On Mar 8, 8:36*am, "Peter von Tresckow" wrote:
The thing probably isn't much worse than a 2-22 :-)

Anyone know thae actual best L/D for a Komet?

Pete

No idea, but it obviously isn't horrible. The prototypes (less
engines) were aero towed during the development program. The
"production" Me 163Bs had flight profiles that included significant
glides while returning to base. It's a fascinating story, written up
in a couple of books and well worth reading. It was by all accounts a
really nice handling airplane. I wonder if this was the fastest
wooden airplane ever built? It said to have exceeded 1000 km/hr. It
was a strictly subsonic aerodynamic design. IIRC, they did fly it up
to the point of shock formation and it clearly wasn't going to go
well :-).

Period film shows Me163s flying at very high speed in the pattern, ca
200 mph. This was done (as I was given to understand) more to
minimize exposure to Allied aircraft than of aerodynamic necessity.

T8