Indeed. One of my top favourite planes as well. Incredibly beautiful and so alien for its time.
When I saw it on my first visit there, I simply could not get over how sleek, elegant and advanced for it time the plane was.
That glass cockpit (imagine the view from there!!), the periscope and it being a jet to boot!
That would put the fear of God into Allied pilots seeing that thing whizz by without a chance to intercept.
A periscope! It has an effing periscope, LOL!
Thanks a bunch.
Yes, it is - the idea of launching it from a sub as en 'eye in the sky' was not a bad idea at all IMO.
As this thread shows, the Germans sure were not timid in regards to thinking outside the box.
The Udvar is a fantastic place to go to experience aviation technology. The museum will blow you away, if you are an aviation nutter.
Highlights (to me) are also the fuselage of the sole surviving Heinkel 219 'UHU' and the sad remains of a rare Horten III sail plane.
The latter admittedly not looking like much, but the significance of any design from the hands of the Horten brothers simply can not be overestimated IMO (last pic shows the Horten brothers, Reimar and Walter).
Speaking of Horten designs; the The Smithsonian has a Horten H IX V3 (RLM designation Ho 229) on the short list for resto/display.
Now, THAT will be a thing to behold!!!
When that goes on the floor for display, 'Ill be back!!' (the latter with a slight Austrian accent).
Check out the fabulous pics/slide of it here:
Horten H IX V3 | National Air and Space Museum
Linky-poo
hortenwings
Oooops, post a little bit longer than planned, sorry if I went overboard/out on a tangent, but I find the planes in question fascinating and it a subject close to my heart
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