Rare German WWII fighter flies again after restoration in Turkey
06.08.2026, DPA
A rare German World War II Focke-Wulf 190 fighter aircraft was restored and returned to the skies after more than 80 years, with German Klaus Plasa piloting the maiden post-restoration flight in Turkey.
The aircraft crashed in France in 1944 during WWII. Its wreckage was taken to the United States in 2000, where restoration began, however the aircraft remained grounded.
It was brought to Turkey in 2023 through the efforts of the Sivrihisar Aviation Club Association in western Eskişehir province, state news agency Anadolu reported over the weekend.
An 11-member team led by Turkish aerobatic pilot Ali İsmet Öztürk disassembled and rebuilt the aircraft over 14 months. Only eight Focke-Wulf 190s remain worldwide, about half of them airworthy, Anadolu quoted Öztürk as saying.
The Sivrihisar Aviation Club plans to display the aircraft at an air show in Eskişehir in September.
The project aims to preserve the aviation heritage shared by Turkey and Germany, Anadolu said.
In the early 20th century, Germany helped modernize the army, including air forces, of then Ottoman Empire. In 1926, modern Turkey and the German company Junkers built a joint aircraft factory in the Central Anatolian city of Kayseri.
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