GERMAN JET FIGHTER REPLICA HEADS OVERSEAS (US Gov. alarmed at "war weapon export")

AOPA Online | 1/13/06

[pabianice]

A replica of one of Germany's greatest technological triumphs late in World War II, the Messerschmitt Me.262 fighter jet, has left American soil and reached Germany after U.S. State Department officials delayed it 60 days because they saw it as a weapon of war.

The four 30 mm replica cannons aboard lack a firing mechanism and still wouldn't fire if they had one. The aircraft now has arrived in Germany where it will be reassembled by the Messerschmitt Foundation aircraft collection and flown once again.

The replica project has been taken over by a group of retired Boeing engineers operating in Everett, Washington, as Legend Flyers. The aircraft are for sale by Air Assets International/Warbird Recovery in Colorado. Messerschmitt granted five additional serial numbers. Two have been built, with three to go.

[xarmydog]

He did tell me how p1$$ed offthe bigwig generals would get when he refused to let them look into the cockpit.He said they didn't hold the necessary clearance to do so.

[tanknetter]

Their biggest drawback? Hard to get out of if you had an accident on takeoff: filled with incendiaries, they made a huge fireball and didn't have convenient escape hatches.

The Superfort also had issues with magnesium components, especially those in the engines. They had (at least early on) a nasty tendency to get hot enough to catch fire, with a cascading impact through the wing ... resulting in the spar being severed.

[Covenantor]

[NoClones]

the b-52 is the best aeroplane ever built bar none!

[Sarajevo]

You have my vote on the B-58, XB-70, and the RA-5C. The B-1B Lancer is also a good looking aircraft.

Nice looking up front....

and from behind

[meandog]

Uh, sorry, but get in line. The greatest bombers in history were the B-29 Stratofortresses. Longer range, higher ceiling, bigger bombloads, and the SILVERPLATE B-29's were stripped down and highly maneuverable (they had to be to drop the atomic bomb and escape the itinerant Zero or two...).

No argument here...the 29's were great aircraft. BUT, they required a lot of maintenance just to keep them airworthy and suffered a tremendous amount of in-flight mechanical problems when compared to the 17s and 24s.

[ericthecurdog]

Agreed. Big time. We could add to that list all day!

[Sensei Ern]

As a pilot friend once told me. The F-4 was proof that with enough power, you can make a brick fly.

[AFreeBird]

I want to know what plane took that shot. I am sure it is either a touched photo or was done by a satellite.

You know, I wondered about that too. If it is photoshopped, its a damn good job. THe person doing it could give "Registered" a run for his money.

Satellite was one thought, but what about a LEO manned spacecraft? You got the heat plume comming off the port engine, and light refraction spots on the lens.

IF, it's photoshopped; it's damn impressive.

[AFreeBird]

...you know what happened to that Navy Lt. that got excited about his new Destroyer.

Do tell.

[AFreeBird]

Man, those engine/nacels are darn near as large in diameter as the fuselage itself.

Nice photo.

[brazzaville]

Good morning.

Many of the German aces were killed while taking off or landing by P-51s loitering over the Luftwaffe airbases.

It's a wonder that so many survived. That it sucks to lose control of your own airspace is a lesson well worth learning.

Michael Frazier

[A.A. Cunningham]

Foss had more kills in his Wildcat. Quite a few aces had more kills than Boyington.

[tarheelswamprat]

I want to know what plane took that shot. I am sure it is either a touched photo or was done by a satellite.

How about another Blackbird, or possibly a U2?

[xusafflyer]

If we are going to argue B-XX planes, my favorite was the B-25. Any bomber you can push off an aircraft carrier and bomb Tokyo has my vote.

The coolest plane ever invented, hands down is the X-29.

[farlander]

I know what you mean... '06 is/will be a very busy year.

[Sensei Ern]

"possibly a U2"

You really think Bono has that kind of clout?

[Sensei Ern]

The backwards F-16. I remember reading about that when they were testing it. It showed a lot of promise, but there was a need for better computers to make it worth using. I wonder why they didn't bring it back after they got better computers.

[Sensei Ern]

He may have had more kills, I think both had a Jap bounty on them, but Pappy showed his entire group how to get more kills.

[ericthecurdog]

Actually, it's a 'backwards' F-20 Tigershark.