(4K) Mega Rare ME-262 Startup,Takeoff and More

My dad was a Naval Aviator and test pilot at Patuxent River Naval Air Station during WWII. Part of his unit’s work was to fly captured Axis aircraft, evaluate their performance, note strengths and weaknesses as combat aircraft, and then send their info back to the combat pilots in Europe and the Pacific. In the four years that he was in the Navy he flew almost 100 different aircraft and logged almost 5000 hours. Once in a while he told us about flying a captured ME 262. He described it as an amazing aircraft, unlike any that the US pilots had ever seen. They couldn’t believe its power and ability to climb at speed and maneuverability. It’s biggest flaw was limited fuel capacity and its consumption, so that it had limited flight time before you had to drift back down because it was out of fuel. But what a ride! Now it’s just another memory from an old man who died 20 years ago. But he loved flying for over 60 years and never tired of telling about his life experiences. I thought at least a few people might enjoy his story.

Considering they didn’t have the software simulation tools that aircraft designers have now they did a bloody good job, it just looks right.

It was somewhere between 1950 and 1952; I was six to eight years old living in Great Neck, Long Island: one of these flew over my street. I only got a glimpse of it, but I heard that sound and saw those two big engines; I can still see them today rushing through a clearing in the trees. It was probably flying out of Grumman in Bethgpage,—they made Hellcats, Tigercats and Albatrosses there. This one had to have been a captured ME 262; it was the first jet plane I had ever seen. It was a stunning moment, like a waking dream.

First jet fighter in the world! German engineering at it’s best 👍👍

Back in the early 1990s, I worked with a retired ambassador at the State Department who served in the Army in 1945. He told me about crossing the Rhine on a pontoon bridge when an ME-262 showed up to strafe the crossing troops. Basically, he told me that the fighter flew so fast that it could not hit the side of a barn. Nobody shot it, and all the thousands of troops stared at it in wonder. The plane quickly gave up on its ground straffing mission and flew off. He said we all knew then and there that the future had arrived, and we were just in awe of it. This video brought this story back to me clearly. Many thanks.

Большое уважение людям, которые поддерживают эту технику в рабочем состоянии!

It looks so modern compared to other WWII fighter and the amount of different Armament guns that were put on it we're really astonishing and crazy

The most beautiful aircraft ever made. Years ahead of its time in so many ways.

My grandfather was a Luftwaffe ground crew engine technician and served from 41-45 mainly on the eastern front for the ME 109 and 110 . He often told me when the 262 was introduced everyone of his crew wanted to be upgraded to serve as a technician for the jet engines, everyone in his crew was mesmerized by the technology and thought it was kind of science fiction . His application was never granted. Really fantastic video to see the 262 taking off.

My Granddad was one of the few pilots who flew the M-262 at the end of the war. He always said that this was the most exiting and crazy thing he had ever done. Sadly he died a few years ago. RIP

A friend of mine told me about his first encounter with the 262. He was a B-17 pilot. On a mission the rear tail gunner called him and said, "there's something coming up on us awful fast!". The plane made one firing pass, then flew over their right wing and off he went. He said that they had heard stories of the jets, but that was the first time they encountered one.

My dad and I saw this exact plane back in May at the Ellington Field Flight Museum. It has the exact same markings and paint patterns, even the beige dirt or paint around the gun ports. I have to say, it was a pretty surprisingly large plane in person. What an amazing marvel of engineering!

Imagine being a kid over seas fighting in WW2 without ever seeing a jet and having these flying over your head I mean the sights and sounds must have been breathtaking and at the time time terrifying!

My Grandpa served as a Luftwaffe Airfield Guard at the end of WWII, he told me a story about the 262 (they named it "two six two") and when they saw the engines running for the first time they were afraid because flames came out of the engine and they thought something might be wrong with it.

Amazing the amount of progress made in aviation in such a short amount of time.

Those early jets had a character of their own ! Noisey deadly too when in the right hands could do some damage !!! Great video thank you!!!!

after over 70 years this plane still looking impressive and modern. It's amazing they produced this back then.

In 1973 I went to work for a company in Little Rock, AR called Little Rock Airmotive (today known as Dassault Falcon Jet) as a draftsman. My mentor was a German named Heinze Wenzel. We were building the very first Federal Express Falcon 20 cargo aircraft for Fred Smith. Heinze was the primary Electrical Engineer on the project. In WW II Heinze was a German Luftwaffe pilot who flew the ME109 and later the ME262. He had such a love for aircraft and flying that he left Germany for the United States after the war as he was banned from flying in Germany. He could not speak English. He ended up in Slidell. LA working at a small aircraft company. He had to learn English and acclimate to a whole new way of life along with his wife. The company he was working for (Transair Corp.) was sold and moved to Little Rock where the name was changed to Little Rock Airmotive. Heinze was a great mentor as well as my friend. He told me a lot of stories about the time he spent in the Luftwaffe. Who would know the guy who designed all the custom avionics on the first Federal Express aircraft was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot who flew the ME262!

Amazing. The Germans were so far ahead of their time. All our jets and rockets are still based on their tech.

I was lucky enough to see and hear an original Spitfire startup back in the 1990's. Watching this video ranks up there with sheer awe on my behalf. There are so many beautiful aurcraft from that period, but the sleek lines of the Spitfire, Mosquito, Tempest, Mustang, Lightning, Arado 234, and the ME 262 rank amongst the best of all.