Messerschmitt Me 262 jet at the BBMF
Header Image: Messerschmitt Me 262 reproduction D-IMTT is visiting the UK in July to attend the Royal International Air Tattoo and will also be making a brief visit to the BBMF at RAF Coningsby.
Some Club members may have seen in the aviation press and social media that the only flying example of a reproduction Messerschmitt Me 262 in Europe will be visiting the UK, principally to attend the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) which takes place at Fairford from 14-16th July. This announcement has created considerable interest as this will be the first time that a Me 262 has flown in this country since captured German aircraft were exhibited immediately after the Second World War. Even more exciting is the news that the Me 262 will be visiting the BBMF at RAF Coningsby after the RIAT show and will be available to view on BBMF hangar tours on 18th July.
During the Second World War around 1,430 Me 262s were built. The Me 262 was one of the most advanced aircraft of the time, although the type suffered from reliability problems because of strategic material shortages and design compromises with its Jumo 004B axial-flow turbojet engines. The original Jumo 004B jet engines had a service life of only 10-25 hours (maybe twice that in the hands of a careful pilot). A shortcoming of the engine, common to all early turbojets, was its sluggish throttle response. In addition, if the throttle was advanced too quickly, too much fuel could be injected into the combustion chambers, causing the temperature to rise rapidly before the airflow increased to match the increased fuel flow. This overheated the turbine blades, and was a major cause of engine failures. However, the Me 262 was faster and more heavily armed than any of the Allied fighters (including the British Gloster Meteor) and, with performance superior to the best propeller aircraft of the time, it proved to be effective against Allied aircraft. Its pilots were credited with 542 Allied aircraft shot down. The Allied fighters countered by attacking the 262s during take-off and landing and on the ground. Around 100 Me 262s were claimed by Allied fighter pilots.
There are no original Me 262s flying in the world today, but five reproduction 262s were built in the USA in the 1990s and early 2000s, of which four are currently airworthy. Taking guidance from fragments of drawings and an original two-seater training aircraft, which was used as a model, all the parts for the reproduction 262s were made from scratch and no original components were installed. With the poor reliability of the original Jumo jet engines the decision was taken to fit modern jet engines to the Me 262 reproductions, which are powered by General Electric CJ610 turbojets, derived from the military J85, with around 2,500 lbs of thrust each. The new engines are concealed inside detailed reproductions of the original Jumo 004B engine shells and nacelles.
The Messerschmitt Foundation’s reproduction Me 262 (D-IMTT) made its first flight on 15 August 2005 in Seattle, Washington, and after a brief period of testing and shakedown flying it was then dismantled, packed up and transported to its new home in Manching, Germany. After reassembly and ground tests, it flew from Manching for the first time on 25 April 2006, piloted by Horst Philipp. Reproduction Me 262 D-IMTT is operated by Flugmuseum Messerschmitt and supported by the Airbus Heritage Flight.
Me 262 D-IMTT is expected to arrive at Coningsby late in the afternoon of Monday 17th July. It will be available to view on BBMF hangar tours via the BBMF Visitor Centre on Tuesday 18th July. It will be returning to its home in Germany on Wednesday 19th July. The BBMF is also expecting to have DH Vampire T.11 WZ507, the only UK-based flying Vampire, on show in the hangar next to the Me 262, along with the Rolls-Royce operated Spitfire PR Mk XIX PS853 and the company’s P-51 Mustang.
With the expected high level of interest for this special event, BBMF hangar tours will run at 20-minute intervals from 10am to 3.30pm on 18th July with a maximum of 20 visitors on each tour. There is no booking system in place; it is simply a case of turning up at the Visitor Centre and you will be put on the next available hangar tour. In order to assist the large number of visitors expected, stewards will be on duty in the Visitor Centre carpark and at the gate to the Visitor Centre. As always, members of the Official Club (and the Lincolnshire’s Lancaster Association) are entitled to free hangar tours on production of a valid membership card, otherwise charges apply. Details will be found on the BBMF Visitor Centre website and on the BBMF Visitor Centre Facebook page.
