Me 262 flys again

stormbirds.com ^ | 5/27/05 | stormbirds.com

[yooling]

You've heard the rumors, perhaps even seen a magazine article or two -- several Me 262 jets are now under construction in the United States!!

This incredible project is the result of a decade of privately-administered effort to create flight worthy examples of the Messerschmitt 262 fighter, and is now entering its final stages. Formerly subcontracted to the Texas Airplane Factory and administered by Classic Fighter Industries, Inc. the WTMF owner's group has now assumed watch over the final, and most critical, phase of the project. Our Seattle-based team of expert designers, engineers and technicians recently completed the flight test program for the first of our five jets, while the second machine is rapidly approaching similar tests.

[EternalVigilance]

We should get on our knees and thank God that Hitler was too stupid to have gotten enough of these in the air in time.

[NOTAM]

Yep! IIRC those were French made Fouga's. There is a guy buy the name of Bud (don't recall last name) that has 2 of 'em parked right where I'm training for my private. He flys then in airshows and I've heard he's on of the best stick and rudder guys anywhere. He also has a real nice AT-6 Texan. Must be rough huh? Cheers, Dan

[Western Phil]

Related to the ME163: On Page 92 of Flying for the Fatherland it says,"On 30 October 1942, she was towed off the airfield at Regensburg in an an unpowered Me 163B. It was her fifth flight in the Komet that month. Seconds after take-off, she pulled the lever which should have released the launching trolley, the aircraft started to vibrate. . . To her dismay Hanna realized that the lever had not released the undercarriage. . . The Me 163B hit a ploughed field just short of the runway at 150 mph, bounced violently twice, lost a wheel and came to a standstill after a 180 degree turn."

The pilot was Hanna Reitsch and this particular episode ended with her injury. She later flew the V1 on a number of test flights.

[SAMWolf]

[Lazamataz]

Me 262 flys again

Me Laz won't fly again.

[EGPWS]

Cool, back in the '80's I work for Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh and he owned two of these.

They are cute little "suck and blows".

[Lazamataz]

That song would be best if Michael Stipes from REM sang it.

[Squawk 8888]

(((.)))

[yooling]

She's lucky she lived. The pilot sat in between two 60 liter tanks of T-stoff (80% hydrogen peroxide in water) with a third 1040 liter tank directly behind the seat. The ply wood wings each contained a 250 liter tank of C-stoff (hydrazine hydrate, methyl alcohol, water). The tanks had a tendency to rupture on hard landings and fry the pilots. There were also many spinal injuries due to the lack of a proper undercarriage.

[yooling]

I'm waiting for Moby to cover it.

[Squawk 8888]

Gorgeous planes. And what about the ME 163?

Back in the 1970s a friend of mine had a summer job at the Royal Ontario Museum where he had the privilege of working with a janitor who happened to be one of the few Komet pilots to actually survive the experience. The ME183 had the unfortunate tendency to blow up on landing but some of the pilots discovered that it was safe if, immediately prior to engine burnout, the nose was pointed vertical to drain the fuel tank completely. The man flew a few dozen sorties IIRC.

[Squawk 8888]

The Me 163 was a death trap

The problem with the Komet was the unstable fuel- if there was any in the tank on landing they'd blow up real good. Some pilots discovered a way to drain the tank completely and managed to survive several sorties.

[gorush]

I also thought I heard that Gene Hackman had something to do with them, although I could be completely wrong there, he may have had another aircraft at the same airport. I was a draftsman at a business right across the street from the runway and got to see all the neat aircraft when they came out to play.

[Charlespg]

http://www.luft46.com/prototyp/me264.html

[tarheelswamprat]

Thanks for the link. Fascinating stuff!

[WestVirginiaRebel]

MOst people at the time weren't aware of just how far ahead of the Allies the Germans really were. The Japanese also had German jets secretly delivered to them during the closing days of the war, but they never had the chance to use them.

[Walkin Man]

Cool thanks for the info! It would be great to see some of these great old birds flyin at an airshow, eh?

[Chode]

it's crankin in my CD right now... 8^)

[yarddog]

Yes Remagen was where they were at.

[Aeronaut]