I imagine any man in the 1940s highest dream was to look under the hood of this little wonder :) Here we are some 80 years later, long after the space age shorting our fancy RGB LED keyboards with drool.
did you know that the engine mounts where actually made with super heavy hydraulic presses? like the tesla gigapress but actually epic in size and strength. machine thinking made a video on those presses some years ago.
At #0.19, notice blue flames emanating from the exhaust stubs on tickover. No whiteness in the burn or exhaust plume, despite engine on start up. On throttle up at #0:34, again no exhaust plume just a smooth increase in RPM. At #0:41 with supercharger singing like blazes, just nice blue flames from the manifolds: no unburnt fuel cooking off. Look at the build quality of the 605. At #0:50 listen how smooth the 605 is, all rotating driveshafts balanced perfectly: absolutely fabulous! At #1:30 on throttle back, no detonation of unburnt fuel in the exhaust stubs at all. No bangs, rattles, anything. The fuel injection timing, fuel metering and inlet manifold pressure versus RPM all optimized perfectly. On shutdown no pre-ignition and prop gently comes to rest without stiction. This is a master class in engineering. Try achieving these results from a SU dashpot carburettor and supercharger. Good luck with that!
Thank you for this magnificent work of restoration and putting into flight another Messerschmitt BF 109 Gustav 6 plane. Taking into account the quantity that was manufactured, it is very sad to think that there are almost no more left, and that thanks to people like you, little by little, the world You are getting to know these planes, which, letting them participate in the war for the axis, are incredible machines. Thank you!
And engine too... No one engine was so widely licensed to production as in Japan, Italy e even in sweden... But the best are the german Daimler originals...
The DB601-605 series has to be the best v-12 design of the war. The valvetrain is a model of simplicity compared to a merlin. Fuel injection and a fluid coupled supercharger are icing on the cake. If the Germans had access to high octane fuels who knows how much power they could have gotten out of them.
Some time back I read some commentary on another Bf109 video from a British individual that had some information on testing Britain and the US did on some of the German aircraft. Part of the testing was using the higher octane fuels available to the allies at the time. This individual stated that testing revealed that the German aircraft (mid to later model Bf109 and Fw190) running on the higher octane, had comparable performance to the late model/mark Spits and the P51D. I've also read that the Germans coveted the higher octane fuel out of captured or downed allied aircraft, though this may have been more due to lack of fuel of their own. On paper, the Bf109 G10/G14 and K4 could more than hold their own against the P51D and late Mark Spitfire. The only plane that appears to be head and shoulders above the rest would be the Spitfire Mark XIV, though I've read that they were not without their own set of problems. That said... I'm not expert on the matter, just been reading a lot of information on the subject over the last few months. After a lifetime of being a fan of the F4-U Corsair, I have a "new fav" WWII fighter plane... The Bf109.
WHJeffB you speak the truth among liars. Me109 was superior and allies always leave out the high quality fuels. A bunch of old men dying but not before spreading lies
Depends on how you look at it and from what time period, early war 109s had the advantage of fuel injection meaning they could push negative while the spitfire couldn't, all that had to occure was the pilot using diff tactics,then later spitfires solved the issue. later in the war the 109s weight and armament swelled to take out bombers meaning they could be out turned by spitfires and still out run by mosquitos on the deck, at the latest stage of the war the K4 was being built in too few numbers to make a difference, sure it was faster, climbed and turned better then a mustang but it was also more dangerous to fly, harder to fly and uncomfortable due to flap and elevator trims basically being bicycle chains on pulleys. Not to mention that the 30mm mk108 was far harder to hit with then a 50cal. The mustang, fw190 and other aircraft comparatively late in the war were far more comfortable, reliable and easier to fly. Then we get fuels, the germans did not have high quality fuels and as such developed MW50 to boost the engines performance by a few hundred horse power, had they had access to higher quality fuel its likely that they wouldn't of used this system as it would have been surprlus to requirement. What is the better aircraft is entirely subjective considering just how many factors contribute to this. I could say that the mk14 spitfire is better then a mustang for the same reasons as the k4 but considering that the spitfire was an interceptor and the mustang was a long range escort fighter then is it really surprising that the spitfire would win.
@@ThatGuysProject I used to think the "negative G" issue was the only advantage of fuel injection. I learned recently that the British intransigence regarding injection had far deeper implications. They did indeed research deeply into it just pre-war but, in typical British fashion, the man in charge (I forget his name) was a detractor of the technology for no rational reason, and as such development ceased. By the time we realised the error it was too late. The negative G problem was, as you say, fixed by a bodge but there were two glaring advantages to injection that were simply unattainable with a carburettor. Firstly, economy. The German system was able to precisely meter fuel automatically at all altitudes and achieved something like 15% less consumption than a Merlin even on inferior fuel. Because the system was entirely automatic pilot task saturation was also reduced. Secondly, valve overlap. The DB had an aggressive overlap profile meaning the exhaust valves could remain open on part of the intake stroke drawing cold air straight through the engine, cooling the exhaust valves. Fuel could then be injected at the last moment as the valve closed for compression. Obviously with a carburettor which mixed the fuel using only the low pressure of the intake, if the exhaust valve was open the whole lot would just exit the exhaust wastefully. The Merlin couldn't employ valve overlap at all which was a significant hindrance to reliable power. Late war American and British carburettors were nightmarish contraptions trying to overcome the weaknesses of the basic principle which the Germans had solved years ago.
+Luis Luis Hi. My English is very bad but I will try: if you look in the back lefr side of the engine you will see like the intake of a turbo. Thats the super charger. It has two stages (others can have three like some russian/american fighters) and in the german engines it is automatic. Like the mixture if I remind it correctly. Compressors works mostly like turbo, but they are powered mechanicaly by the engine instead of being powered by exaust gases. Hope I helped you. Regards
Brilliant vid, well done with the airframe/mechanical restoration! The replication of the wartime paintwork style on the fuselage & tail, sadly leaves a lot to be desired!
Am I alone in feeling a sense of sadness, that such magnificent feats of engineering, design, and beauty, were designed for the sole purpose of being a more effective means of killing each other?
These are awesome. In Finland We had PT boats with powerplant Italian Isotta-Francshini Asso 850. Engine displacement 57 liters with rare W-18 structure. When outa ammo and " flying with fumes" they made up to 60 knots... at least In navy rumours. They were decommissioned mid 60's but I heard the sound When I was ten In a naval festival. Huge! Next generation had to accept russian T-54 diesel :(.
Two days ago a Spitfire flew over my house. It was too high to be sure if it was Merlin or Griffon, but the deep rumble with background turbine whistle (just like this DB) made me suspect it was a Griffon which was a similar capacity to the DB.
+David Smith Test flights are soon. When finished, it will be registered with a German owner (Air Fighter Academy) so it's not legal to put the swastika on a flying aircraft in Germany.
+paul sheather Regardless, it's part of history and should be remembered for what it was. It's like saying - we shouldn't have holocaust museums because it's too unpleasant to remember. Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it.
Best sounding V12 of all time. Considering the restrictions the Germans were under at the time of it's developement, Mercedes-Benz produced the ace of aero engines, even when hampered by inferior fuels throughout it's development years. The Bosch fuel injection system should be admired by all, not least those Merlin buffs.
+Eructation1 Things should be very interesting at Duxford in the next 5-10 years. Germany has three Bf-109Gs that are airworthy and two more nearly done including the one above and the first two-seat G-12 to fly. The UK now has the Bf-109E from the Russell Group awaiting the engine from servicing and a second rare Bf109-E from the Spanish Civil War is under restoration for a UK customer. If all of the Bf-109Gs from Germany were to come to Duxford in the future, you will have quite a Bf-109 show.
+kenns9 Bf-109E-1 6-88 from the Spanish Civil War discovered in a junkyard in 1983. Now under airworthy restoration in Germany for a UK owner. s7.photobucket.com/user/Bomber_12th/media/TT%20Restored/Bf109E20CivilWar206-881.jpg.html dorst-freiburg.de/BilderStregaHP/Bf109E/Bf109%20E%202013-01-11%287%29.jpg static.twoday.net/FLYINGART/images/Bf-109-E-1-6-88-Hptm-Siebelt-Reents1.jpg
Warbirds have something in common with the steam engine. The new stuff is faster, and may have a "brain," but the vintage gear lives, breathes, and seems to have a "soul."
I've often wondered why the Germans opted for smaller diameter 3 bladed props with wide blades, whereas U.S. fighters tended to have larger diameter 4 bladed props with narrower blades. I wonder which was more efficient?
That's one thing they got wrong on that engine, mounting the supercharger intake on the lhs of the engine leading to hot exhaust gasses being ingested. They have made a deflector plate to minimise this but it shouldn't have happened.
+rampking1 I believe this aircraft has a DB-605A engine. The only info I can find is for tests done on the DB-605B, which was used in the 'K' Series. 'Kurfürst' was the successor to the G series, shown in the video. At any rate, with MW50 injection at 110% throttle B4-grade fuel (89 octane with BTÄ additive) produced 1850 HP and C3-grade fuel (95 octane with BTÄ) produced 2000. German octane ratings during WWII are pretty confusing, what with so many suppliers and different manufacturing methods. You can find a lot of info at Kurfürst . org and axis history forums!
So with 100 octane with BTÄ + MW50 and at 110% Throttle it should be around 2150HP, more or less. Before I calculated it, I guessed it would be something around 2200 ^^ Edit: Figures for 605B, idk about the A Version
rampking1 That's an extremely interesting point! I must admit I'd not thought of that. I have thought about allied fighters running on 100LL these days and wishing someone would get 150 octane fuel. I know there was in recent years a Griffin engined Spitfire MkXVIII in the USA that ran regularly on 130 octane at 2400hp. Surely 100LL from any modern airfield would run it perfectly ok, or would it have effect on the internals of the DB engine?
+SquilyMon There was a mesh screen at the supercharger intake. For desert and Mediterranean operations there were several styles of tropical filters used, some with clamshell doors to close the intake i.pinimg.com/originals/35/2f/66/352f6699eb5777c4219b9d3a79bdfdf1.jpg
why didn't these engines used mufflers on the exhaust? I mean, not complaining of the sound but thinking about the visible flames, the warning to the enemies and the thermal shock on the valves... (forgive me if seems stupid...)
Mufflers weren't added because they had no place in a war machine. The engines were taken out and rebuilt fairly often and mufflers reduced maximum performance. Night fighter aircraft would sometimes install an exhaust shield so the flames would not be visible in low light flying.
Most of these engines, both Allied and German, used sodium filled valves for better heat resistance. And there were many exhaust header shapes that were used for flame dampening, especially for nighttime operations.
As Mack Grant already mentioned, mufflers reduce the performance of an engine. That's why no mufflers on F1 or dragsters etc. because mufflers inhibit the gas flow = cause back pressure into the engine which means that the gasses from combustion cycle cannot escape that easily which in turn reduces the power output of the engine. What I only found out recently is that the exhaust itself exiting the pipes added about 4-5% more thrust. With muffler that contribution would also be reduced to very low value.
ErisLP as far as i know there was no other plane called Me 109. the "messerschmitt (me) bf 109" was just called me 109 sometimes because me is the abbreviation of the producer.
"The Messerschmitt Bf 109, sometimes incorrectly called the Me 109 (most often by Allied pilots and aircrew)" Sorry to pull Wikipedia up, but I needed to get my point across, honestly I could care less who calls it what, I was just saying :) good day
+Passaro Azul Inertia starter, basically a flywheel and clutch arrangement to start the engine. Found on a number of aircraft but especially used by the Luftwaffe for quick starts in the field.