Flight Replicas Messerschmitt Bf-109K-4 Released (Payware)

[Mathias]

Excellent stuff! Thank you Mike and congrats on the release!
Downloading now.

[Barnes]

OK - ive found one i can repaint with enough ref material. A work in progress

[mike_cyul]

I have some issues with sound and graphics though anyone else ?
- used shells (when firing) come up as black boxes.
- no noise when firing but can see the shots - is this right ?
- also I have a file called xbf109_rpm3.pk that cannot be played by windows media player

Is anyone else having these problems?

P38, can you check that you have textures Bf-109_ccase.bmp and Bf-109_mcase.bmp in your Effects/texture folder. These are for the shell casings.

You should have sounds for the guns. In your main Microsoft Flight Simulator X\Sound folder there should be folder called FlightReplicas. And in your Gauges folder, a file called FlightReplicas_XMLSound.gau. In the main Microsoft Flight Simulator X folder, make sure you have GaugeSound.dll.

You can dump xbf109_rpm3.pk from the Messerschmitt Bf-109 K4 FSX\sound folder, it's probably just a test file from early on or something like that.

Mike

[Barnes]

I dont have any problems that P38man is having. All working well.

Meanwhile this repaint is almost done and i will upload to the SOH library soon.

[Barnes]

I dont have any problems that P38man is having. All working well.

Meanwhile this repaint is almost done and i will upload to the SOH library soon. You can now download from here..

You can now download this repaint from here....
https://www.cx.com/mycx/share/4cecDM...%20Red%207.zip

[stovall]

Oh man Barnes, simply beautiful. Just finished the download. Great seeing the quality of repaints here and the fantastic talent you and others have. Thanks a million.

[Smashing Time]

I have quite a bit of Luftwaffe camouflage material if you want to PM me. As for a quick general reference this might be of help. the colors are not the best as reproduced here but for the most part could be a good starting point. As stated, from mid 44 the RLM issued some standards but as the destruction of the Reich's infrastructure progressed the factories, assembly points, and field units were all using what they could find and make locally. Often different section components did not match. There is not a whole lot of photographic documentation of the K's as the Luftwaffe was pretty much in survival mode by late 44-45 and 'picture taking' was not what it used to be.....


Great work Mike

[Bomber_12th]

I was able to find two of the pilot reports I referred to. One is written by the late Mark Hanna, as re-published in the Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Warbirds International, and another is by John Romain, as published in the 2006 issue of Flight Journal Magazine. Both pilots should be very well known by everyone who has an interest in warbirds.

Going back to the ground handling again, here are some exact quotes:

Turning on the ground -

"The 109 needs a lot of power to get moving, so you need to allow the engine to warm a little before you pile the power onto it. Power up to 1800-rpm and suddenly we're rolling. Power back. To turn, stick forward against the instrument panel to lighten the tail. A blast of throttle and a jab of brake. Do this in a Spitfire and you are on your nose! The 109, however, is very tail-heavy and is reluctant to turn - you can very easily lock up a wheel. If you do not use the above technique, you will charge off across the airfield in a straight line! Forward view can only be described as appalling, and due to the tail/brake arrangement this makes weaving more difficult than other similar types. I prefer to taxi with the hood open to help this a little." - Mark Hanna

"The aircraft is very tail-heavy, so turning the aircraft on the ground is impossible without forward stick and some power. A Spitfire would instantly go over on its nose if you did this, so some thoughtful practice [is] required. Also, the brakes are initially quite hard to get used to: you must use full rudder and then brake rather than be tempted to simply use the brakes for taxiing." - John Romain

Landing -

"Returning to the landing circuit, it is almost essential to join for a run and break. Over the field, break from 50-ft, up and over 4Gs onto the downwind leg. Speed at 170-mph or less, gear select to down and feel the gear come down asymmetrically. Check the mechanical indicators (ignore the electric position indicators), pitch fully fine. Fuel - boost pump on. If you have less than one-quarter fuel and the rear pump is not on, the engine may stop in the three-point attitude. Rad flaps to full open and wing flaps to 10- or 15-deg.

As the wing passes the threshold downwind take all of the power off and roll into the finals turn, cranking the flap like mad as you go. The important thing is to set up a highish rate of descent with a curved approach. The aircraft is reluctant to lose speed around finals so, ideally, you should initiate your turn quite slow at about 100- to 105-mph. Slats normally deploy halfway around finals, but you, the pilot, are not aware they have come out. The ideal is to keep turning with the speed slowly bleeding, and roll out at about 10-ft at the right speed and just starting to transition to the three-point attitude. The last speed I usually see is just about 90; I'm normally too busy to look after that!

The 109 is one of the most controlable aircraft that I have flown at slow speed around finals, and provided you don't get too slow, is one of the easiest to three-point. It just feels right. The only problem is getting it too slow. If this happens, you end up with a very high sink rate, very quickly and with absolutely no ability to check or flare to round out. The 109 literally falls out of your hands.

Once down on three-points, the aircraft tends to stay down - but this is when you have to be careful. The forward view has gone to hell and you cannot afford to let any sort of swing develop. The problem is that the initial detection is more difficult. The airplane is completely unpredictable and can diverge in either direction. There never seems to be any pattern to this. Sometimes the most immaculate three-pointer will turn into a potential disaster halfway through the landing roll. Other times, a ropey landing will roll straight as an arrow!

Operating off grass is preferred. Although it is a much smoother ride on hard surface, directionally the aircraft is definitely more sensitive. Without doubt, you cannot afford to relax until you are positively stationary. I would never make a rolling exit from a runway in the 109. It is just as likely to wrap itself up at 25-mph as it is at 80-mph.

Another problem is that you have to go easy on the brakes. Hammer them too early in the landing roll and they will have faded to nothing just when you need them! The final word of advice is always three-point the aircraft, and if the wind is such that it makes three-pointers unadvisable, it's simple: The airplane stays in the hangar!

Having said all this, if treated with respect, care and attention, the airplane is not a problem, but rather an exciting challenge that demands 100% of its pilot. To summarize, I like the airplane very much and I think I can understand why many of the Luftwaffe aces had such a high regard and preference for the aircraft." - Mark Hanna

Furthermore, as recommended by John Romain in his pilot report, it is a good idea to become familiar with the attitude that the aircraft is sitting at, when you are first seated in the aircraft on the ground, as you will want to match that same attitude when flaring on landing.

Referring back to crosswinds and the 109, I've heard mention that in the cockpits of the UK-based machines (Buchons in this case), they are required by the CAA (the UK version of the FAA) to have a placard fitted in the cockpit that warns of the dire consequences if you land the aircraft in crosswinds of 10-kts or greater.

[Bomber_12th]

Here’s another set of pilot report quotes by Mark Hanna, that I thought I’d share. My favorite items are those that are non-technical, and get into the personality and character of the aircraft and what it's like to even just sit in it, let alone fly it.

“The 109 is, without doubt, the most satisfying and challenging aircraft that I have ever flown.

To my eye, the aircraft looks dangerous – both to the enemy and its own pilots. The aircraft’s difficult reputation is well-known, and right from the outset you are aware that this is an airplane that needs to be treated with a great deal of respect. Talk to people about the 109 and all you hear about is how you are going to wrap it up on takeoff or landing!

As you walk up to the 109, one is at first struck by the small size of the aircraft, particularly if parked next to a contemporary American fighter (Personal Note: Although by itself, in FSX, it is hard to really see the true scale of the aircraft, if you park something like a P-47 or Corsair next to it, or even a Mustang, as I did, it really shrinks the aircraft down to size). Closer examination reveals a crazy-looking knock-kneed landing gear, a very heavily framed sideways-opening canopy with almost no forward view in the three-point attitude, a long rear fuselage and tiny tail surfaces. A walk-around reveals ingenious split radiator flaps, ailerons with a lot of movement, and rather odd-looking external mass balances. Also, there are those independently operating leading edge slats. These devices should glide open and shut on the ground with the pressure of a single finger. Other unusual features include the horizontal stabilizer doubling as the elevator trimmer and the complete absence of a rudder trim system. Overall, the combination is a strange mix of innovative and archaic.

Climbing in, you have to be careful not to stand on the radiator flap, then lower yourself gently downward and forward, taking your weight by holding onto the windscreen. Once in, you are aware that you are almost laying down in the airplane – the position reminiscent of a racing car. The cockpit is very narrow and if you have broad shoulders (don’t all fighter pilots?) it is a tight squeeze. Once strapped in, itself a knuckle-rapping affair, you can take stock.

There is no rudder trim, or rudder pedal adjust; also the seat can only be adjusted pre-flight and has the choice of only three settings. If you are any bigger than 6-ft tall, it’s all starting to get a bit confined. Normally, if you haven’t flown the 109 before, you get a clout on the head as you swing the heavy lid (canopy) over and down. Nobody sits that low in a fighter!” – Mark Hanna


Takeoff -

“Pretakeoff checks. Elevator trim set to +1-deg, no rudder trim, throttle friction tight. This is vital as I’m going to need to use my left hand for various services immediately after takeoff. Pitch fully fine and fuel quantity checked. Fuel/Oil cock is on, fuel boost pump on, pressure is good. Flaps crank down to 20-deg for takeoff. Rad flaps checked at full open; if we takeoff with them closed we will certainly boil the engine. Gyros set to runway heading. Instruments, temps and pressures all in the green for takeoff. Oxygen checked, hood rechecked down and locked, harness tight and secure, gear selector in down selection. Controls full and free, tailwheel locked.

There’s no time to hang around and worry about the takeoff (rad temps heating up). Here we go. Power gently up and keep it coming smoothly up to takeoff power. It’s VERY noisy! Keep the tail down initially; keep it straight by feel rather than any positive technique. Tail coming up now. Unconscious corrections to the rudder are happening all the time. It’s incredibly entertaining to watch the 109 takeoff or land. The rudder literally flashes around! The alternative technique (rather tongue in cheek) is Walter Eichhorn’s of using full right rudder throughout the takeoff roll and varying the swing with throttle!

The little fighter is now bucketing along, accelerating rapidly. As the tail lifts, there is a positive tendency to swing left – this can be checked easily however, although if you are really aggressive in lifting the tail, it is difficult to stop and happens very quickly. Now the tail’s up and you can see vaguely where you are going. It’s a rough, wild, buckety ride on grass; and with noise, smoke from the stacks, and the airplane bouncing around; it’s also very exciting!

Quick glance at the ASI – 100-mph, slight check back on the stick and we’re flying. Hand off the throttle, select gear up. Quick look out at the wings and you see the slats fully out, starting to creep in as airspeed increases and the angle of attack reduces. One-hundred-thirty-mph and an immediate turn up and right onto the downwind leg, just in case I need to put the airplane down in a hurry. Our company SOP is to always fly an overhead orbit to the field to allow everything to stabilize before setting off – this has saved at least one of our airplanes.

Start to frantically crank the flap up now, up the speeds, increasing through 150, power back to cruise power. Plenty of airflow through the narrow radiators now, so close them and remember to keep a careful eye on the coolant gauge for the next few minutes, until the temperature has settled down. With the rad flaps closed, the aircraft accelerates positively.” – Mark Hanna

Without rudder trim, and with the fact that the rudder is set for the 109’s cruise speeds, you’ll usually have to carry right foot pressure, bleeding it off over time, until you reach cruise speeds, but it is easily done since the foot loads are very light. At cruise speeds, the aircraft shouldn’t need any rudder input.

[mike_cyul]

As far as I know, at 500 kph, there should actually be a tiny amount of left rudder required - but I don't know if FSX has allowed Bernt to model this, or he chose not to, to prevent undue user 'fatigue' in FSX. Both the 109 and 262 had longitudenal stability issues that were never really solved.

Here's an interesting page on flying the 109. It covers all variants, and so does not collectively apply to the 109K-4, although later model high-tailed G variants must have been similar. The thing I find the most interesting is the differences in opinion - meaning that there was quite a lot of room for subjective interpretation depending on the pilot and his abilities.

http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/articles/109myths/

Mike

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you for that Mike! A ton of great quotes! I also enjoy reading about an aircraft from all different perspectives.

I'm sorry to continue to pollute this thread with posts of mine, but here are some videos of Bf-109's in action (in this case, all G-models) that I have always enjoyed viewing.

In this video, the well-known Bf-109G-2 "Black 6" was painted in temporary markings for a film. The pilot flying Bf-109G-10 "Black 2" is Mark Hanna, and I believe the pilot flying "Black 6" was Charlie Brown (another must-know pilot if you are into warbirds).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq21MLP8gYI

Another clip from the same film as above. (Note, in real life, you can get some further assistance when having to turn tightly on the ground.) : )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlUTFi3cN00


Some footage of one of the three DB605 powered Bf-109G's flying in Germany, filmed at Hahnweide. I've always been amazed by the first landing in this film, seen about half-way through. Pilot is Walter Eichhorn, who is very likely the highest-time 109 pilot flying today - for instance, Mark Hanna mentions him in his pilot report from 1989/1990, when at the time he was already considered an expert 109 pilot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nj77mJlzrc

Another video of the same aircraft and same pilot.
http://www.clipwings.com/index.php?c...o&video_id=101


Bf-109G-4 "Red 7", another of the three DB605 powered examples flying in Germany, flown by Wilhelm Heinz at Oppenheim in 2005.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIY3xXxckis


Bf-109G-10, "Black 2", the other example flying in Germany, is the closest of those flying today to the K-4, with the late canopy fitted and tall tail strut. The aircraft is being flown on this occasion by Walter Eichhorn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnpC_BcK7xY


"Black 6" and "Black 2" in the mid 90's. Note how much power is used while turning. A rather uniue moment at around 5:17, when "Black 6" taxies by the Mosqutio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NX-g4R3oZE


And this video is sort of a mix and match of different clips of 109's. What initiates as only the 0:06 mark, illustrates how much attention must be paid with these aircraft in flying them well, and it is a very experienced 109 pilot that had that happen to him during that display.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dETgi6aQH0c

[Barnes]

My repaint is also now downloadable at SOH

http://www.sim-outhouse.com/sohforum...3&linkid=13738

[P38man]

I checked those sounds in the Flight Replicas directory and none of them are working for me. My cockpit is completely silent.

Checked again today still have boxes with shooting as well.

I will download again and do an md5 check on both downloaded files and try a reinstall.

Thanks a lot for the reports John!

[P38man]

MD5 hash check confirms they are the same.

Reinstalled but no dice.

Testing other planes now.

EDIT - Nup they are all ok. Emailing Mike now.

[mike_cyul]

I checked those sounds in the Flight Replicas directory and none of them are working for me. My cockpit is completely silent.

Checked again today still have boxes with shooting as well.

I will download again and do an md5 check on both downloaded files and try a reinstall.

Thanks a lot for the reports John!

Yes, try an un-install first, then a reinstall. There have been no other reports of this, so it's a bit of a puzzle. If still no luck, contact me at the support address as it's easier for me to respond.

Mike