Zyzygie’s Mumbles and Rambles

[fubar57]

Here are the internal fuel tanks: #33 Forward Main Tank - 198 imp gal/900l...#18 Aft Aux. Fuel Tank - 132 imp gal/600l...#58 Forward Aux Fuel Tank - 37 imp gal/170l. My math (see another thread) = 367 imp gal. Where were the other internal tanks?

 

[Thos9]

Hey Thos9,

Did your source give the reason for not fitting brakes?

Unfortunately no: "Jet Planes of the Third Reich" by Smith and Creek. I suspect an ill-advised simplification.

 

[Thos9]

The aft main tank of 198 gal was between the cockpit and the aft auxiliary tank, as shown in the drawing.

 

[Greyman]

Looks like this is the set up:

198 imp gal forward main​

37 imp gal forward auxiliary ​

198 imp gal rear main​

132 imp gal aft auxiliary​

​

565 total

Looking at Eric Brown's book there's a lot more granularity in regard to altitude:

Range (with 396 imp gal):
- 298 miles at 0 ft
- 528 miles at 19,685 ft
- 652 miles at 29,530 ft

 

[fubar57]

#18 in the drawing is the aft aux fuel tank. Kind of small to be holding 132 gallons

 

[fubar57]

From...

 

[fubar57]

For what its worth
b)Schmierstoff - lubricant
c)Zündkraftstoff - ignition fuel
d)I have no idea

 

[GrauGeist]

"D - Riedel Kraftstoff" is the fuel tank for the two Riedel starters located at the engine"s intake.

 

[nuuumannn]

"D - Riedel Kraftstoff" is the fuel tank for the two Riedel starters located at the engine's intake.

Yup, this is the right hand intake of the RAF Museum's '262 and you can see two rectangular doors on it; the right hand one was the fuel filler cap for the Riedel starter motor and nominally had the typical yellow triangle pointing to it that stated the type of fuel to be used - 87 octane petrol. The starter motor was located in the shock cone in the centre of the intake. Other markings within the triangle on different Me 262s include "B4 mit 3% Schmierstoff", which indicates B4 fuel with 3% lubricant added. This served two purposes, to lubricate the motor and also as an anti-corrosive agent, because B4 was jet fuel.

Riedel starter

This is a cutaway of a BMW 003 engine from an He 162, but shows the same Riedel starter motor in the shock cone. The Riedel was a compact two-cylinder, two-stroke, horizontally opposed piston engine and in this picture the cutaway cylinder head can be seen. Note also the means by which the Riedel was started - the pull handle in the front of the shock cone. This was the same on the '262, and was how the Riedel was started in the absense of ground power. Nominally however, the Riedel was started through the pilot's ignition process in the cockpit. There were two buttons on the right hand side of the cockpit near the pilot's elbow, which when switched energised the Riedel electrically. In the picture above, the starter motor ring is absent from the shock cone, but in the cutaway Jumo 004 in the background, you can just make out the cord dangling from the cone. The Riedel is also visible inside the cutaway cone.

Front BMW 003

 

[nuuumannn]

Now I know y'all are gonna go looking through your pictures of Me 262s for that wee handle in the front of the shock cone! I did when I first learned this!

 

[Zyzygie]

See for dispelling some myths re the combat readiness of the me262.

 

[Zyzygie]

It was seriously claimed that the Arado 234 could out-turn the Me 262...?
And was considered for use as a fighter?

Incredible...

 

[FLYBOYJ]

This was all documented in Walter Boyne's book Messerschmitt, Arrow to the Future.

 

[Zyzygie]

Wow. That's even MORE incredible...

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Wow. That's even MORE incredible...

What's even more incredible the book was written in 1980...

 

[Denniss]

Drawing from manual showing the tanks in a Me 262

 

[Greyman]

Seems like a much more accurate representation of the aft auxiliary tank, understandably.

 

[Zyzygie]

What's even more incredible the book was written in 1980...

Fantastic.

 

[Zyzygie]

Logistics problems in converting from the Me109 to the Me262:

 

[fubar57]

what?????