An air-to-air view of a Focke-Wulf 190A-3, the variant flown by the author at Farnborough in 1943 and at Tangmere in 1945.

Captured Fw 190 MP499 at Farnborough in August 1942. The fighter was fitted with a 1,700 h.p. 14-cylinder twin-row BMW 801D radial engine.

Captured Fw 190 MP499 at Farnborough in August 1942.

Captured Fw 190A-3 MP499, formerly Werknr 5313 with the Luftwaffe, was delivered into British hands at RAF Pembrey, South Wales, in June 1942 when Oberleutnant Arnim Faber landed it there. The aircraft is seen at Farnborough, where it was taken for evaluation and where the author flew it.

RAE chief test pilot Wg Cdr “Willie” Wilson taxies Fw 190 MP499 at Farnborough in 1943.

Faber’s Fw 190 soon after its capture at Pembrey, before the application of an RAF paint scheme over its Luftwaffe camouflage and markings.
The first Fw190 to be captured intact, seen at Penbrey, Wales in 1942. Note the good clear vision canopy.

Another Fw 190A-8 captured by American forces, and put on display as FE-117.

Focke-Wulf FW 190 F-8 FE-116 Werknr 12043. Based on the FW190A-8 airframe, 385 examples of the F-8 ground attack aircraft were built during 1944 by Arado and Dornier. The F-8 had a pair of 13mm MG131 machine guns in the fuselage and four racks beneath the wings for 110lb SC 50 bombs. Powerplant was a 1,700 h.p. BMW 810D air-cooled two-row radial.

A 616 Sqn Meteor I at Manston in August 1944. The author had his first experience of jet flight during that month in another of the squadrons Meteors, VQ-I.