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Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 10/97 ME 109 - THE RECORD FIGHTER by Wolfdietrich Hoeveler In 1927, Willy Messerschmitt took over the technical management of the just founded Bavarian Aircraft Works (BFW). His civil aircraft were built in the buildings of the former Rumpler works in Haunstetten, south of Augsburg. The high development costs for aircraft at that period in time, along with the controversy with Luft Hansa concerning the procurement of the air transport aircraft M 20 brought BFW into financial difficulties. A enforced settlement became inevitable, as documented on April 27, 1933. However, this was the jump-start for a successful new beginning. On May 1, 1933, the company was reopened under the same designation with 82 employees. Willy Messerschmidt became technical director and CEO. With contracts for the Bf 108 and Bf 109, the work force expanded quickly. By the end of 1936, BFW already employed 5182 people. The success of the products led to a renaming of BFW into Messerschmitt AG on July 11, 1938. Now, the short-form Me could be used officially, for the first time with the Me 209. The "older" aircraft types, such as the Bf 108, Bf 109, and Bf 110 kept their designations. The Bf 109 was developed on the basis of a bid from the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) from December 1933 concerning a light fighter. Arado, Focke-Wulf, and Heinkel had already received development contracts when Messerschmitt was asked by the RLM during a talk in Berlin to present its own design. At the beginning of March of 1934, the new concept of the Verfolgungsjäger (pursuit plane) design was designated as project number 109. At that time, the basic concept of the Bf 109 was developed which was maintained until the end of this aircraft's production, including the often criticized narrow landing gear. According to Messerschmitt, the requirement for "swivable wings" were responsible for this design. Originally, the 109 was supposed to be powered by either a Junker Jumo 210 or a BMW 116 engine, both of them being liquid-cooled twelve-cylinder power plants. The aircraft was designed as an all-metal low-wing stressed structure, similar to the Bf 108. The lightweigt construction of the Bf 109 was the reason for the fighter's superiority. Messerschmitt himself described the advantages as follows: "minimum measurements and surface, the lightest materials, equal loads, and especially the bundling of several functions in the same parts." The consequent application of the goals lead to a simplification of the production. In August of 1934, the actual construction of the Bf 109 began, starting with the assembly of the first prototype (V-1) in December. Since it was already clear at that time that the designated Jumo 210 was not available in time, the RLM, which was looking for a good relation to the Royal Air Force, acquired several Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines, two of which went to BFW. This is the reason why V-1 (D-IABI) was powered by a Kestrel when it took off for its first flight on May 28, 1935, only 15 months after the initial order, with company pilot Hans-Dietrich Knoetzsch in Haunstetten. When the aircraft was ferried to Rechlin for further tests in the summer, it crash landed. The flight tests were continued with V-2 (D-IILU). In the comparison flights with the He 112 in Travemünde (26 February to 2 March, 1936), the Bf 109 succeeded and BFW received the contract for the series production of 654 Bf 109 B until the end of 1938. Since the capacities in Augsburg were not sufficient, a new BFW plant was set up in Regensburg. Also, the companies AGO, Arado, Erla, Fieseler, and Focke-Wulf were to build the 109 in licence. More than 33000 aircraft were built until 1945. After the war, the aircraft was built as Avia S-199 in Czechoslovakia, and was even operated in Israel. Several 109s flew in Spain until 1965, were the aircraft was licence produced until 1957, powered by Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. With the 109, Professor Willy Messerschmitt has written aircraft history. The few existing aircraft today are admired all over the world. From page 12 of FLUG REVUE 10/97 Home | Update | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles | FR 10/97 Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated September 5, 1997 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany