# New Me262 roll-out



## Douglas Jr. (Jun 14, 2005)

Hi

I don´t know if most of you heard or read something about it, but a good news is always a pleasure to tell.

The second of the newly-made Me262 - and the first to be a single seat - just made its roll-out (in May, 2005). Look how beautiful it is:







More pictures  http://www.stormbirds.com/project/gallery/gallery_2005_1.htm


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## evangilder (Jun 14, 2005)

Talk about a cool job! 8)


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## Erich (Jun 14, 2005)

curious why they painted it so grey ? It's bogus like the two seater camo JG 7 bird. It is wonderful to be sure to get these babe's up and running


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## Nonskimmer (Jun 14, 2005)

That is truly sweet! 
The fact that they're flyers _and_ that pic!


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## Beni (Jun 14, 2005)

cool,very cool. 
Anybody knows when she will be flying???


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 14, 2005)

Beni said:


> cool,very cool.
> Anybody knows when she will be flying???



They already flew both the single seat and the dual seat, and they crashed the single seat one if I remember right!


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## Nonskimmer (Jun 14, 2005)

Damn!


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 14, 2005)

Nonskimmer said:


> Damn!



I think they're repairing it, but i don't think they'll be selling any.


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## Erich (Jun 14, 2005)

they have not flown the single seater. the dual seat trainer joke cracked up and still has not gotten back to flying condition. There are enough parts of 6 me 262's to put at least 4 a/c together and whether or not they will fly is up to the refabricators and engine techs


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## me262 (Jun 14, 2005)

they already sold 2 planes and have 3 for sale, just a couple millions dlls and it is yours!!!!!


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 14, 2005)

Erich said:


> they have not flown the single seater. the dual seat trainer joke cracked up and still has not gotten back to flying condition. There are enough parts of 6 me 262's to put at least 4 a/c together and whether or not they will fly is up to the refabricators and engine techs



Ah, thank you Erich, but why do you think the trainer is a joke?


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## Nonskimmer (Jun 14, 2005)

So the crash didn't happen then? None were destroyed (and no one killed, of course.  )?


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 14, 2005)

No, the dual seat crashed, no one killed.


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## Nonskimmer (Jun 14, 2005)

Ah, too bad! 
The plane I mean.


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## me262 (Jun 14, 2005)

FLYBOYJ said:


> No, the dual seat crashed, no one killed.


the crash was due a fast landing speed and the damage resulted was the collapse of the landing strut, the wing was also damaged


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 14, 2005)

me262 said:


> FLYBOYJ said:
> 
> 
> > No, the dual seat crashed, no one killed.
> ...



Ah-ha - thanks!


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## me262 (Jun 14, 2005)

i had a small video of that landing, and showing the damage but it looks like that some how i lost it,


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## evangilder (Jun 15, 2005)

They used to have that video up on the Stormbirds site. Looked a little scary, but showed the skill of the pilot to keep it together.


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## Clave (Jun 16, 2005)

It's so clean, it looks like a kit...





But, really amazing work though, I wonder how many man-hours there are in each one?


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## Erich (Jun 16, 2005)

Flyboy:

JG 7 never had trainers. I'm into the historical accuracy bit and have since 1963. Very bad call on the original Seattle firm for this major goof up. The single seater as I said is in bogus camo.

♂


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 16, 2005)

Erich said:


> Flyboy:
> 
> JG 7 never had trainers. I'm into the historical accuracy bit and have since 1963. Very bad call on the original Seattle firm for this major goof up. The single seater as I said is in bogus camo.
> 
> ‰



I know what you mean, if you go this far to make a flying Me-262 replica, at least make it accurate! I thought you might of been speaking operationally; a single seat over a trainer. With these aircraft as an owner its probably advantageous to own the 2 seat version, at $300 - $500 for an ME-262 "Jet Orientation Ride" owning one of these could be a profitable business, but again, I would want mine painted historically accurate..

A STORY: When I lived in Palmdale, CA there is a small outdoor museum called "Blackbird Park," a tribute to the SR-71 which was flown out of Lockheed's facility located right down the road form this museum. The first two aircraft they got was a retired SR-71 and the single seat sister, the A-12. When the folks at the museum painted them, they got the paint schemes backwards, the SR-71 was painted up like a CIA spy plane, and the A-12 was painted black with "stars and bars." Everytime I drove by it would make me ill!


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## BlackWolf3945 (Jun 16, 2005)

Quoted from the Stormbirds website:

_Nose colors and other temporary markings have been applied for ease of identification only, and have no bearing upon the final marking schemes planned for any of these aircraft._

If they're not repainted by the builders the eventual owners will do so, in all probability. So all the histor-accuracy weenies can stop bitching and moaning...

And before anyone's panties get all bunched up, I'm as critical of warbird paint schemes as one can be. (Ie: I'm a histor-accuracy weenie myself) But I'm also just plain happy to see these things coming together. They could paint 'em pink with purple polka dots and I really couldn't give a rat's ass... they're here, they're airworthy and that's what really matters.

Okay, maybe the pink with purple polka dots thing is going a bit far...







Fade to Black...


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## plan_D (Jun 17, 2005)

Alright, if not pink, how about bright green with a yellow tail...and oh, oh....pink nose.


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## FLYBOYJ (Jun 17, 2005)

If I owned one I'd paint it up with Czech markings!


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## cheddar cheese (Jun 17, 2005)

plan_D said:


> Alright, if not pink, how about bright green with a yellow tail...and oh, oh....pink nose.



Make the nose look like male genitalia, so that gunfire eminates from the crown 

And how about that Hippy DC-3 that was posted here a while back?


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## GregP (Aug 14, 2005)

I went to see the Stormbirds hangar at Everett, Washington, and the first bird was only slightly damaged. There are no Me-262 langing gears available, so they cut down the main gear from a Grumman S2F and used that. The uplock worked, but not under side load.

The landing gear is a critical item since it cycles so slowly ... as the original units did. They aren't trying to make "Super Me-262s," but rather 100% replicas, so the landing gear cycle speed is identical to the original.

These people are professionals and are both talented and dedicated. Their 2-seater is no joke; it flies and has been delivered to the owner. Messerschmitt thought enough of their effors to award them six new sequential RLM numbers for their airframes, and bought one from them to the Germans.

You should check it out before criticizing ... I mean go to Seattle and look it over. It's worth the trip and these aircraft are built to the drawings, not to any "new" standards. 

Their airspeed is limited to 500 mph. The newer engines will drive it much faster but, if you go there, you are a test pilot flying an airfoil that was designed when planes that got too fast dived into the ground without possible recovery.

A really neat endeavor.


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## TROOPER117 (Aug 23, 2005)

OH WOW!! Another one...


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## Smokey (Aug 23, 2005)

The single seater has flown for the first time on August 15th


http://www.stormbirds.com/project/general/updates.htm


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 23, 2005)

does the guy in the checked shirt look remotely like Erich to anyone else?


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 23, 2005)

Nah. He'd be trying to pry open the canopy.


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## Erich (Aug 24, 2005)

actually I would be asking around if the craft has any fuel and then pry the canopy open........... Viktor, viktor 8) 

and no it's not me, scary pic though // my hair is longer anyway


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## Nonskimmer (Aug 24, 2005)

And a bit redder, as I recall.


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## Erich (Aug 24, 2005)

well ah ......... ? hey we have the same colored jeans it appears 8)


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 25, 2005)

so then erich, your bike or one of these -262s?? which would you have??


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## cheddar cheese (Aug 25, 2005)

Or if you cant chose, you can always buy a jet engine from a craft shop or something and put it on your bike, then you can imagine youre flying a 262!


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## Erich (Aug 25, 2005)

one can never have enough toyz .............  

wow tough decision. my problem is opening up my backyard, taking out the block of homes an re-seeding the open area with turf..........give me 6 months and I should be action


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## evangilder (Aug 25, 2005)

Prepping the airfield, Erich? I might be willing to help for a small favor, of say...a ride in the bird.


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## Erich (Aug 25, 2005)

I've thought seriously of doing so some years back....  for a helicopter pad but the neighbors seem a bit disagreeable


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## evangilder (Aug 25, 2005)

Well, just in case, get a helo gunship, then give them a menacing look if they complain. Problem solved!


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## Erich (Aug 25, 2005)

well I have plenty of tarps so that should keep the wacky law enforcement helicopters away 8)


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## Monkeysee1 (Aug 25, 2005)

My God... What a beautiful bird. I bet she flies like a dream. The Germans... Truly artists of an unforgiving art at that time. I'll buy 'er... but only if the 30mm's come with it.  

The Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton OH has one but to see one that actually flies..... Speechless....


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## the lancaster kicks ass (Aug 26, 2005)

maybe if we all chip in we can buy one between us


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## Smokey (Aug 26, 2005)

The same company are planning to restore two Messerschmitt Bf109 F4s

http://www.aero-news.net/news/milit...da797-85ea-4fe0-9659-1e2b6b24f67c&Dynamic=1#d


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Aug 30, 2005)

Great pics. Yeah they have a couple of the 262s in museums over here in Germany but it is nothing like seein one fly.


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## ollieholmes (Oct 20, 2005)

FLYBOYJ said:


> Beni said:
> 
> 
> > They already flew both the single seat and the dual seat, and they crashed the single seat one if I remember right!
> ...


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Oct 29, 2005)

Ouch that sucks.


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## ollieholmes (Nov 4, 2005)

Yea i bet the guy/girl (must stay politicaly correct) who was flying it was kicking themselves.


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## GregP (Nov 18, 2005)

Actually, I visited the Stormbirds hangar on Payne Field in Everett, Washington and can tell you what the head of the restoration group told me. Here goes ...

The new-build Me-262s are so accurate that Messerschmitt has issued them six new werksnumers sequential to the end of the line in 1945.

There ARE no landing gear actuators for Me-262s lying around, so they adapted the main gear actuator from a Grumman S2F Tracker. The "crash" of the 2-seat trainer version was due to down lock failure, and the main gear slowly folded as the plane rolled out on the other two wheels plus the engine nacelle.

When I saw it, it was just about ready for flight and has flown since then, and is now in the hands of the owner.

Uniquely, the 2-seater can be configured as a 2-seater or as a single seater by replacing the cockpit canopy.

These planes DO fly, both of them, and are ready for their new owners. One is in private hands and the other went or is going to Messerschmitt AG in Germany.

They have placarded the aircraft to a maximum speed of 540 mph. With the new engines, they will fly faster but, if you buy one and DO fly faster, you are a test pilot. Stormbirds is only checking them out to WWII specifications. Heck, with the excess thrust of the new engines, they can CRUISE faster than that, but the intent is not to build a "Super Me-262," but rather a replica of the Me-262 with modern, safe engines.

They accomplished that quite nicely and the planes fly just fine.

They are building six, and the last four are for sale. $2M and you supply the engines. The workmanship is good, the quality of replication is top notch, and they deserve credit for seeing through something no one else seemed willing finish. Steve Snyder was the driving force, but when he crashed in his F-86 Sabre, the present team took over and is completing Steve's dream. Steve took the project over from the originators, and the entire project is now in the 3rd or 4th set of hands, but the planes are the same airframes that originally started the project. 

Great team with good spirits and excellent professionalism.

Oh yeah, for theose who do not know, the guns are black-painted wood, as are the ammo boxes and many other weapons-related items. The gear doors are wood, too ... just like on the original aircraft in WWII. Much of the trim is wood. So, these are not intended for outside storage.


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## trackend (Nov 19, 2005)

Nice looking replica Greg should go down a storm at the airshows.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Nov 20, 2005)

I think it is amazing what they are doing. Stormbirds and the gusy in Germany building Bf-109s and Fw-190s right now.


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## javed_maverick (Dec 24, 2005)

awesome man.i love this site


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## Roter_Baron (Feb 4, 2006)

It is not a replica so far I know, it is an old one just restored and with new turbines. I read an article about it.


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## DerAdlerIstGelandet (Feb 4, 2006)

No they are not restored Me-262's they are brand new ones that were built and constructed in the United States. Completely new structure everything. There are only 10 original examples of the Me-262 left in the world and they are not flight worthy and will not be made so either do there value. One of hte new Me-262's has been shipped to its new home in Germany.

Building the First of the Last

The Me 262 Project was launched in 1993 with a single objective: to reproduce flying examples of the legendary Me 262. Classic Fighter Industries, Incorporated (CFII) was incorporated specifically to administer this effort, and exercised direct control over the project from 1993 until early 2001, when all assets were transferred to the owner's group in preparation for final assembly, the test flight programs, and delivery. 

Production has been strictly limited to five aircraft: once these five are complete, no more will ever be produced, now or in the future.

The airplanes are being manufactured as a continuation of the basic Me 262 design. In fact, they have even been assigned factory serial numbers drawn from the werknummern sequences used on the original 1945 production lines. 

Accurate, Authentic and Airworthy

Great pains are being taken to produce aircraft which are not simply replicas, but rather true serial production representative aircraft in every possible respect. Virtually rivet for rivet, the new aircraft are duplicates of the original Me 262. With the ability to examine and copy components from a vintage source, the standard of authenticity has been exactingly maintained.

Of course, the original design suffered from some well-known weaknesses, most notably dealing with the engines and landing gear systems. These areas were studied carefully, and certain subtle modifications have been directed for operator safety and reliability. A cursory visual inspection would never reveal them, however, as these internal modifications have been tightly integrated into the original design characteristics of the aircraft.

In essence, the new Me 262s are simply representative of a natural evolution of the airframe. They are being manufactured using many of the same techniques as the originals (by hand from raw materials), and are to be precision duplicates, even down to the four nose-mounted Mk 108 cannons. The only noteworthy concession will be in the area of engine selection.

From the Jumo 004 to G.E.'s J-85

Clearly, an engine change was necessary to make this project viable, as the original Jumo 004B powerplants were decidedly temperamental and prone to frequent failure. After careful consideration of a wide variety of available engines, the General Electric J-85 / CJ-610 was selected as the replacement for the vintage Jumo powerplants.

Thanks to an innovative engine mounting concept, the J-85s are to be buried deep inside carefully-engineered castings of the original engine, so that correct visual appearance will be retained. The Jumo housings are also necessary to maintain the correct nacelle weight since the J-85 is a much lighter engine than its German predecessor.
http://www.stormbirds.com/project/general/introduction.htm

You can read more on the project at:

http://www.stormbirds.com


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## Airframes (Sep 27, 2009)

I agree Dave. I went back and had another look, for the same reasons. Something struck me as odd overall, including the lighting on the various areas of the aircraft. My first thoughts were that the front end was a flying model, and the rear had either been added, or photo-edited.


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