I don`t know if anyones seen this months Fly Past magazine.There`s an article in it about a He162 being put back into flying condition in the U.K. It`s a swop with Canada for a Brisfit.

Hi Dennis

The same story is in Aeroplane Monthly - with a subtlely different emphasis; the He 162 is described as "potentially airworthy" and Guy Black from Aero Vintage (the restorers) is quoted as saying "... It is in fantastic condition and totally complete... it will be placed in storage pending a decision on its future".

But WOW! wouldn't it be great to see an He 162 back in the air!

All the best

Rowan

You can say that again. It could be really cool to see. I would be willing to travel quite a distance to experience a HE 162 fly by

there is a long thread on the combat career of the He 162 and the post-war flight testing of the type undertaken by the French at the Luftwaffe Experten board... here
..knowing what we know today about inertia-roll coupling (an unknown phenomenon back in 1945) it seems highly unlikely that any modern pilot would dare to take it up...

Hi gang

Let me say some words to warbirds fist. IMO the planes should be conserved well, put in an original status and exhibited in a museum. Too many valuable birds already crashed and some fine persons lost their lifes. I am o.k with the rebuilt a/c as the Me 262 or Fw 190 ...




Hi Neil ... well I could not find a translation for that ... one of the main problems were the flaps which dropped back in at the worst moments (t/o and landing) .... another one was the rudder which was very dangerous to use ... better roll and pull

all in all it was a stopgap a/c and I agree that no mentally sane pilot of our days will fly it

just my 2 ct

cheers

Steffen

Hi there

Of course, Steffen raises the perennial conundrum - should aircraft be preserved in museums or in their element in the sky? It's one of those issues where my heart rules over my head - and there's nothing that sends the spirits soaring like seeing - and feeling! - a warbird fly by! For instance, I never really appreciated the Grumman Wildcat until I saw one skilfully displayed at Biggin Hill, and a Sea Fury will always remind me of my late father when we watched one whistle (yes, that was the sound of the Centaurus) around us at about 20 ft! I'm lucky enough to quite regularly see a number of Spitfires around the Isle of Wight thanks to the Airframe Assemblies factory, but the crucial thing is that these precious aircraft are flown safely.

I actually doubt that we'll see the He 162 fly, but I'm always struck by Capt. Eric Brown's evaluation when testing captured aircraft. He was decidedly unimpressed by many Luftwaffe types, but said of the He 162 "... a superb aeroplane in its element but quite a handful to take off and land. I had never met better flying controls yet they could be so easily mishandled... Personally, I shall always recall the He 162 with affection as it gave me some exhilarating hours in the air...". But "Winkle" Brown is of a different breed, from a different era - like the American test pilots made famous in "The Right Stuff", we might not see his like again.

All the best

Rowan

I seem to recall "Winkle" Brown was one of the few Allied pilots to fly the He 162, and he was certainly one of the best pilots of his time.
On the German side, there was Hanna Reitsch http://greyfalcon.us/Hannah%20Reitsch.htm - by the look of things she didn't fly the 162, although she tried her hand at several other interesting projects which would be banned by us sensible, 21st century types. An amazing woman,
even if she did dedicate her life to one of the most evil, ever, regimes.

I would imagine that were an He 162 to have acheived flight status a few years ago the late Ray Hanna, or his son Mark would have been itching to have a go. http://www.ofmc.co.uk/mah/mah.htm