Pretty cool article and video on the Bf109G4

[Paughco]

Found this one on the Internet. https://www.warhistoryonline.com/guest- ... tjUmpOD3zg. The story reads something like a '60s Road & Track article I once read about a '65 Plymouth Belvedere with one of the first 426 Hemi engines. Very visceral. There's also a pretty cool video at the end. Only bummer is that you have to skip past a bunch of ads, but IMHO it's worth it.

Seeya
ATB

[vtracy]

Hey, ATB, thank you for the link to this article!
Although I have not flown the Gustav in reality, I had quite some problems with the various models for P3D.
It is tru, when you push the throttle open too quickly, she will capsize. And yes, once she starts yawing from the straight line, you have to let her, or capsize. As soon as the tail goes up, it gets really dangerous. She absolutely wants to go left! You really have to „dance“ on the pedals to keep her stable, either by carefully braking, or - if your speed is up enough - by using the rudder. One movement too much... you capsize.
I have done it all had it all. Thank MS for the RESET button! But one feels shame, still...

The author is absolutely right inwhat he says about the very different characteristics of the planes.
The Spitfire is a work of art, lovingly designed by a designer who wanted to recreate the grace of a seagull in flight, and as lovingly put together by workpeople that are more manufactorers than workers in a factory. And they had to be skilled craftspeople.

Whereas Messerschmitt wanted ti design an aircraft that
- fit seamlessly around the DB engine;
- had the smallest, narrowest footprint possible for that engine;
- coult be put together by mostly unskilled labour as fast as possible and as cheaply as possible.
Out came an airplane that was built like a racecar, nothing for amateurs. All and every experienced pilot who flew them, loved their plane; and Germany had a large number of experienced pilots when WW II began; they could fly their Me 109 s to the limit. After all, the war was not meant to last long enough to require many replacement pilots! The British saw to it that the Blitzkrieg did not work over England. that came as a shock to the top brass (not the professionals). And all of a suuden, there was a need for additional pilots, as quickly as possible. Most of them were not skilled enough to handle the racing stallion that surrounded them, they died trying to master it, had their hands full just flying it in formation, let alone in combat. Only those who, by inbred skill, managed to get a feel for the machine, survived the first sorties.
It was definitely a crime to let young pilots into the cockpit of a 109G after just a few hours of stick time at all! After all, you do not let your son take your racing Ferrari ‚for a spin‘ after he has had just a few hours in a Volkwagen!

The same story happened again, when the Me 262 became available. It killed those who were not expert pilots but made those who knew how to fly that machine, feel like in heaven (Galland: „it is as if angels push you...“).

Both the Me 109 and the Spitfire are what keeps me flying my simulator in my basement (I have a very good HiFi system to produce the engine sound!).
Volker

[ClipperLuna]

That was a great article, thank you. The author really has a way with words, gave me the sense I feel like I know what flying the plane is like.

Did anyone notice the horse-drawn ground cart in one of the pictures? Interesting window into what operations were like on the German side. I thought I read somewhere the German army used horses extensively to pull equipment throughout the war (right?).