Reading the BF 109 post just below this one inspired me to post this on here for reference (and by my request from a squadie)
613th Keiler for this write up as he is our "German ace" it has helped me out in the long run with abit of practice and determination. Everybody flys different all 109 tactics/advice is welcome hope this inspires future 109 pilots
Inspired by the request of vtek to write an article about the mid-war 109s, it might be interesting to learn the stunts you know with other planes!
Here I go.
How I fly the 109G-2/G-6 (August 2008, 613Keilr)
First off, I am by no means an expert, but that somebody (that's you vtek ) feels that I might know a few things that
could be useful to have fun in this plane... I feel honored!
1 Overview
The 109 is a very small airplane with a very sturdy superstructure, which allows for pretty hefty maneuvering. On the
other hand its tolerance against battle damage is mediocre, at best. Usually a well placed, somewhat concentrated burst of
about anything will damage something important or kill your plane right away, which is a drawback of having a small plane.
The good thing of that is, the 109 is really small and slippery, making it a lot more difficult to hit than, lets say a
garbage truck, compared by size, like the Jug. I know I will hang high for that remark .Armament is sufficient, but
uncommonly arranged and has rather a low ammo count.
2 Armament
Unlike the British or most US fighter planes, the guns are concentrated in the nose. Two Mg's on the cowl, one cannon
firing through the hub. It takes a bit time to get used to this setup. While hitting is more difficult at first, due to
the config usually even a short burst, mostly thanks to the single 20mm, will produce severe damage. The difference
between the G2 and G6 is the calibre of the cowl guns. The G6 has 13mm (that's .50 cal) which are enough on their own to
kill a fighter plane with a single, solid burst at short range since they are very close together. The G2 only has 7.92mm,
which is much like the US .30 cal. Firework BBs, still they DO damage, and it might be the notch you'd need to deliver
lethal damage. So always fire ALL the guns at once. G2 and G6 alike.
Always try to get closer than D400, I prefer D200-300 yds before I even open fire. Damage dealt is a lot higher, and since
you dont carry a lot of ammo anyway, this bird will teach you trigger discipline!
If you go on a fightersweep, leave the gondolas in the hangar. The stuff you have in the nose is enough to bring down any
fighter. So unless you have to deal with bombers or IL2s which might prove difficult, dont take the gondies. They make you
heavy, thus reduce climb, speed and rollrate.
Set the convergence of the three main guns to D400. You will hit bullseye between 0-500 without having to think if the
bullets fall or not. Trust me, they will hit an plane-sized target spot on (if you do your part). Gondola convergence is a
matter of preference, you gotta try for your self what floats your boat.
3 Flying
The 109 has some nasty habits, but also a lot of good ones. Thankfully most of the bad ones can be used to your advantage!
Torque is one of these. While it makes takeoffs and landings more demanding, it can be used to roll quicker. If you roll
to the left, throttle up, roll to the right, throttle back as long as you roll. Always use same direction rudder input
when you roll. I.e. roll left, throttle up, aileron left, rudder left.
the 109 has a certain flight envelope where it feels good. that is mostly between 320 and 230ish MPH. Within this range
you can pull the best stunts, for example controlled stalls, or just hanging on the prop with raw horsepower.
Speaking of which, you have enough power to complete a loop, starting horizontal flying, while going slower than 200 MPH
initially. Flaps are your friends and are VERY authoritative, just like the rudder. When your speed drops below 200 and you plan to
turn, drop your flaps out 2 notches. If you plan to go slower than 150, drop one or more notches additionally. You can
make the 109 kind of a soaring plane, thanks to its engine and light weight.
The 109 has a very gentle stall character, and recovers usually itself as soon as you regain speed. It tends to drop a
wing when encountering a stall, but its nothing compared to what happens if you overdo it when flying spits. You usually
dont enter a stall in a spit because you already turn on a dime, but if you do, and are on the deck, you're lost. Not so
with the 109. The 109 is not a plane you want to dive fast with. Exceeding 450ish speeds can cause a lot of troubles, controls stiffen,
and might come to a point where you cannot pull out of a dive if you go faster. Trim up then! The vertical trim tabs are
what saves your life here.
Braking the plane mid air is done jamming the rudder to one side, counter with ailerons, and cutting the engine. You the
alternate the side. You start with one side, e.g. right. You'd jam the rudder right, and give slight aileron to the left
to counter rotation. After about 3 or 4 seconds you revers directions of both rudder and aileron. Takes a tiny bit of
practise, but this will make your plane slow down within the blink of an eye.
3.1 Controlled Stalls
The most important maneuver to know and use without thinking about it when fighting, is the snap roll. It is used to throw
your plane around the roll axis, and that faster than a 190 could. If you are within your favored flight envelope, that
is! It is done simply by pulling back on the stick, and jamming the rudder to the side you want to roll. Half a second is
sually enough to throw your plane 90°. Inertia will usually add a few more degrees by itself. A few minutes of practise
will teach this 109 Jedi maneuver, and you will know how long to pull to do 90° or 180, or even a full roll. what
physically happens is that you produce a stall on the wing you jam your rudder to. You willingly disturb its stable
airflow. The opposite wing still produces lift though, and this momentum will turn over the 109 violently. It works on
other planes as well, some few equally well, mostly though it just works somehow, but doesn't do anything spectacular (no
AHAAAAA! effect). You might just as well do a normal rudder assisted aileron roll instead.
4 Fighting
The 109 likes it best to fight in the vertical. Though it can turn pretty good, it cannot turn as tight as a spit could at
most speeds. Unless you dare to fight slower than 130 or even slower, where you come to a breakeven point. The one who
resists making the first mistake, wins. But you shouldn't let it come down to that. Usually you can bleed the enemy plane's
energy away when resisting the urge to play flat turn games with him. When you follow him through a turn, use a high yo-yo.
Or try to loop. In most cases, after a series of 2 or 3 loops you have the enemy AC in a state where he gasps for air. You
can use this to either escape, since the 109 accelerates very good, or to setup an attack.
Vertical fighting has to be seperated into two regimes, though. 109s dont zoom climb good enough to make a difference
(except for the G14 or K4) mostly. So if you are co-alt, co-speed with, say a Pony, dont try it, you'll get ripped a new
one! What the 109s shine in, is raw horsepower, hang-on-the-prop-style climbing. To say it technically, to achive a force
equilibrium which results in a steeper climbing angle than your enemies'. Boiled down, doing a constant speed, wide radius
spiral climb near the edge of a stall, while your opponent tries the same, will make him lose speed, while you continue to
climb. At some point he will begin to fall. That's the time you roll the nose over towards him, extend a notch or two of flaps
(remember, those things kick your plane around!) to help getting your nose on target, and pick the sitting duck out of the
sky. If he didn't commit to your rope, well good, then you just gained the altitude advantage over him, and regained initiative.
5 Conclusion
Pros:
-good speed
-excellent climb
-good config of weapons
-good turning
-very good acceleration
-gentle stall characteristic and recoverability
cons:
-damage tolerance
-visibility from cockpit
-difficult to hit with, if not practised
-amount of ammunition
-controll ability at high speeds
I hope this helps a bit! Its just a condensation of my experiences with this plane in AH2.
<S> and all my best,
Matt / 613Keilr
