The story
The Bf 109 was a small, light, all-metal monoplane fighter that flew in 1935 and stayed in production until April 1945: 34,248 airframes, more than any other fighter ever built. Its weakness was the narrow-track undercarriage, which made it unstable on the ground, and at least one in ten was lost in takeoff and landing accidents. Spain built the airframe under licence and, from 1954, fitted it with the Rolls-Royce Merlin as the Hispano HA-1112 Buchón, which served until 1965. Today about five original Daimler-Benz-engined 109s are airworthy, alongside a dozen or so Buchóns, several of them re-engined with the DB 605.
The first Bf 109 flew in May 1935 on a British Rolls-Royce Kestrel, because the German engine was not ready. The last 109-family airframes, built in Spain in the 1950s, flew on Rolls-Royce Merlins.
Quick answers
How do you identify a Bf 109?
A slim, angular fighter with a heavily framed canopy and narrow-track main gear legs splayed outward. A Merlin Buchón shows a deep chin intake, exhaust stacks high on the nose and a four-blade propeller; a Buchón converted to the DB 605 looks like a wartime 109.
What does a Bf 109 sound like?
A Daimler-Benz inverted V-12 on the original aircraft; a Merlin-engined Buchón sounds like a Spitfire.
How fast is the Bf 109?
Top speed is 347 kts.
How many people does the Bf 109 carry?
Typical configuration: Single pilot.
How far can the Bf 109 fly?
Range is about 475 nmi.
How big is the Bf 109?
It is 29 ft 4 in long and 32 ft 7 in across the wings.
When did the Bf 109 first fly?
Its first flight was in 1935.
How many Bf 109s have been built?
34,248 built.
How rare is a Bf 109 in Bogey?
RARE. A good day. Most spotters go weeks between sightings of something this rare. Your first Bf 109 catch is worth 250 points.
