Messerschmitt Me 262

[GregP]

Today, Tennmike and I went to see the Me 262 project at Payne Field in Everett, Washington, U.S.A.

It is impressive, to say the least. They have five airframes. All the fuselages are complete. Two sets of wings are complete and they are working on a third set right now. Of the five airframes, two are 2-seaters, two are "convertible" between 2-seat and single-seat configuration, and one is a single-seater.

The cannons and associated gear are made of wood, so they have to use ballast in the extreme nose to get the center of gravity right.

Only one 262 is near flight status, and it is a 2-seater. That particular airframe was the accident aircraft. The accident was caused on the second test flight when the landing gear hydraulic pump malfunctioned, causing the gear to not lock up. The pilot used a blow down system to get the gear down and locked, but the lock arms were 0.014 inches too short and failed under side load upon landing. The 262 slid on one main gear, the nose gear, and one nacelle off the end of the runway and over a ditch, collapsing the nose gear.

So, the "rebuild" consisted of a new nacelle, one overhauled engine, new nose gear and new gear doors ... plus a few other asorted goodies. The original test flight was done with a "Test only" instrument panel, so they are busy wiring the front and rear instrument panels right now. They expect the next flight in January ... we'll see. This airframe is sold to someone in Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.A.

After the accident, they substituted main lainding gear from a Grummann S-2, and expect it to be much better ... with some concerns since the 262 steers with differential braking only, like a MiG-15/17 does.

The second airframe goes to Messerschmitt in Germany. Apparently, Messerschmitt is prohibited from producing warplanes, even if they are replicas. Also, it is apparently a crime in Germany to display Nazi symbols, so the Me 262 that goes to Germany cannot carry the Swasticka or the Nazi iron cross on it. It has fuselage, wings and tail completed and installed, and is getting ready for gear, engines, and cockpit wiring.

Definitely a project to check out if you are in the area!

VERY impressive.

[Corsarius]

quote:Originally posted by GregP

Today, Tennmike and I went to see the Me 262 project at Payne Field in Everett, Washington, U.S.A.[/br]

You lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky bastards. [^] This face is green for the envy I feel [:p]. The only reconstruction project that's close enough for me to check out is a mouldy old Beaufort reconstruction. Nice plane, killed a lot of pilots, though.


[quote] Also, it is apparently a crime in Germany to display Nazi symbols, so the Me 262 that goes to Germany cannot carry the Swasticka or the Nazi iron cross on it. [quote]

Hang on. German Aircraft even today still carry the Balkenkreutz, or a variant thereof (actually, it's more the WWI-era, without the straight sides). Otherwise we'd be seeing German aircraft with a happy face symbol on the wings and tail. :) . Be fun to imagine that though!

[tenmmike]

well that was a good report not much to add so im not gonna ..i was great to be that close to it though..we got out of there with some nice sweatshirts and hats etc..............greg it took 3.5 hrs to get home lol

[GregP]

Sorry it took 3.5 hours, Mike. I'd say that next time we should arrive before noon!

Oh yeah, Tennmike doesn't toot his own horn much in here, but he is both a machinist and an airframe and powerplant mechanic ... so his appraisal of the project is much more knowledgeable than mine. I can fly 'em, but he can build 'em and work on 'em. He noticed some rivets that were obviously drilled out and replaced ... nonetheless, it WAS wonderful to see.

So, Mike, give us YOUR impressions of the overall airframes and the work to balance my impressions (which are mostly amazement at the fact that at least one is nearing completion).

One last bit of info ... the builders have arbitrarily placed a Vno on the aircraft of 500mph. WWII Me 262's maxed out at about 540 mph in level flight, and went to 624 mph in a dive, at which speed they were nearing compressibility. Since these aircrtaft do NOT have an all-moving tailplane (only elevators), they might be VERY hard to pull out of a dive if allowed to accelerate beyond "safe speed," whatever that is. Still, these "new" 262's should accelerate and climb MUCG better than the originals, and are about 2,000 pounds lighter to boot ... no armor plate and more Aluminum than the originals (which used a lot of steel). Also, the gear doors are plywood! These planes will have a metal skin on the plywood doors.

At any rate, the owners of these five rare warbirds will become test pilots if they exceed the placarded limits. The plane is probably safe to 620 mph or thereabouts, but beyond that, you are "on your own."

Any "well heeled" pilots out there ... there are 3 airframes still for sale: A single-seater, a two-seater, and one that converts to either single or two-seat configurations. If I'm not mistaken, the completed airframes are about $2M USD and you then supply the engines and avionics.

Cheaper than a Lear with a whole new meaning to "arrival impact." There are only two kinds of airplanes: Fighters and Targets! Might as well arrive in a Fighter!

Check it out at stormbirds.com

[tenmmike]

OK here is a slightly more detailed look...let me start by stating theses things first.. so that my observations can be seen in better light..true i am a A&P and a machinist....fact, i have not worked directly on a aircraft since 1996....fact .i have not made a complete subassembly for a aircraft since 1999... fact i do manufacture(machine) aircraft assemblies for use on many different aircraft manufactureres .this is not due to to desire but economic considerations.......now to the meat. 1st i did not spend a great amount of time picking the plane apart just a few minutes..maybe 5-10 at most....2nd nothing i saw would in any way effect structural integrity...3.. the things that should be done well were....the few ppl i interacted with were knowledgeable and competent including the nice lady that showed us around..(we should all be as sharp as she) 4 i was not feeling that great so my concentration was not as it should be .. evident that i forgot to have my own pic taken standing beside the aircraft LOL)..the things that i saw and noted by Greg p were that i was not happy with the quality of riveting on the aircraft .. these defects are not a question of airworthiness just i think they could have been done better job....and that if i tried to turn in many op hose pieces to QC (Quality Control) they would have said "try again" or "rejected", do to out of spec shop or factory rivet head(s).... now we all know that war time a/c would all have these type of things and they flew fine, so lets not make a real big deal of this ..in conclusion the aircraft was a wonder to see..2... im glad to have been there 3 i did not inspect the entire aircraft but i trust the ppl working on it even though it was a short visit.( IM in no way trying to be presumptious)..................and last but not least it was bigger then i had imagined...,of note the j-85 will in no way be regulated and it will be the pilot;s responciabilaty to keep the aircraft in a safe regime............to corsairs on the cross..i believe there might possibly be a small missunderstanding..she stated the German national flag would be displayed........the now/wwi airforce cross might be displayed BUT she did not say that, she just said the German national flag..maybe she mente "symbol"..............i apologize for not being at the top of my game on a day that i wish i had .but feel good men the bird will soon fly..here is the direct link http://www.stormbirds.com/project/