Bf-109 landing gear dimensions

[Larrythepilot]

Our museum has an entire left-main landing gear leg for Bf-109, and the upper half of the right gear leg. We also have one original wheel and tire. We want to display these parts as they looked when they were in use, as they looked if you were standing in front of the airplane and looking straight at it. In order to build a fixture to hold the legs in the proper position, we need to know 2 things:
1. How far apart were the gear legs at the top, where they entered the fuselage, and
2. What is the angle of the gear leg away from vertical?

Can anyone please help us with that information? Thanks.

 

[don4331]

I can tell you that the contact point of the tire centerlines is 1.975m +/- 40mm, And the gear top needs to be between 0.860 and 1.110m (wing root faring measurements), but I haven't found the centerline of the pivot points yet. (I think it should be very close to the 0.860m, but I don't want to guess for a museum..)

 

[Snautzer01]

What type of 109?

 

[Snautzer01]

 

[Engineman]

Hi Larry,
Well done in being committed to making a good display of these parts! The difficulty is partly that the Bf 109 U/C parts did change over the years, and there are also later Swiss Pilatus versions and Hispano.
I enclose parts list illustrations and numbers for your info. These are a 109F illustration of the fuselage mounted "D" frame, and the early 109G leg and top housing.
You probably know that the basic "leg" fits closely into the big steel top housing, and the assy then is hinge-mounted by a steel bolt into the frame.
You might get detailed help from specialists in Germany, like the Messerschmitt Foundation at Airbus Manching, or Herr Hartmier and others. However, this is detailed structural knowledge and the detail is complex.
Hope these help, the basic 109G is not too tricky, but knowing what you have is the difficult bit.

Eng

 

[Crimea_River]

DELETED

 

[Snautzer01]

W waroff always surprises with drawings and rare info.

Uhmmm i think you mean our google plus. Wurger

 

[Crimea_River]

Uhmmm i think you mean our google plus. Wurger

No I didn't. I actually meant woodhaven

 

[Wurger]

Our museum has an entire left-main landing gear leg for Bf-109, and the upper half of the right gear leg. We also have one original wheel and tire. We want to display these parts as they looked when they were in use, as they looked if you were standing in front of the airplane and looking straight at it. In order to build a fixture to hold the legs in the proper position, we need to know 2 things:
1. How far apart were the gear legs at the top, where they entered the fuselage, and
2. What is the angle of the gear leg away from vertical?

Can anyone please help us with that information? Thanks.

Ad. 1 ... the mount seems to be same for all Bf 109 variants.

the source: the net.

 

[don4331]

To be great rule, there needs to be couple exceptions: Bf.109H (wider) and Bf.109Z (narrower). All the rest seem to be same.

 

[Engineman]

There are many similarities, but also many differences. 109 E was mostly different parts, 109 F changed almost all components, some carried over to early 109 G. Later, many changes with stronger U/C. Possibly different main fittings but the partslists are rare/non existant.

Eng

 

[Wurger]

A couple of drawimng that may come in handy ...

the source: the net.

 

[Crimea_River]

I have access to a Buchon to measure the spacing but there's a great big bloody bulged engine fairing in the way.

 

[GregP]

Hi Larry,
Well done in being committed to making a good display of these parts! The difficulty is partly that the Bf 109 U/C parts did change over the years, and there are also later Swiss Pilatus versions and Hispano.
I enclose parts list illustrations and numbers for your info. These are a 109F illustration of the fuselage mounted "D" frame, and the early 109G leg and top housing.
You probably know that the basic "leg" fits closely into the big steel top housing, and the assy then is hinge-mounted by a steel bolt into the frame.
You might get detailed help from specialists in Germany, like the Messerschmitt Foundation at Airbus Manching, or Herr Hartmier and others. However, this is detailed structural knowledge and the detail is complex.
Hope these help, the basic 109G is not too tricky, but knowing what you have is the difficult bit.

Eng

View attachment 756294View attachment 756295View attachment 756296View attachment 756297

The Hispano Ha.1112 Buchon is a Bf 109G-2 with a Merlin instead of a DB engine. From the firewall back, it is a Bf 109G-2 with two holes in the wing leading edges for the cannons since the Merlin did not have a through-the-spinner cannon or cowl MGs. So, the landing gear SHOULD be the same as a German Bf 109G-2. We have a Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10, but I have not measured the landing gear to see if it is identical in spacing and angle.

 

[Engineman]

The Hispano Ha.1112 Buchon is a Bf 109G-2 with a Merlin instead of a DB engine. From the firewall back, it is a Bf 109G-2 with two holes in the wing leading edges for the cannons since the Merlin did not have a through-the-spinner cannon or cowl MGs. So, the landing gear SHOULD be the same as a German Bf 109G-2. We have a Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10, but I have not measured the landing gear to see if it is identical in spacing and angle.

Hi,
Here is a short list of some Hispano models:
HA-1109-J1L1945 – the initial 25 units built of the Bf 109 G-2 aircraft, from German production, with Hispano-Suiza 12Z-89 engines fitted.
HA-1109-K1L1951 – first production of HA-1112-K1L. Fitted with a Hispano-Suiza 12Z-17 engine and a de Havilland Hydromatic propeller. 25 conversions from a HA-1109-J1L.
HA-1112-K1L "Tripala"1951 – 12Z-17 engine. 65 built (25 conversions from a HA-1109-K1L).
HA-1112-M1L "Buchon"1954 – the final variant fitted with a RR Merlin engine. 172 built.

So, the original Bf 109 G-2 airframes got around a bit. Certainly, the HA1112-M1L Bouchon has many changes.
Reviewing the Bf 109 data that I have, the main D brackets and the struts changed from E to F, including the angles. Later changes are difficult to trace because of lack of documentation but, there certainly were changes to the parts, including the wheel angles, wheel widths, tyres, brake units etc.

Eng

 

[Larrythepilot]

I have been away from the forum and this thread for several days. There are quite a few responses from several different people. Thank you all for your additional input. From the drawings that several of you have posted, and the fact that the main landing gear is pretty much the same across many of the various models of Bf-109s, I think we have enough information to build the fixture to hold the two gear legs, and have a generic Bf-109 landing gear display.

To answer Snautzer01's question from 4 days ago, the person who is working on this project for the museum (I'm not building this display; I'm just doing research and communications) says he thinks the gear legs we have are from an "E" model, but I don't know why he thinks that.

After we get the display completed and installed in the museum, perhaps 3 months from now, I'll take pictures and post them here. If you folks are kind enough to provide information so we can proceed with these projects, the least we can do is show you how they turned out.

Again, thanks for all your help.

 

[Engineman]

Cheers Larry,
Your leg ID might be helped with reference to the 109 Ersatzteilliste. They are available for the 109E, 109F (almost everything different), and the 109G (early, later ones very rare info).

Eng