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Little known / experimental aircraft

There was an executive version of the Focke Wulf 200 Condor that was used by Hitler and staff during WW2. Originally designed as an airliner with 4 Pratt & Whitney Hornet 875 HP engines, it was the first aircraft to fly non-stop from Berlin to NYC. Later variants were powered by Bramos 323 9 cylinder radial engines producing 1,085 HP.

Short 8 minute video detailing Hitler nearly being overrun by advancing Soviet tank forces as he visited the Eastern Front in February 1943. The registration number was D-2600 and named “Immelmann III”, piloted by WW1 ace Hans Baur who had been Hitler’s personal pilot since the early 1930’s, the copilot was Georg Betz.


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Uncle Fester said:
I've worked for two ex-Penguins over the years and the stories they had from their time on the ice were absolutely bonkers.
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We had a few in VQ-1, the Navs were only Navs and didn't get a mission qual so they rolled right out of VXE-6 and into a flying tour they could get a mission qual in. The last Nav who went to VXE-6 was out of the class behind me in Nav school, did one season before they decomm'd VXE-6.
 
Uncle Fester said:
I've worked for two ex-Penguins over the years and the stories they had from their time on the ice were absolutely bonkers.
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My dad was in Operation Deep Freeze back in 1966-1968, as an AKC (aviation storekeeper - retired rate). Lots of stories. If you were enlisted, you could hang out in VXE-6 for pretty much an entire career.

One cool thing they had going was a polar pararescue team. Basically, if you had the will and basic ability, they would train you to jump out of C-130s over Antarctica. No prior training required. My dad said they were mostly a drinking club, but they set records for high altitude jumps over the South Pole and other various points of interest. That had to be fun.

Googling...some guys with tales... https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/57084-parachuting-in-antarctica/
 
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taxi1 said:
My dad was in Operation Deep Freeze back in 1966-1968, as an AKC (aviation storekeeper - retired rate). Lots of stories. If you were enlisted, you could hang out in VXE-6 for pretty much an entire career.

One cool thing they had going was a polar pararescue team. Basically, if you had the will and basic ability, they would train you to jump out of C-130s over Antarctica. No prior training required. My dad said they were mostly a drinking club, but they set records for high altitude jumps over the South Pole and other various points of interest. That had to be fun.

Googling...some guys with tales... https://www.dropzone.com/forums/topic/57084-parachuting-in-antarctica/
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When I read stories like this, I feel like I joined the Navy at the wrong time and missed out on all the crazy fun stuff.
 
The first aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph in level flight was the Fairey Delta 2. It set a world record of 1,132 mph in 1956. Strictly an experimental aircraft, only two were built. The second was reconstructed to test the wing planform for the Concorde years later and called the BAC 221 -- photo attached.BAC 221.jpg

The Fairey Delta 2 was the last aircraft designed and built by Fairey, ending a long run of designs.
 
The Lycoming R-7755 was the largest aircraft piston engine every built, I believe. This monster was a four-row 36-cylinder engine that was liquid-cooled. Output of the two prototypes built was 5,000 hp max. Dry weight was 6,050 lbs. The R-7755 was designed for use in the Convair B-36 but was cancelled in the general budget-cutting after World War II. The B-36 had to make do with six Pratt & Whitney R-4360 28-cylinder radials, soon supplemented with four turbojet engines.

Lycoming XR-7755 engine.jpg
 
USAF U-2CT_USAF.jpgLockheed U-2CT trainer in the original U-2 series. Powered by Pratt & Whitney J75-P-13B engine with 17,000 lbs of thrust for takeoff and I believe at altitude the thrust dropped to about 500 lbs. Of course, drag at altitude was also quite a bit less. The second cockpit occupied the space used for the Q-bay mission equipment in the single-seat variants.
 
North American XB-28 Dragon high-altitude medium bomber of 1942. Just two built.

Pressurized cabin and three remotely operated turrets with twin .50s.XB-28 Dragon.jpgXB-28_side.jpg
 
Uncle Fester said:
Pretty airplane, I hadn't heard of the B-28 before. Curious why the AAF decided against going into production, since it apparently did well in test.
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I think by the time it would've entered series production, the medium bomber mode was low-level attack a la A-26 and B-25.
 
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Uncle Fester said:
Pretty airplane, I hadn't heard of the B-28 before. Curious why the AAF decided against going into production, since it apparently did well in test.
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Mostly it was due to lessons learned in the Pacific bombing campaign. It lacked the range need to strike the Japanese deep and we already had very capable (and less complex) medium bombers for the low altitude work.
 
The Blohm & Voss BV 222 of World War II was a large flying boat transport. They were armed with a number of machine guns. Only 13 were built and several were shot down by Allied aircraft. Powered by six opposed Diesel engines of 1,000 hp each.BV 222 V2_postwar.pngBV 222 abeam.png
 
The TDN-1, designed n 1942, was intended to be a television guided attack drone. Although the aircraft flew well and was lunched successfully from a carrier, it was considered too complex for combat operations.

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