Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Geoffrey Wellum in a TV interview said he would have preferred a 109 in the BoB. he said the 109 could always dive away and had a slightly higher top speed, it was therefore the 109 pilots choice to fight or not + the 109 had cannon. On the same programme a German ace said he would prefer the Spitfire as it could turn and climb slightly better and so it was easier to stay in the fight escorting the bombers.
Which illustrates the point nicely
I've sat in both a Spitfire and a Bf 109 and I think I'd prefer the Spitfire simply on the grounds that whilst the Spitfire was cramped the 109 was ridiculously tight. I'm of average height and I suppose fairly heavily built (front three in Rugby Union, many years ago) and I couldn't put my shoulders square in the 109.
This is an entirely spurious reason to pick any aeroplane, neither was exactly comfortable!
Cheers
Steve
How did the 109 pilots manage to turn there heads whilst wearing an oxygen mask. I know the LW mask was a smaller profile than the RAF types but still it must have been awkward I wonder why a Spitfire type canopy wasnt tried.
Germans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were generally about 1cm shorter than their British counterparts. The data for the German birth cohorts between 1900 and 1925 is not available.
In the1891-95 cohorts the heights for Germans and British were 168.48 and 169.37. The next available comparison is 1926-30 and 172.99 (German) and 173.60 (British). The average height for Britons and Germans in the immediate post WW1 birth cohorts who would have been in their early twenties in 1939/45 must have been around 171/2 cms.
In 1980 the average heights were 180.17 (German) and 176.83 (British) so we have got taller. I'm 173 cms tall, so comparable with a WW2 average pilot.
Cheers
Steve
If you're committed in a high G maneuver, you're either attacking or evading. Speaking in terms of just "aviating" your eyes better be front center. I don't see it practical (or possible) to be swinging your head around during sustained high maneuvers.Question to pilots!
Much is made in Formula 1 about the difficulty of controlling a car when subjected to side ways "G" forces of 4 or 5. If you are in a plane and subjected to +6 or -3 G then is it possible to look behind or scan the sky. In short is it possible to have any idea where your adversary is when making such maneuvers. I have frequently read of pilots "greying out" in such a case do you know where everything is or just estimate?
If you're committed in a high G maneuver, you're either attacking or evading. Speaking in terms of just "aviating" your eyes better be front center. I don't see it practical (or possible) to be swinging your head around during sustained high maneuvers.
Biff - you out there?
Thanks GregP. What I mean as a question is, if you are maneuvering at the level that causes grey out is it possible to look over your shoulder scan the sky or keep your eyes on an opponent. From my experience with zero G if an opponent passed me on my left he assumed I was always on his right, I used to switch immediately, if the next curve was left, then stay there unless I had done that before and then sometimes I would hang out on the right (outside) just to keep the guy guessing and nervous.It was not possible for me when I was pulling 5+ gs while flying aerobatics. I cleared the airspace and then checked the immediate area before pulling. It is VERY possible to look for traffic at ... say ... 3 - 3.5 gs, but not really practial at 5+ g's ... at least for me it wasn't.
I am not a racer, but I'd be very surprised if they can look around a 5+ g's and even MORE suprised if the GET to 5+ g's. When I see a cockpit g-meter around the course at Unlimited Gold Final speeeds (like Stevo Hinton Jr. in Voodoo). I don't SEE 5+ gs. I see low gs to maybe 3.5 ... with VERY intermitten forays above 4 g's. Even I can look around a bit at that g-level.
Having lived in Germany for years I would say on average they are taller than Brits now but teenagers in UK and Germany in general are taller. The Dutch used to be one of the smallest nationalities in Europe now they are on average the biggest in the world. Steve, I was thinking about European teenagers and early twenties, I think WW2 AC designers would be eliminating maybe 30% of their populations with their designs.