Cockpit review of a real 109 G

[SCG_motoadve]

Video quality not awesome , but interesting review of the cockpit of a 109 G.

Developers have capture this small cockpit perfect in the sim, specially in VR.

Also look when he tries to turn around , how limited the visibility to the rear might have been.

 

 

[Archie]

I think that 109 is the one now at the RAF museum Hendon:
https://shortfinals.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/a-messerschmitt-too-far-bf109g-2-trop-royal-air-force-museum/

[Asgar]

it's pretty apparent that this guy has no knowledge about the 109 whatsoever. "wrestle the canopy in a bail out situation" there is no wrestling in a 109, it's not a shitty Spitfire, pull the emergency lever and the canopy get's blown of by an explosive charge, same on the 190. So it's much easier to open than a Spitfire would ever be in a bail out situation

[Tapi]

BTW: Bf 109 canopy jettison was designed by means of two springs under the third part of the canopy. Emergency lever on the left side released springs and the third part (the aft one) of the canopy was released. The main canopy cover was then removed by the force of the air. IMHO there were no explosive charges for canopy jettison in Bf 109. 

[ICDP]

Oooh, close Asgar but you are obviously no expert yourself.

 

I jest

 

The 109 has a canopy eject lever on the front bottom left of the cockpit frame. There were two very strong springs in the rear part of the canopy, pulling the canopy eject lever would cause the springs to release the rear section, whereupon the slipstream would rip the main canopy clean off.

 

As you say, there was no wrestling with the canopy during bail out, just pull the lever, which was much better than opening a sliding canopy as on a Spitfire.

 

EDIT: Tapi beat me to it

Edited March 5, 2018 by ICDP

[Dakpilot]

9 hours ago, 6./ZG26_Asgar said:

it's pretty apparent that this guy has no knowledge about the 109 whatsoever. "wrestle the canopy in a bail out situation" there is no wrestling in a 109, it's not a shitty Spitfire, pull the emergency lever and the canopy get's blown of by an explosive charge, same on the 190. So it's much easier to open than a Spitfire would ever be in a bail out situation

 

Although  believe it was much easier to close the canopy in flight on the shitty Spitfire than on the 109   

 

Cheers, Dakpilot

[Asgar]

8 hours ago, tapi said:

BTW: Bf 109 canopy jettison was designed by means of two springs under the third part of the canopy. Emergency lever on the left side released springs and the third part (the aft one) of the canopy was released. The main canopy cover was then removed by the force of the air. IMHO there were no explosive charges for canopy jettison in Bf 109. 

does it matter? the effect is the same. the 109 pilot lives while the Spitfire pilot plowes into the channel and his girlfriend on hawaii starts dating Josh Hartnett

[Ehret]

People were slightly smaller back then so it wasn't that cramped, but still hardly comfortable. Lack of an inflight settable rudder trim wasn't helping stamina either.

[Tapi]

2 minutes ago, 6./ZG26_Asgar said:

does it matter? the effect is the same. the 109 pilot lives while the Spitfire pilot plowes into the channel and his girlfriend on hawaii starts dating Josh Hartnett

I agree, no flame 

Just mentioned it to clarify the technology used...

Both solutions have its pros and cons. Takeoffs and landings with the canopy open saved many lives of Spit pilots and cost lives of Bf 109's pilots when a/c ended upside down (see many examples due to narrow undercarriage od Bf 109)... On the other hand, escape from hit plane was easier for Luftwaffe pilots...

[Asgar]

3 minutes ago, tapi said:

(see many examples due to narrow undercarriage od Bf 109 and Spitfire)... On the other hand, escape from hit plane was easier for Luftwaffe pilots...

Edited March 6, 2018 by 6./ZG26_Asgar

[Freycinet]

The main problem of the 109 wasn't that the undercarriage was narrow, but that it was angled outwards, unlike that of the Spit. With the undercarriage angled outwards, whenever one wheel left the ground (going over a bump) the other wheel would invariably turn sharply inwards, and the plane would cartwheel. That explains why fully half of 109's were lost in ground mishaps.

Edited March 6, 2018 by Freycinet

[Lensman]

That video clip is very old and crops up here quite often. I guess it's new to some people though.

[D3adCZE]

6 hours ago, Dakpilot said:

 

Although  believe it was much easier to close the canopy in flight on the shitty Spitfire than on the 109   

 

Cheers, Dakpilot

You dont have to close the canopy if you dont have the canopy.

[Dakpilot]

15 minutes ago, CSAF-D3adCZE said:

You dont have to close the canopy if you dont have the canopy

 

Which was rather my point....

The 109 canopy with not being able to be jammed has some advantage, it also has a big disadvantage in that it can't be opened and closed in flight, 

a rather useful function on many aircraft of the period 

 

Cheers, Dakpilot

[Stig]

4 hours ago, Freycinet said:

That explains why fully half of 109's were lost in ground mishaps.

 

I'd think it wouldn't be as many as half the number lost in ground mishaps. Many certainly were, and many more were probably damaged but repairable.

[Stig]

Flying in VR, I just noticed the 'casement' in the cockpit for the Mg151/20 that the first guy mentioned. 

 

I reached down to touch it... 

[HBPencil]

6 hours ago, Dakpilot said:

 

Which was rather my point....

The 109 canopy with not being able to be jammed has some advantage, it also has a big disadvantage in that it can't be opened and closed in flight, 

a rather useful function on many aircraft of the period 

 

Cheers, Dakpilot

Indeed.
Out of curiosity (and only slightly off topic ), does anyone know if there were plans to give the 109T a sliding hood if Germany's carrier programme had become operational? I ask as whenever there's a 'what if?' discussion about the carrier programme one of the first things I think of is the 109T's canopy (same as the standard land fighter), which would've been the end of many a naval pilot.

 

FWIW, the jettisonable canopy became standard on the Spitfire in November 1940.

[Brano]

Czechoslovak Avia S-199 had sliding canopy.

https://goo.gl/images/muTjJB

[HBPencil]

Interesting, thanks Brano.

[Finkeren]

I remember watching that exact program on Discovery Channel as a kid.

 

Perhaps it was even the very same broadcast that this recording is from, given that it’s obviously an old VHS recording from the 90s and the subtitles are in Danish?

[kestrel79]

Watched a lot of Wings on Discovery Channel growing up...now it's all reality TV.

 

Are there any museums where they let you do just like this in the video? Just sit in ww2 plane cockpits? I love doing that, sliding the canopy over your head it's a cool feeling. Wish more places let you do that.