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Introduction
Engine Performance
Firepower
Maneuverability
Flying the Bf109G-14
Fighting the Bf109G-14
Summary
Engine/Range Info
Fuel Tankage: 26 gallons
1/4
53 gallons 1/2
79 gallons 3/4
106 gallons full
185 gallons DT
Engine Settings:
WEP: 2800rpm/1.70mp
254 gall/hr
Military: 2600rpm/1.30mp
212 gall/hr
Normal:
2300rpm/1.15mp 174
gall/hr
Max Cruise: 2100rpm/1.05mp 142 gall/hr
Calculated Durations (Internal Fuel
Only, 2x burn):
Military: 30 mins
Normal:
37 mins
Max Cruise: 45 mins
-Soda
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Introduction:
The Bf109G-14 was introduced when the overall 109 lineup was
revised a few versions back.
The rationalization adjusted the 109 lineup to remove some
hybrids that had existed prior.
I find the G-14 an awkward aircraft with the K-4 being better in
a late war arena while the G-6 represents a high-end mid-war aircraft.
Still, the G-14 is a pretty strong performer in its own right
especially if you keep it light or can offer more external options than
the K-4 if you want to really bump up the firepower.
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Engine Performance:
The G14 has good engine performance, similar to the K4 though
tuned for slightly lower altitudes. The best altitudes tend to be more between
15-20K, making it more of a low-medium altitude performer. The engine is so powerful that
even with autopilot the G14 will not track entirely straight, pulling
to one side. Sea-level
speed is 317mph, 357mph with WEP, the internal ordnance choice doesn’t
make any real difference.
Notice that the WEP gives 40mph difference, a very important
improvement, so use your WEP wisely. At 5K speed jumps up to 342/381mph, about 5mph/1K of
altitude gain, WEP tops out at 404mph at 16K though military power continues
to slowly climb up to 23K.
External options hurt, adding either a drop-tank or cannon pods
will rob you of 12mph at sea-level, 24mph if you add both. That type of speed loss will
put the G14 at a serious disadvantage.
Climb rate is outstanding but follows the same basic pattern, a
little over 4,000ft/min at sea-level, peaking at 4,850ft/min at only
6K, 4450ft/min at 10K, 3400ft/min at 20K. That equates to about 100ft/min drop for each 1K in
altitude gain up to 20K.
Above 20K it drops by 200ft/min and by 30K it’s down to only
1,400ft/min. You certainly
don’t want to get caught in a climbing fight up high. These numbers are all at very
low weights too, if you add weight/drag your values are not going to be
as good. Acceleration
follows climb rate, exceptional at low altitudes and slowly decreasing
above 6K.
Fuel duration is similar to other 109’s, 106 gallons internally
with an optional 79 gallons in a centerline drop-tank. Most players will take the drop
tank to extend their duration/range though pay a slight penalty in drag
and weight, even after the drop-tank released.
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Firepower:
Something that really sets the G14 apart is the number and type
of options there are to increase over the basic internal gun
armament. The basic package
includes a 20mm Mg151/20 cannon with 150 rounds plus a pair of cowl
mounted Mg131 13mm guns with 300 rounds/gun. This is a decent combo, it’s reasonably effective
against most fighters but you’ll find it doesn’t quite match a
multi-cannon aircraft. The guns are all mounted very near centerline so
concentration of fire is very good and medium ranges but further out
the difference in the cannon velocity starts to really show. There is also another internal
option that switches out the 20mm cannon for a 30mm version (Mk108 65
rounds). This certainly
ups the overall hitting power but the 30mm in general fires more slowly
and has poor ballistics.
For newer players, the 30mm is a handful but the potential to
disable/destroy a fighter with a single hit is very attractive. I’d recommend sticking with the
20mm to start and loading the 30mm only if you think you’re going to
run into bombers or less maneuverable targets (where it really excels). The 30mm adds about 100lbs of
weight, all in the nose, which has a slightly adverse effect on
handling (I always feel the nose seems heavier with the 30mm) though
it’s not really that serious.
External options are much more numerous. The aircraft centerline can
take either a 300L drop-tank (79 gallons) or a 250kg bomb. The bomb could be useful but
most players will take the drop-tank as the 109’s in general don’t have
a lot of fuel duration so the extra 79 gallons really helps. Of more
controversy are the wing-mounted options, either a pair of podded 20mm
Mg151/20 cannons (125rpg) or a pair of WGr21 rockets. Loading the podded cannons is
not too unusual and certainly improves your snapshot with the extra
volume of fire. It also
adds a crippling edge if you plan to face bombers or intend to strafe
structures though the penalty in drag and weight is very noticeable,
adding nearly XXXlb’s. I
generally recommend against loading the podded cannons for general
use. The WGr21 rockets are
interesting but even with practice they are very difficult to use
against even bomber formations.
Given that most people carry the drop-tank, adding all the other
options causes the G14 to top out over 8,500lbs which has a dramatic
negative impact on performance.
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Maneuverability:
The G14’s weight can vary so much it’s hard to make any general
comments but even at the lightest weights the G14 is not good. Starting out at ~6,700lbs (25%
fuel) the G14 is not good in turn rate or radius, falling in the bottom
of the pack and second worst to the K4 of the 109’s. Put the 30mm cannon on instead
of the 20mm and it degrades a little but not too badly overall. I find
the 30mm tends to make the aircraft feel a bit more nose heavy but not
too seriously. It’s when
you start to add the external options that problems really start. The drop-tank adds ~600lbs, the
podded cannons another ~500lbs.
For an overweight aircraft the addition of this additional
weight is serious. The G14
also suffers from the same issues related to speed as the K4, it has a
very narrow range of speeds where it doesn’t experience some sort of
limitation
The G14 weight varies greatly by configuration so the
maneuverability varies but in general is not good. Weights will range from
6,660lbs (25% fuel) on up to 8,533lbs if you load up all the external
options. Turn rate and
radius are not good even at light loads so overloading the aircraft
makes things even worse.
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Flying the Bf109G14
Two warnings when flying the G-14. The G14 is not another K4
with more external options, it has a lower prime altitude band and
doesn’t have the same engine power to pull you out of trouble in a
pinch. Also, the G-14 can
quickly overload itself with external options, fight the temptation to
think 30mm and podded cannons is the only way to go. Fully loaded like
that, as discussed above, the G-14 can be unwieldy and downright
difficult to fight. There
are the times/places to load up though, bomber hunting with some
warning to get to altitude, a 30mm, twin 20mm plus some 13mm thrown in
can give great results.
I’ve used the term “interceptor” to describe the G14 in the past
and I still feel that is accurate. That doesn’t mean you cannot get into some
good-ole-fashion close-in scraps in one, it’s just that given the
balance of abilities I think the G14 is more likely to be effective in
a hit-and-run type of fight.
I don’t think the G14 is well suited to newer pilots, other
109’s handle much better with more flexibility. The G14, with it’s narrow
performance band, not too fast nor too slow, makes this a relatively
poor choice in terms of introductory aircraft.
My recommendation, offensively you need to pay very close
attention to your situation and let the aircrafts strengths, firepower
and climb, work for you.
While those abilities are not unique with aircraft like the La7
and Spit XVI around, the G14 offers the ability to rack up quick kills
with the 30mm. I
specifically like the anti-bomber role, with cannon pods and 30mm, you
can make quick work of a formation of bombers in a single pass if you
pick your shots well. Stay as light and fast as you dare in order to
accomplish your goals, take shots when the opportunities present
themselves and don’t over-commit to a bad position. The G14 is not good at catching
up on angles to try and generate a shot so I have a basic 90 degree
rule (in any sort of flat turn).
If you haven’t built up enough lead in the first 90 degrees of
an attack turn, then you probably won’t unless you have a serious
energy advantage or can change tactics. Use vertical as much as possible and keep out of
flat turns with almost anything.
Be careful of the overshoot, the G14 has enough power that the
drag won’t slow you down as quickly as someone who can drop a bunch of
flaps (like the US
birds) at high speed. I’d
also not be shy about using the cowl guns, if only to remind someone
you are back there, as they 13mm stand a reasonable chance of causing
some damage or at least making the enemy think you are.
Defensively, hopefully you are as light as possible, but use the
climb, acceleration and relatively small size to make yourself a hard
target. Use a variety of
defensive maneuvers but pure vertical dives and slow-speed stall fights
are not likely the best choices.
The G14 is not a very “tough” aircraft so tends to take damage
poorly, especially against cannons, so you want to avoid any sort of
hits you can. Use the
“fear” of the 30mm to try and keep the enemy honest since he won’t know
if you are actually carrying the 30mm or not (and usually people do
even if it’s a bad choice).
Head-On’s are risky, even with the 30mm you are still likely to
take critical damage in return, but in a pinch it’s an option. Don’t waste your cannon rounds
on low percentage shots, your cowl 13mm’s are plenty to put some fear
in an opponent and I wouldn’t pass-up an opportunity to use them (they
have lots of ammo). There
is certainly no guaranteed advantage the G14 has in most fights, it’ll
come down to selecting the most appropriate defense and in the
execution. Break-style
turns are not typically all that brisk at heavy weights in the G14 but
in a nice speed range between 250mph-350mph, they can be
effective. Much slower and
you’ll feel the relatively low lift and plow as much as turn, through
the corner.
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Fighting the Bf109G14
You’ll always have to assume the G14 is a K4 until it gets close
enough to know better but the G14 is certainly not a slouch so must be
respected. Most G14 pilots
will take the 30mm cannon and you’ll have to aggressively avoid any
potential opportunity the opponent might have to take a shot.
If attacking a G14, be very careful of getting into an equal E
position unless you intend to take the fight slow and can out-turn the
G14. Not many opponents
can out E a late 109 model, at best you’ll be at par, but that can
spell really bad news.
Watch out for a classic 30mm style defense, the Head-On. You’ll often see aircraft with
big firepower tending to point their nose at you as an attempt to scare
you off, you should respect that and not risk taking a 30mm hit that
would end the fight quickly.
Try and identify if the G14 you are attacking is carrying
gunpods, if so the performance will be vastly inferior to one that is
light. Heavy, the G14 can
present far fewer options in defense so you may be able to dictate the
fight a little easier. If
you can’t tell though, then try and keep your energy up and work
against the marginal turn-performance of the G14. The G14 tends not to be a good
angles fighter, it’s not very flexible in speed range where it turns
well and it also has a very narrow stall envelope. If you can keep the pressure up
on a relatively inexperienced G14 pilot they will tend to make mistakes
and lose control, if only briefly, but that might be all you need. If
the G14 manages to break contact with you, be very aware that they can
come back quickly, staying away a short time to put on some quick
altitude/energy and then coming back to be the aggressor vs. defender.
If attacked by a G14, most aircraft can use quick changes in
direction and break-turns to make nearly impossible situations for the
G14 pilot, especially if they are packing the 30mm cannon. You never want to get caught
flying straight because it only takes 1 lucky shot from a 30mm to end a
fight. Be careful about getting slow, a slow target in a break turn can
be a much easier shot than something that is fast which would require a
lot more luck/skill to hit.
Several aircraft can also exploit some of the average, or below,
general characteristics of the 109’s in general and the G14 is no
different. The 109’s tend
to not be very stable at slow speed, they stall rather abruptly, then
roll at average or worse at low or high speeds. There is a narrow band of
speeds in the 225-250mph range where the G14 is pretty good
though. It used to be
possible to take 109’s into very high speed dives and lock up their
controls but I haven’t seen as much of that in the latest modeling of
the aircraft. It’s probably still possible but I think you’ll have to
be going faster and the margins might be tight. Do not get into climbing fights
unless you really believe you can out-climb the G14, which is unlikely,
but some aircraft can go very nose high, matching the climb, but then
combine in a spiral to push the G14 into a low speed stall. An rope-a-dope type zoom climb
is also bad news, it typically will end up with you hanging on your
prop while the G14 fires 30mm’s up at you from close range. That’s a
bit like being a piñata.
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Summary
The Bf109G-14 falls in a difficult spot in the plane-set, not
really elite in the class of some other late war rides but still pretty
capable at medium altitudes and lower. Flown to its’ strengths it’s a very capable aircraft
with great firepower, acceleration and climb but with issues related to
maneuverability and only an average top speed compared to it’s typical
peers. Still, at the hands
of a good pilot which manages his energy and maneuvers within the limits
of his aircraft, the G14 can be an effective ride.
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