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Tens of thousands throng the runways and hangars of the EADS (Airbus) plant at Manching in southern Germany enjoying the July sun. Employees, family members, guests, all invited to the "family day" at the military systems division of the European aerospace giant. They stroll around the ground display, the children's activity center and fast-food stands, but all are waiting for the central event, the air show. The flight program begins with two Eurofighters, the latest combat plane developed jointly by four European nations, tearing through the sky. After them appears other modern fighters, helicopters and transport planes, but the best...

Here's a pretty cool video of one of the reproduction 262's flying at a German air show. stormbirds.com ...

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...

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...

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 eight-year production and engineering effort, 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 expects to reach the flight test stage in the next three months. SPECIAL UPDATE for...