Interesting read and video on 109

[hazmatt]

Newly restored Messerschmitt Bf109G flies again: Test pilot shares his experience
By Rick Volker.


https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guest-bloggers/newly-restored-messerschmitt-bf109g-flies-test-pilot-shares-experience.html

https://youtu.be/hQpVpV2sUM8

I cut some parts out I found interesting. Full article in the link above.

The “Spit” is indeed much more than the sum of its parts, like the Bf109. But without any challenging traits, it is as German Aces have declared, an impossibly simple kiddie toy. It has no way of biting you. When the novice Spitfire pilot has applied too much brake on the ground, the tail comes up so slowly that they have time to wind their watch and tear up their pilot license before flipping the switches off to save their prop and reputation. This limits the Spitfire’s ceiling of respect. It has the soul of a kind being, reluctant but capable in the hunt. It places no more demands on a pilot than an ice cream cone.

The Bf109, in comparison, drains blood from all whom it touches. It makes no Messerschmitt Bf109G design compromise to coddle toddler pilots. It demands the very best performance from the very best pilots and charges the ultimate price for inattention. When the Bf109’s many idiosyncrasies were embraced and utilized by “Experten”, it forever became the Darth Vader of aviation. Those who have witnessed the aircraft’s soul experience the same eerie feeling prompted by lines in “The Terminator” motion picture: “ It can’t be reasoned with. It can’t be bargained with. It doesn’t feel pity of remorse or fear, and it absolutely will not stop. Ever. Until you are dead.”

...Despite this preparation, the Bf109 has at times required everything in my playbook all in one moment, to keep under control. I treat this aircraft as a priceless jewel, changing all parameters of use to limit risk. Never use hard runways. Never accept more than a 10 knot crosswind on grass. Never use runways with any obstructions anywhere in sight. Does this sound too restrictive? Running off the runway should involve embarrassment, not injury. The pilot must respect the constraints of a design that permitted the wingless fuselage to be rolled into a rail car.

Poor ground handling traits are only partly caused by the narrow wheel track. The extreme tipped outward angle of the wheels as they meet the ground is what instigates most excursions off of the runway. If any more weight is placed on one main wheel than the other, that wheel gets enough traction to turn the plane to the other side. Every bump, crosswind, and the rotational torque from any power change makes this craft carve a turn like a toy wheel rolled while leaning to one side. You are not given the immediate yaw in one place that other tail wheel airplanes experience unless you try to land on a hard runway. Watching a Bf109 take off on grass from behind sheds much light. Once the tail comes up, the aircraft yaws to the side by 10 degrees. Each tire struggles for dominance over the other. Grass is thrown out in little rooster tails. Imagine each wheel as a heavyweight boxer in a title fight, with you as the undersized referee, too weak to guarantee complete control. To stop a divergent arcing turn, there is at your disposal one tiny rudder optimized for high-speed flight and brakes that were designed to taxi on 1000m square fields.

The E model has a busy workload with manual oil cooler doors, manual radiator doors, manual propeller pitch and a stiff T handle for landing gear retraction that requires the same wrist movement as pulling a tooth. The G model has drastically reduced workload and effort. There are little push buttons for selecting landing gear, automatic oil cooler doors, automatic radiator flaps, and finally, automatic propeller pitch control that works. There is no need for a mixture control. The stick design is of perfect angle and length. There is no friction of any kind in the flight controls. The rudder pedals copy and contain the exact shape of the foot, so that in negative G flight, you are still in the game.

[pembquist]

So basically the Spit is better and the 109 suits a personality with a streak of nihilistic sado masochism.

[hazmatt]

I just found it funny that the author had to insult the spitfire so directly. Maybe he's a 109 fanboy?

[Vraciu]

So that’s how Germany won the war.   

[Chalenge]

Doublespeak.

[fd ski]

any aircraft in hands of an expert will make you tremble. Same is true in Aces High. TechWrek in FM2, AKElfy in F6F - both quite uninspiring birds, yet those guys...

still - in same vintage spit beats 109. end of story. And with equal pilots, even more so due to 109 "added hardness in usage". Did he mention room for stick movement in roll when his legs get in the way ?

[save]

The 109E4-E7 had automatic propeller pitch. The Brittish early Spitfires also had a manual approach to pretty much everything, both sides changed that during 1940.

[hazmatt]

Flying the Bf 109: Two experts give their reports (part 1 of 2)

By Mark Hanna and Eric Brown – Flight Journal, December 1999
MARK HANNA: The Bf 109 is, without a doubt, the most satisfying and challenging
aircraft I 11ve ever flown. So how does it fly and how does it compare with other WW II
fighters? To my eye, the aircraft looks dangerous, both to the enemy and to its own pilots.
Its "difficult" reputation is well-known, and right from the outset, you are aware that it
needs to be treated with a great deal of respect. When you talk to people about the 109,
all you hear is how you are going to wrap it up on takeoff or landing!
As you walk up to the 109, you are at first struck by its small size, particularly if it is
parked next to a contemporary American fighter. Closer examination reveals a crazy-
looking, knock-kneed undercarriage, a very heavily framed, sideways-opening canopy with
almost no forward view in the three-point attitude, a long rear fuselage and tiny tail
surfaces.
A walk around reveals ingenious split radiator flaps and ailerons with a lot of movement
and rather odd-- looking external mass balances. It also has independently operating
leading-edge slats. These devices should glide open and shut on the ground with the
pressure of a single finger. Other unusual features include the horizontal stabilizer that
doubles as the elevator trimmer and the complete absence of a rudder-trim system.
Overall, the finish is a strange mix of the innovative and archaic.
Entering the cockpit
To enter the cockpit, you climb on board and gently lower yourself downward and forward
while holding on to the windscreen. Once inside, you are almost lying down as you would
be if driving a racecar. The cockpit is narrow, and if you have broad shoulders (don't all
fighter pilots?), it is a tight squeeze. Once strapped in-itself a knuckle-rapping affair-you
can take stock.
First impressions are of its simplicity. From left to right, the co-located elevator-trim and
flap-trim wheels fall easily to hand. You need several turns to get the flaps fully down to
10 degrees, and the idea is that you can crank both together. In practice, this is a little
difficult, and I tend to operate them independently.
Coming forward, you see the tailwheel locking lever. This either allows the tailwheel to
caster or it locks it dead ahead. Next is the throttle quadrant, which consists of a huge
throttle handle and the manual propeller pitch control. Forward and down on the floor is
an enormous and very effective ki-gas primer with a T-shaped handle. Directly above this
and in line with the canopy seal is the red hood-jettison lever. Pulling this releases two
very strong springs in the rear part of the canopy and causes the rear section to come
loose and, therefore, the whole main part of the hood is unhinged and can be pushed
away into the airflow. Looking directly forward you see, clustered together, the standard
instrument panel with the vertical-select magnetos on the left, starter and booster coil
slightly right of center and engine instruments all grouped on the right-hand side. This
aircraft's instrumentation is all German apart from the altimeter.The center console under the main instrument panel consists of a 720 channel radio, VOR,
ADF and E2B compass. Just to the left of the center console, close to your left knee, is the
undercarriage up/down selector and the mechanical and electrical undercarriage position
indicator. On D-FEHD, this is a two-- button selector. Select the undercarriage up or down
position by lifting the guard and simply pushing the relevant button. Radiator flaps are
controlled by a four-position selector-"Zu," "Auf," "Auto" and "Ruhe" (rest).
The right side of the cockpit has the electrical switches, battery master, boost pumps,
pitot heat, and that's it! There is no rudder trim or rudder-pedal adjust; also, the seat can
be adjusted only during preflight and offers a choice of only three settings. If you are any
bigger than me (six feet tall), it all starts to get a bit confined. Once you are strapped in
and comfortable, close the canopy to check your seating position. If you haven't flown the
109 before, you usually get a clout on the head as you swing the heavy lid over and
down. Nobody sits that low in a fighter!
D-FEHD has a beautiful "Galland hood" that offers a much improved view compared with
the earlier, heavier-frame canopy.
Up,up and away, almost
I'm sitting as high as I can, and my head is touching the canopy. I am not wearing
goggles, as they scratch and catch the hood if they are up on your head. A large bone
dome is out of the question and, in my opinion, is a flight-safety hazard in this aircraft.
Hood positively locked-push up on it to check. Oil temperature is 50 degrees, coolant
temperature is greater than or at 70 degrees. Brakes ON (there is no parking brake), stick
back, and power gently up to 30 inches and 2,100rpm. Exercise the prop at least twice,
with the rpm falling back to 1,800 each time; keep an eye on the oil pressure. The noise
and vibration levels have now increased dramatically. Power back to 1,800rpm and check
the mags. Insignificant drop on each side. You must hurry, as the coolant temperature is
at 98 degrees C and going up; you have to get rolling to get some cooling air through the
radiators. Pre-takeoff checks: elevator trim set to +1 degree, no rudder trim, throttle
friction tight. This is vital, as you will need your left hand for various services immediately
after takeoff. Mixture is automatic, pitch to fine. Fuel cock is ON, both boost pumps are
ON, pressure is good, primer is locked. Flaps crank down to 20 degrees for takeoff.
Radiator flaps checked at full open; if you take off with them closed, you will certainly boil
the engine and are guaranteed to crack a head. Gyros set to Duxford's runway.
Instruments: temps and pressures all in the green for takeoff. Radiator is now 102
degrees. Oxygen, you don't have; hood rechecked down and locked; harness tight and
secure; hydraulics, no check. Controls full and free, tailwheel locked. Got to go-105
degrees. There's no time to hang around and worry about the takeoff. Here you go!
Airborne
Power gently up and keep it coming smoothly up to 40 inches. Keep the tail down initially,
and keep it straight by feel rather than any positive technique. Tail is coming up now, and
the rudder is becoming effective. Unconscious corrections to the rudder are happening all
the time. It's incredibly entertaining to watch the 109 lift off the ground; the rudder
literally flashes around!This little fighter is now bucketing along, accelerating rapidly. As the tail lifts, there is a
positive tendency to swing left. This can easily be checked; however, if you are really
aggressive in lifting the tail, the left swing tendency is difficult to stop and happens very
quickly. Now the tail is up, and you can vaguely see where you are going. It's a wild,
rough ride on grass, and with all the noise and the smoke from the stacks, it's exciting.
Quick glance at the airspeed indicator (ASI): 160km/h, a light pull-back on the stick, and
you're flying!
Hand off the throttle, select FLUG on the undercarriage selector. The mechanical
indicators motor up very quickly, and you feel and hear a "clonk, clonk" as the gear comes
home. A quick look out at the wings, and you can see that the slats-fully out-are starting
to creep in as the airspeed increases and the angle of attack reduces. With 230km/h and
an immediate climbing turn-up, you enter the downwind leg just in case you need to put
the airplane down in a hurry. The Old Flying Machine Company's SOP is always to fly an
orbit overhead of the field to allow everything to stabilize before venturing off-this has
saved at least one of our airplanes.
Start to frantically crank up the flaps and increase the airspeed through 250km/h; power
back to 33 inches and 2,300rpm for the climb. Plenty of airflow through the narrow
radiators now, so close them and remember to keep a watchful eye on the coolant gauge
for the next few minutes until the temperature has settled down. With the radiator flaps
closed, the aeroplane accelerates positively. As you climb, you're aware of holding in a
little right rudder to keep the ball in the middle, but the foot loads are light, and it's no
problem. Level off and power back to 30 inches and 2,100rpm. The speed has picked up
to the 109's cruise of about 400km/h, and now the ball is right in the middle, and no
rudder input is necessary.

[hazmatt]

(part 2 of 2)

Handling
Once settled down, with your adrenaline level back down to just plain high, you can take
stock of the situation. The initial reaction is of delight to be flying a classic airplane, and
the next is the realization that this is a real fighter. You feel aggressive flying it. The urge
is to go looking for something to bounce and shoot down!
The roll rate is very good and very positive below about 400 km/h, and the amount of
effort needed to produce the relevant nose movement seems exactly right. As the stall is
reached, the leading-edge slats deploy-together, if the ball is in the middle; slightly
asymmetrically, if you have any slip on. The aircraft delights in being pulled into hard
manoeuvring turns at these slower speeds. As the slats pop out, you feel a slight
"notching" on the stick, and you can pull more until the whole airframe is buffeting quite
hard. A little more and you will drop a wing, but you have to be crass to do it
unintentionally.
Pitch tends to be heavy above 400km/h, but it is still easy to manage up to 500km/h, and
the aircraft is perfectly happy carrying out low-level looping manoeuvres from 550km/h
and below. Above 550km/h, one peculiarity is a slight nose-down trim change as you
accelerate. This means that when you run in for an airshow above 500km/h, the airplane
has a slight tucking sensation-a sort of desire to get down to ground level. This is easily
held on the stick, or it can be trimmed out, but it is slightly surprising initially.When you maneuver above 500km/h, two hands are required for a more aggressive
performance. Either that or get on the trimmer to help. Despite this heavying up, it is still
quite easy to get 5G at these speeds.
The rudder is effective and of medium feel up to 500km/h. It becomes heavier above this
speed, but regardless, the lack of rudder trim is not a problem for the type of operations
we carry out with this airplane.
Initial acceleration is rapid up to about 560km/h-particularly with nose down. After that,
the 109 starts to become a little reluctant, and you have to be fairly determined to get
over 600 km/h.
Contemporary comparisons
First, let me say that all my comments are based on operations below 10,000 feet and at
power settings not exceeding 40 inches and 2,600rpm. I like the airplane, and with
familiarity, I think it will give most of the Allied fighters I have flown a hard time-
particularly in a close, hard-turning, low-speed dogfight. It will definitely out-maneuver a
P-51 in this type of fight because the roll rate and slow-speed characteristics are much
better. The Spitfire, on the other hand, is more of a problem for the 109, and I feel it is a
superior close-in fighter. Having said that, the aircraft are sufficiently closely matched that
pilot ability would probably be the deciding factor.
At higher speeds, the P-51 is definitely superior, and provided the Mustang kept its energy
up and refused to dogfight, it would be relatively safe against the 109.
Other factors affecting the 109 as a combat aircraft include the cramped cockpit. Although
the view out (in flight) is better than you might expect, this is quite a tiring working
environment. The profusion of canopy struts is not a problem. In addition, the small
cockpit makes you feel more a part of the airplane, and the overall smaller dimensions
make you more difficult to spot. There's no doubt that when you are flying the 109 and
you see the crosses on the wings, you feel aggressive. If you are in an Allied fighter, it is
very intimidating to see this dangerous little airplane turning in on you!
Landing
Returning to the circuit, it is almost essential to join for a run and break. Over the field,
break from SO feet, up and over with 4G onto the downwind leg. Speed at 250km/h or
less, gear select to DOWN and activate the button and feel the gear come down
asymmetrically. Check the mechanical indicators (ignore the electric position indicators),
set the pitch to 11:30; fuel, both boost pumps ON. If you have less than half a tank of fuel
and the rear pump is not on, the engine may stop in the three-- point attitude.
Radiator flaps to full open, and wing flaps to 10 or 15 degrees. As the wing passes the
threshold downwind, take all the power off and roll into the final turn, cranking the flap
like mad as you go. It is important to set up a high rate of descent and a curved
approach.
The aircraft is reluctant to lose speed around finals, so ideally, you should initiate the turn
quite slowly at about 190 to 200km/h. Slats normally deploy halfway around the final, but
you, the pilot, are not aware that they have come out. The idea is to keep turning with the
speed slowly bleeding and roll the wings level at about 10 feet at the right speed and juststarting to transition to the three-- point attitude. The last speed I usually see is just about
180; I'm normally too busy after that!
The 109 is one of the most controllable aircraft that I have flown at slow speed around
finals, and provided you don't get too slow, it is one of the easiest to three point. It just
feels right. The only problem is getting too slow. If this happens, you very quickly end up
with a high sink rate and with absolutely no ability to check or flare to round out. It
literally falls out of your hands!
Once down on three points, it tends to stay down, but be careful; the forward view has
gone to hell, and you cannot allow any swing to develop. Initial detection is more difficult-
- the aircraft being completely unpredictable-and can diverge in any direction. Sometimes
the most immaculate three-pointer will turn into a potential disaster halfway through the
landing roll. Other times, a ropy landing will roll straight as an arrow!
FLYING THE Bf 109
When we started flying the 109, both my father and I did a lot of practice circuits on the
grass before we tried a paved strip. Operating off grass is preferred. Although it is a much
smoother ride on the hard surface-directionally-- the aircraft is definitely more sensitive.
Without doubt, you cannot afford to relax until you are stationary. You would never make
a rolling exit from a runway in the 109.
To summarize, I like the airplane very much, and I can understand why many Luftwaffe
aces had such a high regard and preference for it. Hans Dittes has completed a fantastic
restoration and should be complimented on returning "Black 2" to the air.
Copyright Air Age Publishing, Dec 1999