"Comfort" in cockpits of BOB adversaries

some of you maybe saw this but nevertheless:

Me109:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9YVei2Yb_k

Spitfire MK I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFj8NDqZhlc

seen it before, the guy is a right XXXX and totally biased. The cockpit of the 109 was surely smaller, but the layout was superior and so was the distribution/quality of the controls and instruments.

This again is a classic example of how people shouldn't always listen to pilots' opinions, because believe it or not they're human beings like us, with flaws, preferences and what not..

[Sven]

Well I shall put it this way, after watching the 109 video the word "Small" still echoes in my brain.

Originally Posted by kendo65

From previous experience Sternjaeger has a slight 'bias' issue himself


...and generally prefers not to hear negative opinions on German aircraft and the Luftwaffe, though he usually ascribes those opinions to being due to 'propaganda' and not to the speaker being a 'twat'.

Under an engineering and military point of view there's very few remarks that can be made to German aircrafts of ww2, still I don't think they're the best, simply cos they were hard to handle at landing or takeoff, an extremely delicate phase for a combat pilot.

The best by far was what the Americans put in the sky, what really annoys me is hearing all this celebration for a machine like the Spitfire.. if you talk to people in the warbird circuit (which I regularly do..) you will hear them say that yes, the Spit is wonderful for acros, but to bring it to battle.. uhmmmm a bit flimsy...

[addman]

The 109 cockpit is cramped to anyone except a child. I'm sure even the german pilots back then thought the same. To it's defence I'd like to believe that being rather squeezed in there made one feel more in symbiosis with the plane, like an extension of yourself. The feeling I got from watching that clip was very claustrophobic especially the lack of room for movement. I'm quite small by western standards (171 cm) but that cockpit would probably be small for me too. The 109 is one of my favourite WWII aircraft but that doesn't make it perfect ....that's also why I like it.

[Voyager]

Originally Posted by Sternjaeger

seen it before, the guy is a right tw@at and totally biased. The cockpit of the 109 was surely smaller, but the layout was superior and so was the distribution/quality of the controls and instruments.

This again is a classic example of how people shouldn't always listen to pilots' opinions, because believe it or not they're human beings like us, with flaws, preferences and what not..

He loved the 109 instruments and control layout. What he was freaked out about was the really cramped quarters, the heavy canopy, and the cannon sitting right between the legs.

Anyways, a couple other articles on flying aircraft from the era:
The Legendary Zero (Part 1)
The Legendary Zero (Part 2)
Hurricane (Part 1)
Hurricane (Part 2)

[Fritz X]

Hm, I for myself don't find the Bf-109 video appearing to be too biased... The last comment about not choosing it to go to war, especially when your enemy is a Spit on the other hand seemed to be unnecessary, though...

But his major complaints about the cockpit seem to be outright true. Just to compare what former RAF fighter and test pilot Eric Brown wrote in his book "Wings of the Luftwaffe":

"The cockpit was small and narrow and was framed by an unpretty canopy, which was heavy to open from inside and was fitted with rather primitive sliding windows. The frame of the windscreen was rather narrow and didn't block too much of the pilot's sight, but the overall space was so limited that the movement of the head was heavily limited, even for a rather small pilot like me."

This extract is a translation by me, since I only own a German copy of the book.

The plane being described there is a Bf-109 G-6/U2, by the way.

[Dietger]

He pointed out good and bad things about the cockpit, and it really makes sence what he said about it.
But.

He is biased.
He simply hate the German equipment. His remarks, all over, make it clear.

But what the the Hell? You dont have to love everything you came across in your profession, right?

That guy is obviously a British snop, absolute ok for me.

PS. Jaws got some good points here. Its called WEAPONS-PLATFORM, not your granddaddys lovlely armchair......
PSS. And whats wrong with a big gun between your legs???

[JG4_Helofly]

Well, I can confirme that the cockpit of the 109 is very small, since I had the chance to sit in a 109 G and a fw 190 A8. So I can only compare these two planes. The problem was that it was very narrow and the pilot had to be small in height, because with canopy closed it was impossible to sit normaly. I had to lean my head forward. ( I am 180 cm in height)
So yes, it's not the most comfortable place.

[BadAim]

Such emotion. Should we not save this passion for virtually murdering each other online when COD comes out in a few weeks?