I like the 20mm package on the G14 rather then the 30mms. Figured the gondies would be ok for GVs..but don't know. Under 10K and fairly slow is where I'll have to be until I get the flight characteristics down good.
I was really expecting everyone to tell me the G6 was the way to go. 
I'm glad the G14 was mentioned first actually. Always liked it for some reason. I guess because you don't see all that many guys in them.
Uptown, the 109 is a very fun plane to learn. It's become my favorite. Some of my thoughts and tips...
All 109 compress in a dive. Not as bad as P-38, but bad. Augering one is easy in the beginning, especially if you're used to flying P-47, P-51, F4Us, F6fs, etc...all of which have no real problems pulling out of a dive. The G-14 is noticebly worse in a dive than a K4. I fly K4s a lot, and eveytime I get in a G-14 I managed to fly one into the ground. Because of this, 109 are not always at an advantage when coming in
too high above a target. It's very easy to overshoot in a dive. Tip: Ride the rudder, and chop throttle on the way down to control the speed to 400mph or below. Because of the need to do this, 109s bleed a lot of E when diving. Chasing F4U or other planes to the deck should be avoided as they can handle the speed and turn it back into alt when they pull up. A chasing 109 will either hit the ground, or have to bleed to much (to maintain control) to stay with them when they pull up, so they will have an e advantage after the pull out. Also if you manage to stay in control it will be limited as you get close and pass 450mph. They will pull up in front of you and you won't be able to follow due to the unresponsive controls [it feels like your flying with one elevator, or a half an elevator]. This makes for an easy reversal for the bandit, as he rolls the plane and drops back onto your six.
Because of this, and the great climb rate, 109 are best getting in fights with planes that close co-alt or even slightly above them. They turn well and like American Planes have very useful flaps with 5 settings. The roll rate is also very good. The 109 maneuvers best in vertical, meaning keep it's nose pointed above the horizon. When you can, reverse by going up and over, and high yo-yoing, not making flat turns around the corner. Very few planes (other than the P-38) can hang for long with a 109 when it's nose up and changing direction. So the best way to dog fight a 109 is agressive early maneuvers to get your opponents to bleed E by turning and reversing. I find it to be an excellent plane at Rolling scissors. When e states are low, start working vertical. Then play the angles to avoid their gun solution while you use its tremendous power to weight, and climb advantage to work yourself back into an e advantage. Use the flaps to turn tight at stall speed for close range <300 yds crossing shots. This is where taters earn their reputation.
Get good with the taters. They are the definitive gun in the 109. The 20mm does not have enough firepower for snap shots so you will be forced to saddle up bandits and match course long enough to hit them with enough rounds from a lone 20mm to kill them. This is fine in 1v1 battles but leads to lots of assissts and getting picked in the MA furball culture. The 30mm is the most devistating gun n the game. A 1 second burst burps out 5-7 rounds, only one of which is required to down the vast majority of fighters. The 30mm is also great at de-acking a field. A tater or two in the dirt circle around a field gun will destroy it. No need to use hose it, or hit the gun itself like you have to do with .50 cal. You can take down 10 field guns with 65 rounds.
I avoid trying to saddle up planes in a 109 because the plane and 30mm are so good at setting up, and scoring victories on close range crossing shots. But The 109 can saddle most American planes and stay with them. Spits and other turny birds become a problem. From the six position, taters are best held until you know you're going to land them. chasing bandits around firing taters at them is not the best use of taters imo. This is often why people complain about not be able to land them. 109s turn OK, but it's tough to pull enough lead from the six position, in a tight turn fight to land a tater, because of poor ballistics. Use the two 12.7mm in these situation. You may get lucky enough with them to cause enough damage to get a victory, but what really happens is the sustained hits will usually cause the bandit to reverse, right into an easy gun solution for 1 second tater burst on the cross over. Boom.
So always have two triggers set up. One for the 12.7mm, and one for 30mm. Use each when appropriate.
As for drop tanks... The 109 is sluggish on 100% fuel, but it doesn't carry a lot of fuel. You will burn 25% on climbout going to a base 1 sector away. So if you think your going to run into bandits on the way, take a drop tank. I alway take a drop tank and 50%. The drop tank is big and provides a ton of range. But it's heavy and adds a lot of drag to the plane so expect climb to be cut to about 3K/min. Then when bandits show up, drop it and your light for fighting, with about 15-17 minutes of mil-wep power. A K4 can run WEP for >25% of it's fuel load. It may actually be closer to half. So there's no need to use it conservatively. If you run out of gas a 109 has great glide characteristics. Nose it down, feather the prop, and set angle-mode auto-pilot for a descent rate of 1k/min, and a 109 will glide at 150-200pmh. So from 7K, you can glide for 7 minutes at an average speed of 175mph. That's 17+ miles. I've landed many a dead stick 109 from a long way off.
Happy hunting.
