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Re: Question about Erla cowling for late Me 109
Hello,
many thanks to all who have answered. The photos of Ferdinando D'Amico are amazing. One clearly is showing the asymmetry of the lower Erla cowling, and others confirm that the front section line of the movable part of the cowling had an almost (or even strictly) straight part at the bottom and that there was no vertical little strut in the front opening of the oil cooler.
Now the upper cowling of Red 7 seems to be definitely of early G type, but about its lower cowling I am not so sure. Its oil cooler case resembles that of the Erla G-10/K-4 and the straight part at the bottom of the front section line seems also be there, while it looks curved on early Gs seen from about the same angle. So it almost seems that it was something like a symmetric adaption (with starboard half mirrored) of the lower Erla cowling. Anyway, Red 7 should be called simply a G; the antenna wire of the G-4 was lead into the fuselage further aft. (Actually this was the only crucial external difference between G-2 and G-4.) Let me add that I still think that Red 7 is a marvelous piece of restoration.
Best wishes,
klemchen
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