Me 262 - Weights & Measures

[David E. Brown]

Gents,

I am wondering if someone might have the answers to the following Me 262 related questions. So far I have drawn a blank:

1. How much did the R4M wooden launch rail for 12 rockets weigh in kilograms? The weight of the individual rockets is known, but surprisingly I cannot find anything on the launching system itself.

2. What is the take-off (unstick) speed (km/hr) for a fully loaded Me 262 A-1a fighter that was NOT using Ratos? I know this has to be approximate as there could be variations in the aircraft's total weight due to fuel quantities / use of auxiliary tanks, addition of head armour, etc.

In advance, many thanks,

David

[Nick Beale]

Good points that I can’t answer but can I add more? What colour was the smoke from an R4M and did the propellant burn throughout its flight or was it all consumed in the first couple of seconds?

[Snautzer]

[Snautzer]

Originally Posted by Nick Beale

Good points that I can’t answer but can I add more? What colour was the smoke from an R4M and did the propellant burn throughout its flight or was it all consumed in the first couple of seconds?

hope this can help a bit

[udf_00]

From Messerschmitt Me 262 Described: Pt. 1 by Kenneth A. Merrick (Author) 1972
p.20 [for an unspecified Mark]
...After covering a distance of of approximately 200 metres[sic] ease back on the control column to gently rise the nosewheel and hold in this attitude until the airspeed builds up to 200-230 km.p.h., then lift the aicraft off.

[Karoband]

Hi David,

On the www.zenowarbirdvideo.com website there is a PDF file entitled Summary of debriefing German pilot Hans Fey [sic] on operational performance of the Me 262 jet fighter. Under the category SPEED, the first line reads:

"Take-off speed with full fuel load but without bombs is about 180 - 200 km/h (111 - 124 mph) ..."

best regards,

Jim

[Snautzer]

[David E. Brown]

Snautzer, Jim and UDF,

Thank you all for this information.

Regarding the launchers, I had estimated (based on the fact the launchers were made of wood and their dimensions) that their weight would be about 25 kg or so. Having confirmation of the exact weights is excellent.

BTW Snautzer, what is the source of these documents your shared here? I have some similar ones from the “Bedienungs Anweising fur R4M” (March 1945) and “Anbauwanweisung fur R4M” (November 1944), and various OKH Wa Prüf. 11/II Versuchsberichten (1944-1945) but nothing for the information I was seeking. BTW, can you fill in the missing word for the subject of this memo: “a) Angaben aus ????? der Jagdgruppe 10 von 2.3.1945”. Thanks.

It is interesting that the document indicates the set-up for the Me 262 was for 15 R4Ms (that was later reduced to 12), but remained the same for the Fw 190 (A/D) at 13 as confirmed in photos. Thus the launchers ultimately used by the Me 262 were virtually the same weight as those for the Fw 190 series.

And the information on the take-off weight is very helpful. In Walter Boyne’s book “Messerschmitt Me 262 – Arrow to the Future (Smithsonian, 1980) that I forgot I had in my library, I discovered that he includes the translation of Mtt. test pilot Fritz Wendel’s flight notes (Referenced from A.I.2(g) Report No. 2357). In it Wendel echoes the above-quoted 190-200 kph take-off speed for a fighter fully laden at 6700 kg, and 200-220 kph for a bomber at 7100 kg.

Snautzer, the translated Me 262 Pilot’s Handbook is, I seem to recall, available online. Can you share the link if known?

Many thanks,

David

[Snautzer]

For manual

https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/attach...a-1-pdf.33828/

and the luftwaffe one



https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/attach...a-2-pdf.86039/

[Snautzer]

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