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Jets

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		On the bottom, from the left and seated, Dr. Helmuth Walter who developed the rocket engine and Dr. Alexander Lippisch who designed the Me 163 rocket interceptor, with Me 163 pilots. Picture taken in 1965 at the Duetsches Museum. Lippisch came to the US in 1946 under "Operation Paperclip." His Delta wing designs were used world wide. Lippisch consulted for Northrop and most major US aircraft firms. He was an EAA member and gave regular talks at the EAA Oshkosh Convention. He taught at the University of Iowa. A video titled "The Secret of Flight" by Lippisch is available form the University of Iowa. Call 866-287-1234 to order. See the Me163 rocket interceptor fly

		On the left is the Lippisch DFS-194 which was powered by a Walter RI-203 rocket engine producing 877 lbs of thrust. It reached speeds of 340 mph in 1939. It led to the development of the Me 163 (Komet) and Me 263. The Me 163b was a rocket interceptor powered by the Walter HWK 509C motor and would climb vertically to 39,000 ft in 2.5 minutes. It had a 9 minute cruise thrust with a speed of 600 mph. Max speed was Mach 0.9, 1941. Over 250 Me 163's were built and used to attack B-17s during WWII.

		The Northrop X-4 was a copy of the Me 163 and it was test flown in the US in 1947. It achieved mach 1.02 in a shallow 20 degree dive at 30,000 feet. Just as the Me 163, the X-4 was a great flying aircraft.

		The Me 263 was a follow on to the Me 163. It was developed at Junkers and designated the Ju 248. Test flights had been made but it never saw production.

		On the left, the Bell X-5 in the foreground and the F-86A in the background. The F-86A "Sabre" jet was the first US jet fighter with swept wings. Its design was based on the Me P.1101 and its mission was to combat the Mig 15. Dr. R.T. Jones, based on the German designs and technology, talked North American Aviation into using swept back wings. The F86A was one of the best jets and over 9,000 were built.