Bf 109 Structure

[ElAurens]

Originally Posted by pupo162

small? it looks huge compared to my iamgination....

i rmemeber the first time i saw a Tank. it was a sherman in london. i was surprised how big it was. i cant imagine how big i tiger could possibly be.

I have stood next to a flyable Emil.

It is tiny by any standard, shockingly so. A Spitfire looks big next to it, and a Spit looks small compared to say a P40 or P51.

[JG52Uther]

Yes, the 109 is a tiny aircraft. IIRC that was a design decision, to make it harder to hit.

[pupo162]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

I have stood next to a flyable Emil.

It is tiny by any standard, shockingly so. A Spitfire looks big next to it, and a Spit looks small compared to say a P40 or P51.

i havent stand next a 109 or a spittie yet. but next to a set of spit wings i have, and they were huuuuge.

cnat wait till i go back to england or germany so i can stnad next to beasts.

[JG52Uther]

RAF museum in Hendon, London has an Emil and a G model you can get close to if you get the chance Pupo.Well worth a visit!

[bongodriver]

Originally Posted by pupo162

i havent stand next a 109 or a spittie yet. but next to a set of spit wings i have, and they were huuuuge.

cnat wait till i go back to england or germany so i can stnad next to beasts.

I have sat in a few spits....not so huge inside, the hurri 'is' huge and the Mustang isn't exactly small, but the 109 is very diminutive....until it's in the air and you can hear the growl you don't get the warbird vibe.

[JG52Uther]

Black 6 currently resides in the RAF museum at Hendon:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUcENor7X_0

[Osprey]

Originally Posted by ElAurens

I have stood next to a flyable Emil.

It is tiny by any standard, shockingly so. A Spitfire looks big next to it, and a Spit looks small compared to say a P40 or P51.

I don't think so tbh. A 109 is smaller but not by such a difference, and the 40 is a bit bigger than the 51. Put a Spitfire against a P-47 though...... The Jug is a monster!

[Richie]

Every time I looked a picture inside a 109 fuselage or one in any sate of disassemblage I couldn't figure out how it was put out in the grapevine that they were all put together with spit and bailing wire and would fall apart after a few hours. Churchill I think. But for years and years up until I was in my late teens I thought it was the truth. I kind of figured it out that it was just necessary moral boosting propoganda when I got into books about 109s and Spitfires also.

[Richie]

Originally Posted by Richie

Every time I looked a picture inside a 109 fuselage or one in any sate of disassemblage I couldn't figure out how it was put out in the grapevine that they were all put together with spit and bailing wire and would fall apart after a few hours. Churchill I think. But for years and years up until I was in my late teens I thought it was the truth. I kind of figured it out that it was just necessary moral boosting propoganda when I got into books about 109s and Spitfires also.

I saw this program when it aired on Equinox in Canada in the early 90s. It changed my mind forever. Hard to see out of tricky on the ground but I don't think it's going to fall apart after a few hours. Plus this guy has no idea how the canopy works in a bail out. One of the best systems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eXXC...ature=youtu.be

[ElAurens]

The same situation exists to this day for the Mitsubishi A6M series.

Most people, and especially virtual pilots of the USN persuasion, continue to propagate the myth that the Zero was poorly built. They were actually well built, and had a lot of hand craftsmanship in the airframe.

Their fragility was by design, as it was the only way that the designers could meet the seemingly contradictory specifications laid down by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

That is, 1500 mile range, extreme maneuverability, high rate of climb, cannon armament, and ease of maintenance on board ship, oh, and you only have 1000bhp to work with.

IMHO, the Zero, Spitfire, Bf 109, and P51 were the four most brilliant designs for fighters that came out of WW2.

Each one exceeded the expectations of their respective militarys, and all went on to become legends.