Hispano HA-1112-M1L Buchon

Specifications:

Wingspan 992 cm
Length 913 cm
Height 260 cm
Wing area 16 m2, area load 206Kg/m2
Kerb weight 2,650 kg, maximum weight 3,300 kg
Rolls-Roye Merlin 500/45 approx. 1,600 hp , 4-blade Rotol Propeller
MaxSpeed 660km/h
Peak height approx. 10,000mtr (approx. 33,000 Ft)
Range approx. 760km

In 1942, a licensing agreement was concluded between Hispano-Aviacion (led by the spanish government at the time) and Messerschmitt for the production of Messerschmitt Bf109 G fighters. The G-2 aircraft was to be delivered to Spain with the appropriate DB605A, VDM propellers, instruments and weapon sets. There, near Sevillia, the machines should be assembled.

Due to the high war burden, however, It was not possible for Messerschmitt and its suppliers to supply Hispano with the promised parts. Thus, only 25 hull legs could be delivered and just a small part of the factory plans. By the way, the hull legs were delivered without tails (side tail, vertical tails).

In order to make the aircraft airworthy at all, the Hispano designers used their own engine, namely the Hispano-Suiza 12Z-89. This 12-cylinder engine produced around 1,300 hp (for comparison, the 605A produced around 170 hp more). The first flight of this aircraft was at the end of 1944 near Barcelona. On March 2, 1945, the first HA-1109-J1L (the exact designation) flew in Seville. This machine was then also equipped with the well-known VDM propeller. The remaining 24 hulls were flown in between 1947 and 1949. Here, however, with an Escher-Wyss propeller. Operationally, however, these 25 aircraft were never used.

The further development was the HA-1109-K1L. The engine, this time a Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 could be installed even easier (change of the engine suspension), as propeller served a DH Hydromatic with 3 leaves. This version was armed with 12.7mm Breda machine guns, as well as Pilatus-80mm rocket launchers. The first flight took place in May 1951. Of the originally planned 200 units, however, only 65 were built. In 1955, the aircraft were taken out of active service. As a nickname, this machine was given “Tripala”, which means nothing more than “Three Leaf”.

The “main specialty” of the Hispano versus the Messerschmitt are the counter-rotating motors. The Hispano motors rotate clockwise, but the DB605 rotates counterclockwise, i.e. the propeller rotation direction is different (the propeller of the DB605 clockwise, the hispano motor counterclockwise).