New Harvard at Bienenfarm
Most warbird enthusiasts will recognize the discussion whether or not a former military airplane is a warbird. In the case of Harvard HB-RWM there is no doubt: it is a genuine warrior. It arrived at the airport of Bienenfarm, some 30 kms. west of the German capital Berlin on 28 January.
The Harvard was built by Canadian Car and Foundry as 52-8577 (MSN CCF4-498) and was shipped to Germany to serve the West German Air Force/Luftwaffe as AA+065 at the Flugzeugführerschule "A" (Pilot school "A"), Landsberg am Lech. In 1962 the trainer went to the Technische Schule der Luftwaffe 1 (Aviation Technical School) at Kaufbeuren as BF+065. Two years later Messerschmitt factory at Manching overhauled the plane prior to delivery to Portugal.
The Força Aérea Portuguesa (FAP, Portuguese Air Force) took delivery of it as 1762 and modified it for counter insurgency (COIN) operations in Portugal’s African colony Mozambique. It was written off in November 1974 and abandoned in Mozambique. The Harvard was then incorporated in the Forças Populares de Libertação do Moçambique (Popular Forces for the Liberation of Mozambique) as 3101.
It was finally abandoned at Maputo Airport. In April 1989 the trainer was recovered and exported, in dismantled state, to Syferfontein, near Johannesburg, South Africa. After a long period of storage the Harvard was restored to flying condition. Registration ZU-VJB was assigned but not taken up. On 14 April 2008 the plane made its first post restoration flight as ZU-SAF, but was eventually sold to Switzerland in 2022. It was registered as HB-RWM, re-assembled and first flew again from Grenchen on 5 April 2023.
At Bienenfarm, the freshly arrived Harvard was delivered to the the Flugschule Berlin-Brandenburg Nowotny, which offers taildragger training on the Champion, Stearman and T-6. (Three Stearmans and long-term resident Harvard D-FSIX are already based here with other prominent owners.) It currently wears USAF colours complete with Buzznumber 'TA-577'and is adorned with nice 'Fly Girl' nose art. Its future German registration will be D-FATE.
As most of you with an interest in historic airplanes will know, Flugplatz Bienenfarm is the main event location for the QUAX Verein zur Förderung von historischem Fluggerät e.V., whose fleet is mainly based at Paderborn and Bienenfarm.
You may find details of some of its varied fleet here. The former website gives the airplanes owned by the Quax society itself, while the latter shows those owned by members of the society:
https://www.quax-flieger.de/flugzeuge/vereinsflugzeuge/
https://www.quax-flieger.de/flugzeuge/mitgliedsflugzeuge/
This year, from 7 to 10 August, Bienenfarm will also be host to the Vintage Aerobatic World Championships (VAWC) as well as the Bückertreffen (Bücker Meeting).
Photos by Johannes Schages