N917F

N917F is a Messerschmitt Bf 109G, a single-engine piston aircraft operated by RED STAR AERO SERVICES LLC. SkyMeter has tracked 64 flights totalling 55 hours of airtime via ADS-B. The most frequent segment is KMIV to KMIV. Service window in our records spans 308 days. Of those flights, 2 (3.1%) carry at least one detected incident — go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Messerschmitt Bf 109G has a maximum takeoff weight of 7,496 lb, light wake category.

About the Messerschmitt Bf 109G

The Messerschmitt Bf 109G — universally known as the Gustav — was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force from 1942 through the end of World War II and remains the most-produced fighter aircraft in history, with over 33,000 built. Designed by Willy Messerschmitt in the mid-1930s, the 109 evolved through numerous variants, but the G-series represented the type's operational zenith: more powerful, more heavily armed, and more widely deployed than any predecessor. Powered by the Daimler-Benz DB 605 inverted V-12 producing around 1,475 horsepower, the Gustav could reach 386 mph at altitude and climb to 39,000 feet, performance that kept it competitive against Allied fighters well into 1944.

Its narrow-track landing gear and high wing loading made it notoriously unforgiving on the ground, yet in the hands of aces like Erich Hartmann — the highest-scoring fighter pilot of all time with 352 victories, all in 109s — it proved devastatingly effective. Today, fewer than a dozen airworthy Bf 109Gs remain worldwide, most powered by Spanish-built Hispano engines or Czech Avia derivatives rather than original DB 605s. These flying examples are prized warbird attractions at airshows and living-history events, their distinctive inverted gull-wing silhouette and growling exhaust note instantly recognizable to aviation enthusiasts.

SkyMeter has tracked flights across airframes and operators, with the largest observed operator.