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Old January 22nd 08, 12:55 PM posted to alt.binaries.pictures.aviation
Waldo Pepper
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Default Cramped Cockpits, pt 3 - Me 163.jpg (1/1)

I could. Falling from 30000 feet in something with
no fuel and handles like a brick does not strike me as
"flying"..........


Handles like a brick? I am surprised at you. I thought you were more
of the adventurous type there!

Consider the following testimony of pilot Joseph Kurtz.

A flying replica Me 163 was constructed between 1994 and 1996 by
Joseph Kurtz, a former Luftwaffe pilot who trained to fly Me 163's but
who never flew in combat. He subsequently sold the aircraft to EADS.
The replica is an unpowered glider whose shape closely matches that of
an Me 163, although its weight and internal construction differ
considerably. Reportedly, it has excellent flying characteristics.

XCOR Aerospace, an aerospace and rocketry company, proposed a rocket
powered replica. Although outwardly the same as a wartime aircraft,
the design would have differed considerably for safety reasons. It
would have been powered by a simpler and safer, pressure fed, liquid
oxygen/alcohol engine and retractable undercarriage would have been
used instead of a take-off trolley and landing skid. The project is no
longer discussed on the company's website and it appears work has
ceased on this project, possibly due to lack of commercial interest.

http://www.xcor.com/press-releases/2...e_testing.html

Waldo