As the Focke-Wulf Fw 190's pilot banks to port, the menacing shape of the Supermarine Spitfire still fills the rear view mirror. The Allied fighter is just waiting for the right moment to open fire...but, instead, the Spitfire draws level and waggles its wings in an invitation to swap places. Thankfully for all involved, this isn't a scene from the latter years of World War Two but a recent one over the friendly skies of New Zealand. It was, in fact, the first time ever that a Spitfire and a Focke-Wulf 190 had flown together at a warbird airshow in the southern hemisphere. Two of the stars of the renowned Classic Fighters event at Omaka, New Zealand, were Spitfire IX PV270 (ZK-SPI) and FW 190A/8N ZK-RFR Stahlgewitter. Eagle-eyed FlyPast readers will have noticed the capital 'W' in the designation. Fox-Romeo is the prototype of the batch of new-build '190s created by Germany-based Flug Werk and the company's initials are used to denote its products. In 2009 the aircraft was purchased by the Chariots of Fire Collection based in Omaka at the northern end of South Island. Graham Orphan manages the collection and spent a lot of time and effort negotiating the purchase of the '190 and getting it shipped to New Zealand.
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