Was reading my copy of Juggernaut News today, and I came across an article on actual flying 262s. Granted, they are replicas, but they're supposedly built to exacting specifications to appear almost authentic. They were even assigned serial numbers by Messerschmitt beginning with the serial number of the last 262 manufactured in 1945. The only two major differences between these five planes and the originals are as follows. The original Junkers Jumo engines, which lasted about 18 hours between maintenence, were replaced by General Electric J-85/CJ-610 jet engines. But what really makes that neat is that the GE engines were smaller then the Jumos, and actually fit inside the existing engine mounts, giving an authentic appearence but far improved performance with readily available parts. The other thing that was improved were the landing gear and brakes, which were too structurally unsound in the original 262. The planes are nicknamed according to Luftwaffe custom, by the color and numeral on the rear fuselage. The names and serial numbers are:
"White 1," an Me262B-1c, two-seater, 501241
"White 8," an Me262A/B-1c, convertible to a two-seater, 501242
(No Name), an Me262B-1c, two-seater, 501243
"Red 13," an Me262A/B-1c, convertible to a two-seater, 501244
"White 3," an Me262A-1c, 501245
Two official flights have been made in White 1, during landing on the second test in January of this year, the left gear collapsed. The pilot was uninjured. Just though this might be of interest to everyone.
