# Me 262 flies over Germany **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 26, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365 "2006-05-26T20:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![cabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@cabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabdude)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/41 "2006-05-28T17:15:34Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] Similarly, Von Richtofen’s Spandau MGs were taken by the Australians… but no-one seems to know what happened to them. They just vanished, possibly still in a warehouse somewhere, a la _Raiders Of The Lost Ark_… [/QUOTE] Or in someone’s tin shed, which is where his fur lined boots were found… ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/42 "2006-05-28T17:22:37Z")
[QUOTE=1920s Style “Death Ray”] [hijack]Is anyone getting a little tired of Peter Jackson always doing remakes? He is rumoured to be doing Dambusters next. Personally, I guess I’d like to see him make a new film about flying in the war, if that’s what currently interests him.[/hijack] [/QUOTE] Other than King Kong, none of his films are remakes AFAIK. (The cartoon LotR doesn’t count.) Sorry for the continued hijack, and I’d love to see a PJ WW2 or 1 aviation film. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/43 "2006-05-28T23:25:15Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Borgia] Other than King Kong, none of his films are remakes AFAIK. (The cartoon LotR doesn’t count.) [/QUOTE] I was thinking of King Kong and Dam Busters, I could see a pattern emerging. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/44 "2006-05-29T00:13:42Z")
I’d like to see a [F4U Corsair](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F4U_Corsair) or [P-38 Lightning](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38), don’t know how rare they are these days, but I’ve never seen one flying. Have seen a [MiG-15](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15) and [F-86 Sabre](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-86_Sabre) at an airshow though, that was pretty sweet. Also saw the Austrailian Air Force put on a show back in the 70’s with the [F-111](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-111), man they hit the afterburners on a flyby right over our heads, wow! ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/45 "2006-05-29T00:18:20Z")
So the angels are pushing over Germany again, eh?\* Wonderful! I love the 262, and if you gave me my choice of WWII combat aircraft, that is the one I would want. A very, very close second would be a [Jug](http://www.aviation-history.com/republic/p47.html). You can take your Spits and Mustangs, give me a fighter than can get me home even after it’s been shredded. \*Adolf Galland said after his first flight in a 262 “For the first time, I was flying by jet propulsion and there was no torque, no thrashing sound of the propeller, and my jet shot through the air. It was as though angels were pushing.” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/46 "2006-05-29T00:18:27Z")
[QUOTE=Operation Ripper] I’d like to see a [F4U Corsair](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F4U_Corsair) or [P-38 Lightning](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-38), don’t know how rare they are these days, but I’ve never seen one flying. [/QUOTE] They had both flying at Chino. 😃 They also got the F-86 up, but the MiG-15 didn’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/47 "2006-05-29T00:30:48Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] They also got the F-86 up, but the MiG-15 didn’t fly. [/QUOTE] When I saw them, can’t remember which flew first, but man they were both pretty awesome, can’t imagine a confrontation in MiG Alley. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/48 "2006-05-29T13:09:05Z")
[QUOTE=Weirddave] So the angels are pushing over Germany again, eh?\* Wonderful! I love the 262, and if you gave me my choice of WWII combat aircraft, that is the one I would want. A very, very close second would be a [Jug](http://www.aviation-history.com/republic/p47.html). You can take your Spits and Mustangs, give me a fighter than can get me home even after it’s been shredded. \*Adolf Galland said after his first flight in a 262 “For the first time, I was flying by jet propulsion and there was no torque, no thrashing sound of the propeller, and my jet shot through the air. It was as though angels were pushing.” [/QUOTE] Nice quote from Microsoft Combat Flight Simulator, passing on what a WW2 P47 pilot said of getting into his monster of a plane: “it was like being King Kong setting out to ravage New York.” And of course not only was it extremely durable, but if you could get those eight .50-cals lined up, you could make someone live in extremely “interesting times”… at least for a short while. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/49 "2006-05-29T13:19:25Z")
Also, though I’ve mentioned this before, I have a soft spot for [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westland_Whirlwind_%28fixed_wing%29) ill-fated but lovely little aircraft. Unfortunately in the long run it proved unable to do anything that the Spitfire, Hurricane, Mosquito or Beaufighter couldn’t do better (and in the short run it suffered with technical problems), but like the little girl with the curl, when it was good it was very, very good… and also the rest of the rhyme ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/50 "2006-05-30T10:34:44Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] You know, I’d love to see Major Bigglesworth (DFC) get behind the yoke of a Boeing 747 or an F/A-18 (“I say, where are the synchronised Vickers Guns on this contraption? Algy, put the kettle on, there’s a good lad.”), although I don’t think he’d have too much trouble since he flies a lot of similar aircraft in the later Biggles Books- although it has been years since I read them. The thought occurs that the Biggles books and characters will come out of copyright in about 10 years… hmmm… 🙂 [/QUOTE] You mean my collection of Biggles books will be worth less than they are now? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/51 "2006-05-30T15:47:57Z")
The [Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum](http://www.warplane.com/) (in Hamilton, just west of Toronto) has a number of vintage aircraft that they have restored, maintain and fly. They have a [schedule of upcoming flights](http://www.warplane.com/pages/ptalk.html) for anyone near and interested enough to go and see them. I have been there on overnight field trips several times with my kids’ Scout troop, and there’s something awe-inspiring about sleeping under the wing of a flying-condition Lancaster (other than the oil drip trays that need to be avoided). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/52 "2006-05-30T19:46:06Z")
Most of the planes mentioned in this thread are on display at Dayton Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum. Highly recommended! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/53 "2006-05-30T20:16:54Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Most of the planes mentioned in this thread are on display at Dayton Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum. Highly recommended! [/QUOTE] Seconded. I was just there last Tuesday. [QUOTE=tomndebb] Technically, that is called a rotary engine rather than a radial. [/QUOTE] I’ve always wanted to talk to someone who knows how these work. I have a few questions. From what I’ve been able to piece together, the fuel/air mixture is fed to the cylinders from inside the crankcase. (tomndebb’s link also shows the intake valves are in the pistons instead of the cylinder heads.) Exhaust valves are in the heads, although I don’t know how they’re actuated. I would imagine there’s either a cam turning at half the speed of the engine, or a stationary cam and a mechanism to only open the valve every other time. They are four-stroke. The on/off switch (so I’ve heard) was because there was no other way to throttle these engines. (Don’t know why you couldn’t have a butterfly valve limiting the air into the crankcase.) Castor oil was used because it wouldn’t mix with the fuel/air in the crankcase, and the centrifugal force is going to carry the oil through the lubricated surfaces and then out of the engine anyway. (A total-loss system; again from tomndebb’s link.) ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/54 "2006-05-30T20:37:36Z")
Let me put in a recommendation for Paul Allen’s [Flying Heritage Collection](http://www.flyingheritage.com/TemplateTopImages.aspx?contentId=36) in Arlington, WA. They’ve got the good stuff, and for the most part, they get out there and fly them. > [@](#): > > Flying Aircraft - Current > Supermarine “Spitfire” Mk.Vc > Polikarpov I-16 Type 24 > Curtiss JN-4D “Jenny” > North American P-51D “Mustang” > Polikarpov U-2/PO-2 > Curtiss P-40C “Tomahawk” > Fieseler Storch Fi 156-C2 “Storch” > > Completed Artifacts > Fieseler Fi 103/V-1 > Fieseler Fi 103R “Reichenburg” > Mitsubishi A6M5-52 “Zero-Sen” (recovered airframe) > > Currently Under Restoration > Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 “Emil” > Hawker Mk.XIIb “Hurricane” > Mitsubishi A6M3-22 “Zero-Sen” (two-seat field modification) > Focke Wulf FW 190A-5 “Butcherbird” > Republic P-47D “Thunderbolt” > Goodyear FG-1D “Corsair” > North American B-25J “Mitchell” > Boeing B-17E “Flying Fortress” > Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a “Schwalbe” > V-2 > Ilyushin IL-2M-3 “Shturmovik” > P-38J “Lightning” > > Future Restoration Projects > Casa 2.111D (Heinkel He 111H) > Nakajima Ki-43-1b “Hayabusa” > Grumman F6F-5 “Hellcat” > North American F-86A “Sabre” > Mitsubishi A6M5-52 “Zero-Sen” > Yakovlev Yak-3U > Republic F-105G “Thunderchief” > Vought F-8 “Crusader” > Mikoyan and Gurevich MiG-21 “Mongol” > BAE/Hawker GR-3 “Harrier” > DeHavilland DH98 “Mosquito” > Me 163B “Komet” Also, if you’re in the Everett, WA area, you can stop by Paine Field and sometimes see the guys working on the ME262s. Then you can drop in on the Museum of Flight Restoration Center and poke around for hours. Ever wanted to sit in the [cockpit of a Comet](http://web.mac.com/andykeck/iWeb/Site/MOF%20Tour%202006_files/Comet%20cockpit.jpg) and make voom noises? They can help you out. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/55 "2006-05-30T22:01:45Z")
That reminds me, there’s an A6M3 “Zero” displayed in the Auckland War Memorial Museum, one of the few left intact after the war, though sadly not flown: although it is complete, fully restored, and wouldn’t take much to get it back up in the air…[interesting story](http://www.j-aircraft.com/walk/robert_montgomery/auckland_war_memorial_a6m3.htm) to go with it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/56 "2006-05-30T22:09:02Z")
That reminds me, there’s an A6M3 “Zero” displayed in the Auckland War Memorial Museum, one of the few left intact after the war, though sadly not flown: although it is complete, fully restored, and wouldn’t take much to get it back up in the air…[interesting story](http://www.j-aircraft.com/walk/robert_montgomery/auckland_war_memorial_a6m3.htm) to go with it, too. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/57 "2006-05-31T00:46:54Z")
[QUOTE=Case Sensitive] That reminds me, there’s an A6M3 “Zero” displayed in the Auckland War Memorial Museum, one of the few left intact after the war, though sadly not flown: although it is complete, fully restored, and wouldn’t take much to get it back up in the air…[interesting story](http://www.j-aircraft.com/walk/robert_montgomery/auckland_war_memorial_a6m3.htm) to go with it, too. [/QUOTE] They flew the only Zero (at least in the U.S.) that still has its original engine at the air show. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/58 "2006-05-31T01:09:13Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] still has its original engine at the air show. [/QUOTE] How much of a fifty year old engine is original? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/59 "2006-05-31T01:22:06Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] How much of a fifty year old engine is original? [/QUOTE] [Planes Of Fame Museum A6M5 Zero](http://www.planesoffame.org/featured-aircraft.php?ID=4) > [@](#): > > Restored to flying condition in June 1978, this Zero fighter is still powered by its original Nakajima Sakae 31 engine, a 14-cylinder radial that produces 1,200 h.p. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365/60 "2006-05-31T01:51:27Z")
I wonder how many hours it has on it. Last time my Father saw one, they were showing them all in a pile with a bulldozer on New Guinea. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-262-flies-over-germany/358365.md?page=4)