Back to the OP. It is a Messerschmitt Bf-109 not Me-109. (The naming of the aircraft is another story; Bf-108, Bf-109, Bf-110, Me-210/410, Me-163, Me-262). This should explain most of what you are looking for, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispano_Aviaci%C3%B3n_HA-1112 There are people/companies currently reproducing the airframes, the DB engines are the limiting factor. Very tough to find usable parts and when you do "expensive" is an under statement.
The Mk XII spits were the first griffon engines service aircraft, then the XIV's came along with about 2,000 hp!. The Merlins were 27 litre engines against 36 litres for the griffon and rotated in the opposite direction, to the right instead of the left, so a lot of pilots who were used to adjusting the rudder bias for merlin were caught out. Cheers
Most of the small number of Spitefuls built were Mark 14s, which initially in fact used Spitfire XIV/14 fuselages and tails with the new laminar-flow wings. When they determined that the cut-down rear fuselages (for use with the bubble canopies) reduced directional stability, they enlarged the vertical tail, which then was applied to the late Spitfire 22s and 24s and the equivalent Seafires. Eventually the Spitefuls and equivalent Seafangs would have gotten the six-bladed contraprops fitted to the late Seafires, which made the aircraft much easier to handle on the ground (and, of course, on carriers.) The definitive Spiteful would have been the Mark 16, which was the optimized aircraft, and one of the few completed was clocked at 494 MPH, the fastest speed ever for a British piston-powered aircraft (and probably exceeded only by the XP-47J's 504 MPH).
I agree, wartime pilots I know and have known, all agree that the earlier marks were the nicest to fly. Notably the V, VIII, and IX. My mate Barney who is 94 now, flew Spit V's, VIII's, can still tell you the start up procedures even today! He was shot down in a rattly Hurricane and spent 2 weeks in the Burma scrub evading the japs, and survived to tell the tale. Cheers
Mike- Only the early 109s were Bf-109s (Bayerishe Flugzeugwerk). Later models were indeed ME-109s. The late model FW-190Ds and the TA-152s, named for designer FW Kurt Tank (from memory) would give any allied fighter fits. Gave up the radials for those models.
The water-cooled engine solved the overheating issues of some of the radial (BMW?) engines... they even installed fans in front of the radials to help with cooling. The TA-152 had little impact, it looks like fewer than 50 ever flew in combat.
Not exactly correct. http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/articles/bf-me/bf-me.htm Every 109 serial/data plate that I have seen labels the aircraft Bf-109. While "Me" was used at times, Bf was the official designation. The 109 was designed pre 1938 by Willy/Bf. Post 1938 designs carry "Me". (Much like the North American A-36 Apache sometimes being referred to as a P-51.) Bf-109 Data plate 1940, http://www.aircrewremembrancesociety.com/luft1939/krafftschick.html Here's a copy of the Bf-109K-4 Pilot Handbook. Late/last model of 109 being referred to as Bf. http://109lair.hobbyvista.com/techref/manuals/k4_handbuch.pdf
