A pilot compares cockpits between the Spitfire and the 109

[flynlion]

Originally Posted by bobbysocks

the 37mm in the p39 and some of the yaks is just about as intimidating. they must have shook the plane like hell.

besides the cockpit the biggest drawback of the 109s were they had no trim tabs! that surprised the heck out of me when i read that. that means you had to provide rudder pressure to some degree or another. after flying you would have one sore leg....after months you would have one leg that looked like Popeye's arm! and to fly several sorties a day???!!!

The 109 had elevator trim, that was one of the few things that the guy in Foz's videos liked about it. Rudder and aileron trim would be nice as well but not vital, especially in a plane with well harmonized controls and short endurance like the 109. The tiny cockpit would be my biggest gripe but I'm 6'5" and 200 lbs LoL