Interesting interview FW 190 D9 pilot Erich Brunotte

[Quax]

  

 

 

Flyingheritage does have an interview with my friend Erich online. Some may remember the interview with him, I uploaded some time ago on this forum.

 

They have an english transcription running along the video. Together with some episodes he talks about the 109, 190 and D9. He did as well fly 

 

out of Stalingrad at the controls of a JU52.

 

 

http://video.flyingheritage.com/v/116079427/feldwebel-erich-brunotte.htm

[Retnek]

Can't believe this man is 91, had to grin all the time. His beautiful slang ("Pott" - special multi-cultural mixture of the Ruhr-area), what a luck there's this record. Here's a special about the Fw-190 D-9 with him:

 

Edited May 7, 2017 by 216th_Retnek

[9./JG27DavidRed]

i have 4 more unreleased videos of him translated on my harddrive....ED has them for a couple of months now already, and if they dont release them soon, i guess i will just upload them to youtube and post them here as well..

 

Please remember that any document which is under copyright will be deleted from this forums. No copyright breaking, sorry.

Edited May 8, 2017 by SYN_Haashashin

[ITAF_Rani]

Edited October 23, 2020 by LukeFF

[Nibbio]

Thx for the link, very interesting guy. He's surprisingly youthful for his 90+ years!

 

I find that sitting him with a ridiculous joystick in front of a monitor and asking him how the simulation compares to his very real and roaring Dora "beast" of 70 years ago is just hilarious... what we play are just games, and maybe we don't realize that the most trivial things those guys did in their airplanes every day would scare us shitless.

 

Also asking him about the technicalities is also a bit naive. What could he remember after 70 years? Heck I don't even remember if the BMW bike I owned for almost 20 years had an RPM gauge, let alone what was the RPM reading in 5th gear at 120 kmph...

Edited November 22, 2017 by Nibbio

[Asgar]

http://video.flyingheritage.com/v/116079427/feldwebel-erich-brunotte.htm

Here is another interview with Erich Brunotte. (don't forget to enable subtitles or learn German  )

[Nibbio]

1 hour and 47 minutes... I'm gonna be semi-proficient in German by the time I watch the whole thing

Thx for the link!

[Bucket109]

He said his combat speed was 630kph And top was 750? Didn't think there where that fast.

[VesseL]

Thx for the link, very interesting guy. He's surprisingly youthful for his 90+ years!

 

I find that sitting him with a ridiculous joystick in front of a monitor and asking him how the simulation compares to his very real and roaring Dora "beast" of 70 years ago is just hilarious... what we play are just games, and maybe we don't realize that the most trivial things those guys did in their airplanes every day would scare us shitless.

 

Also asking him about the technicalities is also a bit naive. What could he remember after 70 years? Heck I don't even remember if the BMW bike I owned for almost 20 years had an RPM gauge, let alone what was the RPM reading in 5th gear at 120 kmph...

 You probably dont remember cause your life didnt depend on it. And you probably have never discussed about it. And you probably didnt have any education about it. And you probably dont believe what those same aces did tell when they were young. Cause its the truth here, that anecdotal evidence is worthless. Cause they were and are so biased, or they dont know or they just lie. Luckily the devs know. So now we know too how it was thru this great simulation. And thats why we know better than those real pilots.

[Nibbio]

You probably dont remember cause your life didnt depend on it. And you probably have never discussed about it. And you probably didnt have any education about it. And you probably dont believe what those same aces did tell when they were young. Cause its the truth here, that anecdotal evidence is worthless. Cause they were and are so biased, or they dont know or they just lie. Luckily the devs know. So now we know too how it was thru this great simulation. And thats why we know better than those real pilots.

The point I was trying to make (and failed miserably I guess) is that if I had the privilege to speak to a 90 plus yo vet, my questions would not be at all about the quality of a sim or the readings on a gauge. Mr. Brunotte did manage however to provide some very interesting insights in between silly questions

I'm looking forward to checking the longer interview as soon as I have the time. Now back to chopping wood...

[Field-Ops]

I think the questions over the technical aspects could have been better asked about if VR or trackIR was part of the hardware he could use. But overall I agree that asking technical questions wasnt really the right approach. Asking about quirks or nuances with the operation of the aircraft would have been a bit more meaningful. The use of rudder during takeoff and the characteristics of flight during landing were better touched on than gauge readings. Because at the end of the day most people get used to the operations of vehicles they drive and attribute their experiences to "feelings" rather than what the RPM and MFP gauges were reading. Especially when that operation was done automatically by a system.

[VesseL]

Feelings or technical things, what does it matter? Can someone point one thing where anecdotal evidence, or veterans feelings or stories has been important or made any difference in the game? Sure its entertaining, but not meant to take seriously it seems.

[sevenless]

Very interesting interview in german - english subtitles

 

http://video.flyingheritage.com/v/116079427/feldwebel-erich-brunotte.htm

[Bremspropeller]

On 5/7/2017 at 8:48 PM, 216th_Retnek said:

Can't believe this man is 91, had to grin all the time. His beautiful slang ("Pott" - special multi-cultural mixture of the Ruhr-area), what a luck there's this record. Here's a special about the Fw-190 D-9 with him:

 

One nice detail is the Hanhart single-pusher chronograph he is wearing, which is either a replica or the originally issued Luftwaffe pilot's watch.

Tutima (then called UROFA) and Hanhart were the two original contractors.

Both had asymmetric twin pushers - Hanhart had the upper pusher, Tutima had the lower pusher asymmetric to the crown and the other pusher (you'll see it when you google for pictures). There was also a single-pusher design.

You can buy Hanhart and Tutima watches with similar features today - Hanhart offers the original asymmetric pusher design and even the single-pusher design.

Tutima has replaced it's line some time ago, but you might be lucky on ebay. They're reasonably priced for mechanical watches.

An original Hanhart or UROFA will put you back roughly 6000-9000€.

/Trivia

 

 

Another detail that the subtitles haven't caught is that he seems to have been a crop-duster after the war. Can anybody confirm this?

He probably has tons of stories to share.

[LukeFF]

7 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

One nice detail is the Hanhart single-pusher chronograph he is wearing, which is either a replica or the originally issued Luftwaffe pilot's watch.

 

That's an original Hanhart. In some other place, he talks about wearing it while swimming in the postwar era, until his family cautioned him against doing that.

 

Wish I could own a Hanhart, but I'll settle for my replica Laco I received from my parents back in 2005 for making it safely home from Iraq. 

Edited October 5, 2018 by LukeFF

[6FG_Big_Al]

Good morning,

I found by fluke an interview with a former Luftwaffe pilot Erich Brunotte. In this interview he said among other things that the D9 was able to stand at full throttle. I have now tested it several times and with 100% throttle and full brakes, it breaks loose here.
To be honest, I don't know how far it was or is convertible. In the link is the relevant point  already set. Furthermore he describes a few minutes (at 25:49 min) before a situation in where he needed the full wheel brakes. I wasn't sure that the right forum was here. But I think that it fits best.

 

have a nice day!

 

 

Edited March 20, 2019 by KG_S_Big_Al_the_Allo

[ScotsmanFlyingscotsman]

Very interesting, and not to disagree, I notice Eric 'Winkle' Brown almost always commented in his articles that the brakes on German aircraft were poor. I cannot for the life of me think why that was 'generally' the case, all the excellent engineering and then your hard pressed to stop it. I could see that it could hold the brakes from start, but no idea why the either wore down quickly or the system was just not that strong from high speed. I'll have to have a try myself,thanks for posting

[E69_geramos109]

I Dont Know if is the dora the plane he is talking about. He talk in general I think and most of his flight were on the 109s. Anyway I tested on both planes and I posted a shoter and more clear video about the Isue on this post

 

[6FG_Big_Al]

Well, in the specially described situation, it was about a flight on the D9 (unless he remembered it wrong). Of course, that's just his story.  Unfortunately, I haven't found any further confirmation yet. But yes the statement allows the conclusion that the brakes have to hold the full power.
But since it was described only in this interview, about the D9, I hold myself back with further assumptions, until I found other sources to it.  

 

[[DBS]TH0R]

It was discussed in this thread already. The difference is brake fade during take or landing run, vs. taxiing:

 

 

[E69_geramos109]

1 hour ago, [DBS]TH0R said:

It was discussed in this thread already. The difference is brake fade during take or landing run, vs. taxiing:

 

 

On my test the brakes were not fade. I set up the plane on the runaway on the quick mission and on the best conditions for brakes without previous taxi the brakes did not hold 

[MACADEMIC]

Hi all,

 

my friend Erich Brunotte asked me to set up a Youtube channel for him where he can share pictures and videos with people interested in him and his experiences.

 

I'm happy to announce it here for you: https://youtu.be/vPznf3SolNQ

 

The first video is a photo compilation of activities and friends taken since 2014, including from:

 

- Revisiting Dora 9 2014

- Flying Legends 2014

- Flying Legends 2019

- Switzerland visit 2019

- Messerschmitt Museum at Airbus in Manching/Bavaria 2019

- Spitfire flight at Heritage Hangar Biggin Hill 2019

- Messerschmitt flight at Hangar 10 Fly In at Heringsdorf 2019

 

For those interested in aviation history there's a little surprise at the end of the slideshow.

 

Erich is happy to receive questions (in English or German) from viewers in the commentary section of his Youtube channel, as he expressed in his short letter in the video's description. I'll collect those questions and pass on to him, hopefully we'll find a fitting format for distributing his answers. I'll do so as my time permits, may I ask for a little patience in advance.

 

Please note that while I'm helping Erich with the channel, it's ultimately his and decisions regarding the channel and content are his and not mine.

 

One more thing. Erich regularly receives postal letters or packages at his home address from people asking for pictures, signatures or information. He'll only answer those that include appropriately stamped and addressed return envelopes, and which cover his costs (if any). It may also take some time. For questions the Youtube channel is much better.

 

Hopefully you'll get to enjoy the opportunity to be in touch with one of the few remaining Luftwaffe fighter pilots through his channel.

 

See you there!

 

MAC

[Bremspropeller]

MAC,

 

first of all thanks a lot for uploading that Channel!

 

Concerning the log-book pages, I noticed that the latest Übertrag showed a total flight time of 217h 28min. With his last flight on 2 May he'd have a total flight time of roundabout 230h.

The notes on dogfights as wingman of Ofw Marquardt are also interesting.

 

Do you know what the red-marked entries are denoting? The red triangle + the numbers in the Flugzeugführer ("Rottenflieger") box? What are the numbers in pencil?

A friend of mine knows Erich reasonably well. Hopefully I can meet him some time, too.

[MACADEMIC]

Hi Bremspropeller,

Would be interesting to know who your friend is, perhaps I know him too. Feel free to PM me if you like.

Regarding your question, it's a good one and I don't know the answer. Kindly re-post it in the commentary section on Youtube and I'll pass on to Erich!

Thanks,

MAC

 

 

[sevenless]

Thanks for that. I recommend to everyone to view/listen to his interview from 2014. Very impressive!

 

http://video.flyingheritage.com/v/116079427/feldwebel-erich-brunotte.htm

[6FG_Big_Al]

I saw some of his interviews. I'm really glad that he is still so healthy and it would be really nice to meet him personally I'm looking forward to future videos!

[MACADEMIC]

Hi all,

come join Erich on a flight in the Bücker Bü131 Jungmann at age 96!

Enjoy,

MAC

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2020 by MACADEMIC

[ZachariasX]

He doesn't put on the glasses. These old hares...

[MACADEMIC]

2 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

He doesn't put on the glasses. These old hares...

 

Yes, that's something peculiar about Erich. He told me he also didn't use goggles in his flying school days in 1943 after convincing the doctor there he wouldn't need them.  

[ZachariasX]

58 minutes ago, MACADEMIC said:

 

Yes, that's something peculiar about Erich. He told me he also didn't use goggles in his flying school days in 1943 after convincing the doctor there he wouldn't need them.  

I mean he's sitting pretty low, (I guess) too low to actually fly the aircraft safely throughout a whole flight. But still, in his place, without goggles it would take me 5 minutes and I'd be blind as a mole.

[MACADEMIC]

5 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

I mean he's sitting pretty low, (I guess) too low to actually fly the aircraft safely throughout a whole flight. But still, in his place, without goggles it would take me 5 minutes and I'd be blind as a mole.

Low yes, he's not the tallest, but too low? I don't share that impression. Anyway that's how he used to fly it, googles off, also the one-seater Jungmeister. Don't know how he could do it. Must have some special eyes like those birds of prey do

[ZachariasX]

2 hours ago, MACADEMIC said:

Low yes, he's not the tallest, but too low?

I‘ve flown in that aircraft type a couple of times now and I can tell you that he has a good position for a passenger so that the pilot behind has a better view. It‘s still ok to just look outside, but to fly yourself you want to be able to see over the nose. You can see the dash being higher than his eye level. As a pilot you don‘t really want to give the guy in front too many pillows to sit on. Being so low at least keeps you out of the slipstream, with heater on it can be somewhat cosier in the front seat than in the backseat. But above 3500 ft, if its not a warm summer... ugh...

 

In either case, that crate is a joy to fly.

[MACADEMIC]

22 hours ago, ZachariasX said:

I‘ve flown in that aircraft type a couple of times now

 

Cool, where are you based? In case you're in Germany or near, fancy going on a flight with Erich? Trying to organize something for him, flying in the front seat of a Jungmann would be practically risk free in terms of a corona infection.

[JG7_X-Man]

What I think is most interesting other than is his comparison of the handlining differences of the  Fw 190 and Me 109.Was the story about Heinz "Negus" Marquardt (Thanks @Bremspropeller) landing in a field behind his parents house with Erich after a mission. 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2020 by JG7_X-Man

[Bremspropeller]

A different Heinz - Heinz Marquardt:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Marquardt

[Eisenfaustus]

Doesn't seem to be any part 2...

 

A pitty