and picture back up the flight and airplane.
Anders notes the red is darker than the red in the band on the fin surrounding the swastika. So the model might be a bit too bright red.

Chris...

[speeddemon]

Re: HA-1112 photos

Very interesting. I guess if it was a dark red, that would make sense for what I see in the black and white pics.

[Apteryx]

Re: HA-1112 photos

red or blue
..also a model site refered to it as "wine" colored,
and apparently a reference in Udet's biography refers to his "red" machine....

Paul

[stuntflyr]

Re: HA-1112 photos

red or blue
..also a model site refered to it as "wine" colored,
and apparently a reference in Udet's biography refers to his "red" machine....

Paul

1937 Zurich race, 5 total Me/Bf109's, B' and D's with two special's;
V14=red (dark red,wine colored would cover that)
V13=gray/blue (none were really blue, Udet's was refered to as blue)

And then the one Speed asked about a picture for;
Whittington's=Sherman Williams blue in 1970's? Accuracy along the lines of most 70's warbird paint jobs, I would guess (less than accurate). Still cool.
Want to see a picture.
Chris...

[speeddemon]

Re: HA-1112 photos

Chris...I'll scan my black and white pic of Whittingtons HA-1112 in the blue scheme tonight.

I don't have any photos of the "Miss Florida II" paint scheme in my collection. I have only seen them. When I was down speaking at Ralph Payne's memorial, his wife Norma had tons of photo albums out on display. One of the albums had pictures of "Precious Metal", "Miss Florida II", and "Double Trouble" all sitting outside of Gary's hanger in Scottsdale, just prior to all of them departing for Reno '76. Of course, Gary lost an engine in the P-38 just outside of Phoenix, and Bill put the HA-1112 down in Vegas with metal in the screens.

But the pics were cool. "Miss Florida II" was painted just like Leeward's "Miss Florida". Strange to see a -109 painted silver with British markings. Race #109 on the side of it.

I'll write Norma tonight and see if she has any of those pics that she could send me.

[stuntflyr]

Re: HA-1112 photos

Very nice, would love to see them. I shot black and white in the seventies too, but my question now is, why?
Chris...

[speeddemon]

Re: HA-1112 photos

Okay, Chris...here ya go.

I guess I should have looked at the photo to answer my own question. 1977. So this was between "Miss Florida II", and the Eastern Front scheme.

[stuntflyr]

Re: HA-1112 photos

Very cool! Anything else you can get your hands on about the HA-1112 would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris...

[Shawn Aro]

Re: HA-1112 photos

here is some my dad took in 1981 of it shawn