Posted on 01/13/2006 8:14:42 AM PST by 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.
The cannons tended to kick the plane around a bit. At 500mph, you were possibly in for a flameout from the concussion of the 4 30mm's.
Anyway you look at it, you were going to be facing a dozen Allied planes for every Axis plane. Luckily, the Germans never completed their AA missiles.
*jumps in*
While the P51 was a "Good" looking aircraft, It didn't have the sheer menacing look of a corsair (IMHO)
:)
Actually the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 C-1/R31 did get built, but it's not a jet.
The History:
Focke-Wulf Ta 152 C-1/R31
The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 series was considered Kurt Tank's crowning achievement with respect to the development of a high altitude reconnaissance fighter and interceptor. The Ta 152 was similar in general layout to the Fw 190D, as it used a liquid-cooled inverted V-12 for motive power. But the airframe was considerably different. The wings were slightly larger and the fuselage and tailplane were significantly improved and modified. In addition, the nose was further streamlined and the aircraft was fitted with a bubble-type canopy for better pilot visibility. The Ta 152 C was the first production version of the series. It had an increased fuel capacity of 280 U.S. gallons total in the wings and fuselage, and was fitted with a Daimler-Benz DB 603L which used the MW50 methanol-water injection to increase takeoff power to 2,100 HP. This aircraft was considered a medium-altitude fighter and was undoubtedly one of the finest fighters to emerge from World War II. It retained the superb roll rate of the Fw 190 but with greatly increased power and range.
Only a few Ta 152 C-1/R31 aircraft entered service in April 1945. This outstanding fighter was highly maneuverable and well-armed, but probably never used in combat. It was the final model of the Focke-Wulf Fw-190 series. Equipped with Rustsatze R31, it would have served well as an all-weather low and medium level fighter and fighter-bomber.
http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/firepower/
I think he was referring to the Ta 183.
Ya know what they say, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. :)
P51 is just... elegant. It's classy. It epitomized the American WWII fighter air power's style. One of these days I wanna go for a ride.
The P51 was a very elegant looking bird. I would love to go in a ride in one myself. But doubt I'll ever get the chance
:)
Umm excuse me... the ME262 is a cool looking aircraft but comes nowhere near being the hottest-looking plane Ever.
Below you will find a photo of a plane that holds that title. In fact it's not only the Hottest Looking, but litterally the hottest plane ever built.
Nope, the ME262 doesn't even come close!
I liked the fact that, unlike the 17, the 24 had a retractable ball turret which came in mighty handy when the plane's vulnerable landing gear was shot to pieces and couldn't extend.
I did PR and Marketing for Shockwave Productions on all 3 of their PC Flight sims. If you like flight sims you won't find any better. Their version of Battle of Britain is amazing.
They sought out and interviewed over 20 WWII WWII Combat pilots (Allied and Axis in an effeort to duplicate a planes real world performance. One of them is the Ta-183 it's an amazing plane design and as you point out the MIG 15 proves that.
Their P-51 uses an actual merlin engine for it's sound.
http://shockwaveproductions.com/
No, I'm not being paid for this. I just believe, we should never let these events or Courageous Men be forgotten... this is one way to tell their sory.
I have seen the same footage of a B-24 being hit and the wing immediately crumpling due to "flak". As I recall, the cause was actually from a bomb dropped by another B-24 higher in the same formation. A direct hit on the wing by a 500 lb bomb, even if it didn't explode, would explain the catastrophic failure. Reluctance to admit an incident of friendly fire would explain the incidents attribution to a flak hit.
And far more menacing than the missile technology the State Dep't OK'd to go to China......
That's correct. But it didn't crank up the turbine directly. It started a tiny two stroke gas engine which actually cranked up the turbine.
I'm amazed the germans were able to engineer all this unique stuff, right in the middle of the war while everybody's relatives were bombing them in 17's and 24's.
Nah. Way wrong answer. My top five candidates:
5. 
The P-51 Mustang - Form meet function... function, form. [howya doin]
4. 
The B-58 Hustler - Lines that belong in the magazine by the same name.
3. 
The XB-70 Valkyrie - Worth it's weight in gold... no, really.
2. 
The F-22 Raptor - The most dominant fighter aircraft... EVER.
...and the consensus #1 'tits machine' of all time (not just my opinion):
1. 
The F-8 Crusader - Wow. So very nice.
Honorable mention:
The RA-5C Vigilante - Very, very, VERY fast. ... and easy on the eyes.
Sorry to hijack the thread... but ya gotta love some airplane porn...
At the Air & Space museum in DC there is a catwalk around it so you can walk right over the nose and look in the cockpit. It sure doesn't look roomy - I am 5' 5" and I suspect a lot of Luftwaffe pilots weren't much bigger.
Give me one of each, and I'll settle this question for ya!
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