Focke-Wulf Fw189, Werke Nr 2100, is believed to be the sole surviving example of this distinctive Kurt Tank designed type. The twin-boom, twin engine, heavily glazed aircraft was the main reconnaissance type used by the German Forces on the Eastern Front during World War Two and became known as ‘The Flying Eye’. Now it is on the search for a new custodian.
Reports state that the wreckage of the aeroplane was found in forest near Loukhi, south of Murmansk, Russia. It was there, in Arctic conditions, that the aircraft remained for 52 years. It was recovered from the forest by helicopter in 1992 and transported back to the UK by air, road and sea, where it then went into storage.
Despite being a well-kept secret for many years, work on the Fw189 is well advanced. In the fuselage area of the aircraft, the forward frame is 40% complete, the central fuselage 65%, and the aft section is 75%, with the rear turret (capola) also being approximately 75% complete. The structure/skins of the centre wing and the engine nacelles are 80% complete and the fuel tank panels are 60%. The wing tips are at 40% and the starboard outer wing is 65%. Both port and starboard tail booms are 80% and the fin units are 60% complete on the port side and 80% on the starboard. Of the control surfaces, the ailerons are at 50%, the flaps at 40% and the rudders at 20%.
Fw189 A1/2, Werke Nr 2100, is presented for sale as a unique and ongoing project to be seen through to completion to airworthy or static condition.
Having watched its' progress this far, the Aircraft Restoration Company have revealed how much they would love to see the fascinating piece of mechanical engineering returned to it’s finished state.
"The amount of passion and energy that has been poured into it thus far is monumental! From the team that removed it from the Russian forest where it lay frozen for 52 years, to those, including ourselves, who have been painstakingly restoring it back to life, piece by piece, rivet by rivet. To finish the project would be a massive undertaking. It is one we are very much up for jumping back into!"
Now, their goal is to find the ‘Eagle Owl’ a new guardian, and keep the last Focke-Wulf Fw189 alive. For more information, go to the Fw189 page of the Aircraft Restoration Company website.
