If you find yourself in Madrid with some time to spare, go to Cuatro Vientos Airport and visit the Museo del Aire there. It's not very well marked, and the opening hours seem to be a bit irregular, but it's definitely worth a visit. It's just down the street to your right as you face the civil terminal, in a couple of old hangars.
They keep a lot of the old aircraft in flyable condition, flying them sometimes on weekends.
The collection includes Spanish-built copies of the Bf109 or Me109, depending, and also both an original and a Spanish-built copy of the Heinkel 111.
There's a Polikarpov I-16 Mosca/Rata among a lot of very interesting aircraft. That was an aircraft that matched the Messerschmitt in a fight, each type having different strengths, but superior German tactics, fighting in pairs, meant that the fascists generally prevailed.
There was an American mercenary pilot, Frank Glasgow Tinker, who became an ace flying the Polikarpov for the Republicans, when he shot down two German fighters, either Bf109s or Me109s. He couldn't tell the difference and I don't think he much cared, being an American and all ....
Last edited by chuks; 11th Jul 2014 at 07:43.