Hispano Buchon (BF-109J) C4K-162
"Nobody expects the Spanish acquisition!" Formerly on display at the Spanish Air Force base at Tablada, C4K-162 was traded to a French collection in the 1980s for use as a parts source in the restoration of a Messerschmitt Bf-109-G14. However, due to damage previously inflicted on '162 during her use as an engineering training airframe along with significant differences in the detail of both structural components and system parts between the two variants of Bf-109, very little was actually used in the G-14 project. The use of parts from '162 appears to have been limited to the fuselage carry-through spar assembly, the windscreen, undercarriage attach D "spider" forgings and various common elements of the wing structure.
So began the task in 2002 of collecting together the remaining components of C4K-162, with the ultimate objective of restoring her back to Rolls-Royce Merlin powered Buchon configuration. So far "in-house" work has been concentrating on the fuselage, while an external contractor is working on rebuilding the wings.
The objective of this project is to restore C4K-162 back to airworthy condition, and have her display across Europe in her original Spanish Air Force colour scheme as a tribute to the often overlooked Spanish Air Force use of the type.
The only "in-service" photo of C4K-162 we have located so far, kindly colourised by Nathan Howland.
![C4K162_(2)_B[1].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/8c0bad_722dc078565448c1a624dd1be5b189d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_270,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/C4K162_(2)_B%5B1%5D.jpg)
One of the replacement items required as the originals were missing from C4K-162 when we acquired her remains, these "spider" forgings attach to each side of the forward fuselage and are part of the assembly which attach the wings, undercarriage and engine to the fuselage and as such are critical parts.
The replacement windscreen assembly as obtained in Germany to replace that one missing from C4K-162. This will shortly be assembled along with the original forward decking from C4K-162.
The fuselage spar carry-through beams were also missing from C4K-162 at the time of purchase. These are a critical component for the integrity of the aeroplane, so while a number of options were investigated for replacing these parts on 162, common-sense prevailed and we had new spar booms manufactured for the aeroplane. These will shortly be attached the the fuselage spar web (below), at which time the completed spar assembly will be placed in the forward fuselage jig and assembly of the forward fuselage structure can commence.
While original spar web assembly was available to us, the critical nature of this component necessitated the manufacture of a new assembly.
One of the few additional parts we had to obtain new for the forward fuselage of C4K-162, this rear decking was manufactured anew in Germany to original standards.It truly is a work of art.and we look forward to fitting it to the assembled fuselage structure.
The original instrument panel for C4K-162 has recently been obtained and is in the process of being overhauled. Apart from a couple of instruments which need to be changed for safety reasons, not only the panel and panel support structure, but most of her original instruments will also find their way back into the restored aeroplane.
The restored elevators for C4K-162 are completed and are ready for covering at the appropriate time. For now, they will remain in storage.
.jpg)
Cockpit rear bulkhead and floor assembly under reconstruction - a mix of original and new parts. The "top-hat" sections are the supports for the seat back and base.
.jpg)
A beautiful piece of work - the newly manufactured electrical control panel is now completed and awaiting installation of the appropriate circuit breakers.
.jpg)
This is an odd piece as it's particular to the Buchon and shows how it differed from the 109G. The G, as was, featured a cannon firing through the propeller spinner and the cannon installation extended back through the firewall and into the cockpit. This cannon wasn't installed on the Buchon, so a steel cover-plate was installed on the front side of the firewall to blank off the un-used opening. The original (damaged) example from C4K-162 can be seen on the right, and the new manufactured example on the left. This will eventually find its way on to 162.