Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the first truly
modern fighter. With its all-metal stressed-skin construction, mono-wing
design, enclosed cockpit, and retractable landing gear, it had no equal.
It was the fastest military plane in the sky for
six years — until another German plane, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, supplanted it.
Because of the large ground angle caused by the long legs, forward visibility
while on the ground was very poor, a problem exacerbated by the
sideways-opening canopy. This meant that pilots had to taxi in a sinuous
fashion, which also imposed stresses on the splayed undercarriage legs.
The aircraft was often nicknamed Messer by its
operators and opponents alike; the name was not only an abbreviation of the
manufacturer but also the German word for “knife.” In Finland, the Bf 109 was
known as Mersu, though this was originally (and still is) the Finnish nickname
for Mercedes-Benz cars. Soviet aviators nicknamed the Bf 109 “the skinny one”
(khudoy), for its sleek appearance compared, for example, to the more robust Fw
190. Total Bf 109 production was 33,984 units, of which 30,573 were produced
during World War 2 (September 1939 to May 1945). The Bf 109 accounted for 57%
of all German fighter types made and 47% of all German aircraft production.
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.