posted 01-07- 07:17 PM
Initially there had been four fighters from which to choose. The Arado was eliminated because it had a fixed undercarriage, and so was the Focke_Wulf prototype (which had a parasol wing supported by struts). Its wheels retracted into the fuselage, and this complicated mechanism was never satisfactory. This left the Heinkel He112 as the only rival for the Vf109. German engine development, or rather the lack of it, forced both manufacturers to use a Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine in the prototype. At first it seemed certain that Heinkel would get the contract. His fighter was based updon the beautiful He70. It was strongly made, with a top speed only marginally less than its rival. The structure was rather complex, but its wing loading (that is, the weight per square foot of wing area) was calculated to appeal to the biplane protagonists, and so was its open cockpit.
Messerschmitt's fighter was radically net. Its wing loading was so high that it needed "gadgets" such as slots, and the wings were incredibly thin compared to the Heinkel's. But once in the air the Messerschmitt was supreme: rolling, diving, and excelling in all the tests that the Air Ministry specified. And although the aerodynamics were advanced, the slab-sided, square-tipped wings and very narrow but otherwise orthodox fuselage would give no production problems. It would be superior in cost, in man-hours, and in materials.
Heinkel's readiness to compromise with the aerodynamics of the biplane had resulted in a prototype that was heavy and unresponsive to the controls. Heinkel took his sluggish prototype and changed it, not once but many times, until eventually it was comparable to the Bf109, but Udet took Professor Heinkel aside and told him that, now the Bf109 was in full-sacle production, there was no place in his building programme for the He112 fighter. Stick to bombers, he told Heinkel.
Also this website is good it shows pictures of all the aircraft considered during the trials: http://www.techpubs.wwiionline.com/hangar/messerschmitt-bf-109.html
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posted 01-07- 07:17 PM
