Sorry Chuck, I bin there...

[Der Mensch]

I read this recently in a local magazine.

We all know of Chuck Yeager officially breaking the sound barrier in '46 in his Bell X-1.
However in a the magazine, it tells of a story where a German Me 262 pilot claims to have broken the sound barrier in early 1945. Even though it was in a dive with the rivets being pulled out he still did it.

Has anybody else ever heard of this??

 

[Nonskimmer]

As a matter of fact, yes. It's been discussed here in the past. If you feel like sifting through pages of old threads, I'm sure you'll come across it eventually.

BTW, Yeager's feat was in '47.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It is up for argument if it happened or not.

 

[DaveB.inVa]

Ive read about the claim that the Me-262 got that fast but personally I doubt it. I do believe the pilot got into a transsonic range maybe upwards of Mach 0.8 or 0.9 but didnt break the sound barrier.

I put my money on George Welch being the first to break the sound barrier and then Chuck Yeager being the first to break it in level flight.

As an aside this is the same George Welch that was the pilot of one of the two P-40's to get airborne during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Ive read about the claim that the Me-262 got that fast but personally I doubt it. I do believe the pilot got into a transsonic range maybe upwards of Mach 0.8 or 0.9 but didnt break the sound barrier.

I put my money on George Welch being the first to break the sound barrier and then Chuck Yeager being the first to break it in level flight.

As an aside this is the same George Welch that was the pilot of one of the two P-40's to get airborne during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Yep - I was told by Tony LeVier that Welch hated Yeager and broke the sound barrier with the F-86 just to piss him off....

 

[Gnomey]

Here is an article on it: http://home.att.net/~historyzone/Welch2.html

 

[delcyros]

We do not have any reliable info how fast Mutke got during his dive. He raised his claim not until Prof. Messerschmidt died.
There is some evidence (including US test pilots notes) that a Me-262 can exceed Mach 1.0 in a dive but wther Mutke did or not remains unclear.

 

[Erich]

I've chatted at length with Guido before he died, it is very possible that he blew the barrier whether in a dive or not

 

[CharlesBronson]

I honestly dont think that the Me-262 had the streght to wisthstand more than Mach 1.

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

why not? the spitfire could withstand the stresses of mach 1.3, of course she never made ti that far but that's what they recon.........

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

but that's what they recon.........

You Redneck!

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

how's that what they say?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I Recon!

 

[Erich]

it's all been docmented from Guido with German ground control during his haphazard mission

 

[delcyros]

That´s interesting, Erich.
What informations are avaiable?Esspeccially from the ground crews.
Technically the Me-262 has a lim. Mach figure of 0.84 (crit Mach: 0.86), beyond this figure the plane will enter an uncontrollable flightregime up to Mach 1.06, when the controlls are regainable. It´s all a question how long the airframe is exposed to the dragpeak at Mach 0.88-1.1, if the dive is steep and full powered, I could imagine that the plane can regain controlls before it will hit the ground. Anyway, the plane isn´t designed to do so, I would expect severe damages to the airframe.
The wing has a thin airfoil, comparable to the F-86 (even thinner than those of the Mig-15´s) but with less wingsweep. The fuselage looks as if it may sustain the shock effects but we don´t know.
I also read that in documents written in 1946 US pilots say that it is possible to regain controll once the speed of sound is exceeded (Me-262).

 

[Erich]

check Bert Hartmann's Luftwaffe archiv for an example as Bert and Guido talked at length and it is all on the site. not actually sure just where but it is there. Essentially guido changed subject on me and chatted at length about his near death experience as I wishing just infor on his nachtjagd dasy and his missions while in I./JG 7.

 

[delcyros]

Will do. Thanks for the info, Erich!