Bf 109 in a spin - what was it like?

[DavidIsby]

Being able to spin safely was an important criteria for the original Bf 109 design. One of the reasons the Bf 109 was selected for mass production over the He 112 was because it was thought it offered better spin performance.

For all this significance, I cannot recall anyone writing about what it was like to spin the Bf 109? Can anyone identify a first person account of research, test, or operational flying in which they describe what it was like to spin the Bf 109?

Thanks

David Isby

[Flitzer]

Check norbert Hannig's book, Luftwaffe Fighter Ace, page 64. It's a good description and very interesting few pages,

Cheers,

[Martti Kujansuu]

http://www.virtualpilots.fi/feature/...yths/#stalling

[Sylvester Stadler]

Walter Wolfrum in his memoirs, Unbekannte Pflicht, describes how Karl Steffens trained new pilots in the art of spinning a Bf 109 which Wolfrum later used to good advantage to escape enemy fighters.