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Me262 Flight

No they are not restored, they are new builds. However they are so good that Messerschimdt have allowed them to continue the serial numbers. The only significant change is the Jumo engines swapped for much safer & reliable GE engines.

see http://www.stormbirds.com/project/index.html

crew.jpg


There is a company in Germany also building FW190s these are designated FW190A9N, the 'N' stands for Newbuild

This is the butcherbird @ Duxford

http://brianamarshall.fotopic.net/c1166160.html
 
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Anyway, I would really love to see one of these in flight again :)

Actually, every morning on my way to work I pass the Lagerlechfeld airfield, where (supposedly) the Me262 was first tested. Today only Tornado Jetfighters can be seen, but they are impressive enough when passing over you... especially in the dark, when you can see the flame of the afterburner...

Alas, I also pass several KZ-Cemeteries on this way, which remind of the many humans that perished there under utterly inhuman circumstances, while working for project "Ringeltaube" - Bunkers for ME262 production. Remember the Band of Brothers episode "Why we fight"? This was about the liberation of one of these KZs near Landsberg...
 
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A quick search of the tail number turned this up:
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20030122X00088&key=1

SEA03LA027On January 17, 2003, at 1430 Pacific standard time, an experimental ME 262 reproduction, N262AZ, sustained substantial damage following a gear collapse during the landing rollout at Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field), Everett, Washington. The airline transport pilot-in-command was not injured. The airplane is owned by a private party and was being operated as a visual flight rules (VFR) post production test flight under Title 14, CFR Part 91, when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had been filed for the local test flight that originated from Paine Field approximately 30 minutes prior to the accident.

During a telephone conversation with the Investigator-In-Charge (IIC), the pilot reported that he experienced a problem with the airplane's landing gear and utilized the emergency gear extension system (nitrogen blow-down) to lower the gear. The pilot stated that after activating the system, the landing gear extended and the green gear down indicator lights illuminated.

After successfully lowering the gear, the pilot initiated a landing at the departure airport. He reported that shortly after touchdown, the left main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft veered to the left, eventually exiting the runway edge and traveling down an embankment that's adjacent to the runway.

Post accident inspection of the aircraft's left main gear hydraulic system revealed that the hydraulic actuator locking slide was undersized which allowed the gear to collapse (unlock) when placed under a load. See attached report for additional information.

During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.



... whoops.
 
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Very nice find guys, very glad to see these important parts of history being preserved/recreated today. The Me 262A-1a "Schwalbe" ("Swallow") was the first production model of the Me 262 and was produced with four Mk 108 30mm cannon mounted in the nose, in its role as an interceptor, a role that it performed with great promise except for several limiting factors: First, it came into the battle far too late, when the Allied air forces had reached formidable capacity; secondly, its engines were a constant source of trouble, frequently failing after no more than 12 hours; third, it was utilized inappropriately for far too long, after Hitler decided that the machine should be used in a bombing capacity, to "punish" the Allies. That version, the Me 262A-2a "Sturmvogel" ("Stormbird") was reconfigured to carry two 550lb bombs, still retaining the four cannon. A further refinement, Me 262A-2a/U1 had two of the cannon removed to provide space for a bomb-aiming device, and Me 262A-2/U2 carried a prone bombardier in the nose section. Thus, for much of the aircraft's brief combat life, it was used against the wrong type of targets, with even less effect than if it had been used as an interceptor.

source:http://www.warbirdalley.com/me262.htm
 
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It didn't take much pounding from a 262's 30mm cannon to take a B-17 out of the sky. Sure, the Fort was built tough, but that kind of punishment is more than even it could handle. When a 262 made a pass the pilot aimed at areas of the B-17 where it would do the most damage - wing root, inboard engines, and the cockpit. Doesn't take a whole lot of damage in those areas to down a plane.
 
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It didn't take much pounding from a 262's 30mm cannon to take a B-17 out of the sky. Sure, the Fort was built tough, but that kind of punishment is more than even it could handle. When a 262 made a pass the pilot aimed at areas of the B-17 where it would do the most damage - wing root, inboard engines, and the cockpit. Doesn't take a whole lot of damage in those areas to down a plane.

True, but pilots had difficulty in adjusting to the very high closure rate that the Me 262 brought about which, when combined with the slow-firing 30mm MK 108 made things that more difficult. It was those reasons that brought about the R4M rocket, which could be fired from much farther distances and was just as deadly as heavy cannon fire.
 
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Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe modeled the 262 with the rockets installed. Once (and ONLY once) I managed a really good rocket attack on a B-17 formation. Came up from behind, timed my launch perfectly, applied exactly the right amount of rudder at exactly the right time - and 10 out of 12 Flying Fortresses went tumbling out of the sky, with the other two smoking heavily and easy prey for my 30mm cannon.
 
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