Bf 109 Floatplane

[GregP]

Here is an interesting shot:

If I saw shot this before, I suppose I didn't take notice of it. I knew they made the Bf 109T for the never-finished aircraft carrier, but was not really aware of a Bf 109 floatplane or where it might be used or why.

Maybe they couldn't resist the beaches in the Med. One thing is for certain, you surely weren't going to refuel a U-Boat with a Bf 109 or deliver much cargo with it, and I've never seen pics of one of these shot from a merchant ship catapult.

 

[fubar57]

I have over a hundred books and manuals on the 109 and I've never seen one on floats. I'm going to go through them again just to make sure I haven't missed it. It does look cool but it also looks like a model. I'll be back in a few days.



Geo

Me-109W

 

[Koopernic]

Here is an interesting shot:

View attachment 299098

If I saw shot this before, I suppose I didn't take notice of it. I knew they made the Bf 109T for the never-finished aircraft carrier, but was not really aware of a Bf 109 floatplane or where it might be used or why.

Maybe they couldn't resist the beaches in the Med. One thing is for certain, you surely weren't going to refuel a U-Boat with a Bf 109 or deliver much cargo with it, and I've never seen pics of one of these shot from a merchant ship catapult.

German capital ships often carried a Arado 196 float plane that was launched from a pneumatic catapult. A few Floatplane Me 109 might have been quite effective against Royal Navy carrier born aircraft such as the Swordfish and Fairy Fulmar. The early fleet air arm aircraft were inferior to land types due to a belief that they would not have contact with land based aircraft. The problem with float planes is the time needed to recover them and the Atlantic of course can have some nasty swells. The heavy seas tests of the Ar 196 were quite onerous. Monofloats didn't work well as they churned too much water spary into the engine.

German sea planes used for resupplying U-boats tended to used diesel engines as this meant they themselves could refuel from the Submarine (or less likely conversely).

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That picture is a model that was then photo shopped and edited to make it look old. That is why you have never seen it.

The website even says that it is a 1/72 scale model.

The model

This 1/72 model was produced using an old Matchbox Me-109 E-4. The floats come from a ARII Cessna 172 floatplane kit as does the extra tail fin. The trolley was scratchbuilt.

Honestly, I don't think that a Bf 109W float plane was ever built...

My understanding is that it was a hypothetical design that was never guilt and never flew.

 

[Airframes]

Never seen or heard of one, but if it did get built, I'll bet it handled like a bag of sh*te !!

 

[gjs238]

Perhaps they were meant to shoot down these...

 

[stona]

Never seen or heard of one, but if it did get built, I'll bet it handled like a bag of sh*te !!

It was never built but several Spitfire V and one Spitfire IX floatplanes were built and handled rather well by all accounts, so you never know.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Airframes]

Yes Steve, I'm aware of the Spitfire floatplanes. But an 'Emil', or any '109 come to that, with those bl**dy big floats, using that wing, and with the HP slats, I'm guessing would be a nightmare !
Of course, I could be wrong, and there's sure to be someone who would praise it to all comers, citing how it must be better than any allied type, and could out-climb, out-dive, out-turn, out-roll and out-accelerate anything it came up against, because it's a '109 ... and German !

 

[stona]

I'm sure there would be!
It's always surprised me that the floats on the Spitfire floatplanes, which are absolutely enormous, made so little difference to the performance of the aeroplane. There are certain characteristics of the Bf 109 that would make some manoeuvres, not least landing, quite interesting for a floatplane version.
Cheers
Steve

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes Steve, I'm aware of the Spitfire floatplanes. But an 'Emil', or any '109 come to that, with those bl**dy big floats, using that wing, and with the HP slats, I'm guessing would be a nightmare !
Of course, I could be wrong, and there's sure to be someone who would praise it to all comers, citing how it must be better than any allied type, and could out-climb, out-dive, out-turn, out-roll and out-accelerate anything it came up against, because it's a '109 ... and German !

Unfortunately I am sure you are correct on all of that.

 

[Capt. Vick]

I have some information at home from the IPMS seaplane SIG. If I can find I will post.

 

[fastmongrel]

I reckon it would out-dive anything.

10 seconds to 10 Fathoms

 

[GregP]

Well I had never seen it and when I rana cross it, it seemed like a good one to post in here.

After looking agin, I'll have to go along with the guys who think it is a model.

Ah well, maybe something new about WWII will surface some day.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Well I had never seen it and when I rana cross it, it seemed like a good one to post in here.

After looking agin, I'll have to go along with the guys who think it is a model.

Ah well, maybe something new about WWII will surface some day.

Not really much to think about.

The website that the picture originally came from states that it is a 1:72 model.

 

[GregP]

It was very late at night ... and I was about to shut down.

No excuse, pure and simple I overlooked the caption, but it DID look ... interesting to me.

If I found a pic of a floatplane P-51, I might post that one, too, but I'd probably read the caption this time ...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It was very late at night ... and I was about to shut down.

No excuse, pure and simple I overlooked the caption, but it DID look ... interesting to me.

If I found a pic of a floatplane P-51, I might post that one, too, but I'd probably read the caption this time ...

I am just messing with you man...

 

[GrauGeist]

Yes Steve, I'm aware of the Spitfire floatplanes. But an 'Emil', or any '109 come to that, with those bl**dy big floats, using that wing, and with the HP slats, I'm guessing would be a nightmare !
Of course, I could be wrong, and there's sure to be someone who would praise it to all comers, citing how it must be better than any allied type, and could out-climb, out-dive, out-turn, out-roll and out-accelerate anything it came up against, because it's a '109 ... and German !

Of course, Terry, because the Balkan cross has magical properties that could even make a loaf of bread out perform a P-51D...much like anything the RAF roundel is applied to, instantly delivers a performance penalty.

As far as the 109 floatplane, I believe there were a couple models posted in the "if it flies, it floats" thread: one being a dual float and the other a single. Interesting concept and there were actually plans drawn up (don't recall if it was for a single or dual float), but it was never built.

 

[wuzak]

and I was about to shut down.

Do you have a switch, or does it happen automatically when the battery is low?

 

[GregP]

It stops when I throw it at the wall ...

 

[Koopernic]

There is a lot of, I was going to say scepticism, but its a bit beyond that.

The Me 109 had nice handling characteristics apart from the potential for swings during take-off and landing. These were fixed with the introduction of a longer tail wheel yoke which meant that when in its 3 point attitude the rotating circulation no longer had the wing on the upward rotation closer to the stall angle.

If an Bf 109T (which had extended wings) for catapult launch could be built it could almost certainly be adapted to floats. The floats are big, assuming a 3000kg aircraft one would need say 3 times that in Litres volume (9000 Litres say 4500Litres per float) but the float, being a float, would be light and an almost ideal aerodynamic shape.

Uses for an Me 109W might be as an interceptor for defence of capital ships in lieu of the Arado Ar 196 spotter. It might have dealt with the Catalina that found the Bismarck for instance or an aircraft for use in lonely fjords that are used as harbours and need some immediate protection. They certainly can't deal with land based fighter planes but could drive of long range reconnaissance aircraft and some kinds of bombers.