From 'Warplanes of the Luftwaffe', edited by David Donald, World Air Power Journal, ISBN 1-874023-56-5
Other interesting facts taken in the text...
About take-off
...In fact, the piloting difficulties were immense. If the aircraft was not dead into the wind it would slew around and possibly overturn, the rudder being useless at slow speeds. Any bump in the surface caused premature take-off or a bounce on landing; this combined with the totally unsprung dolly to cause spinal damage to any pilot and, by shaking up the propellants, the occasional devastating explosion...
...the troublesome landing skid was hydraulically retracted on take-off, along with the neat steerable tailwheel. Retracting the skid automatically released the wheeled dolly, but this had a habit of bouncing up and smashing into the aircraft or even hooking on the front of the skid. If it failed to separate, a successful landing back on the dolly was not advised; it was only accomplished once. Even Hanna Reitsch tried it once, following total hang-up, and she was severely injured...
About landing
...Dittmar again was enraptured at the handling, but the aircraft was such a good glider it consistently refused to land, and invariably went off the far side of the field. On one occasion, Dittmar had to sideslip between two hangars and even then floated between all the airfield buildings when trying to land...
...A luftwaffe officer, Rudolf Opitz, came to share the flying, and it is as well that he did because Dittmar stalled onto the poorly sprung skid and spent two years in hospital having his spine reassembled...
...No combat aircraft has ever demanded so much of its operators, and in particular the landing demanded a dead-stick approach at 210 km/h (130 mph) exactly into the wind and on to an exact spot, with no opportunity for a second attempt, and always remembering to extend the skid and then return the lever to neutral to remove the hydraulic pressure and restore oleo springing...
About the fuel
...C-Stoff (hydrazine hydrate solution in methyl alcohol)...
...The tanks were pressurised, and once the feed reached the turbopumps the liquids were supplied under high pressure at the rate of 8 kg (17.64 lb) per second, combusting spontaneously on contact in the chamber...
...By learning in the most painful way, the Luftwaffe refined its Me 163B operating procedures and sloshed water everywhere during refuelling or ground running. Pilots and ground personnel wore special suits of non-organic asbestos and Mipolamfibre, although in a number of landings that ended inverted, the aircraft, even when not exploding, managed to inflict agonising corrosive injuries when the cockpit tanks spilt substantial amounts on to the pilot before he could be got out....
About the engine cut-outs
...Sea-level thrust was about 14.71 kN (3,307 lb), rising with reducing athmospheric pressure to 16.61 kN (3,748 lb) at high altitude. The type 509A could be throttled back to 0.98 kN (220 lb) idling rating, but it was inefficient atthis level and could often stop entirely...
...Before this there had been many attempts by Komet pilots to engage the enemy, but these had always been frustrated, on one occasion by the cut-out of the motor by negative g just as the pilot was about to blast two unsuspecting Republic P-47s...
...Tactics were to climb to altitude, then make unpowered diving attacks slashing down through the enemy bomber formations, relighting the rocket engine to climb and position for another attack or to evade enemy fighters. Two minutes had to elapse between shutting down and relighting the engine...
About its operational effectiveness
...the fairest overall assessment of the Me 163 is that 80 per cent of Komet losses occurred during take-off or landing, 15 per cent were due to loss of control in a compressibility dive or fire in the air, and the remaining five per cent were losses in combat. In 1945, with some 300 in front-line service, only I/JG 400 was able to engage the enemy; it claimed nine bombers but lost 14 aircraft in doing so.
This being said, I'm really looking forward to flying the Me 163. With a short engine burn time, a limited availability, the constraint to glide back to the runway and possibly a very touchy landing model requiring you to touch down very smoothly if you don't want to go BOOM...it will be a most interesting ride!
Thanks for the link Starbird, I'll check it tomorrow when I have a bit more time
