(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.

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

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.

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.

The grandfather of all jets in the world.

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!

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

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

Anyone else absolutely enamored by the old timer. Love to see it !

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

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.

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 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!

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

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

Astonishingly beautiful; made all other first gen jets look like pianos! Even the array of gun ports on the nose is gorgeous.

My uncle was a reconnaissance pilot on P-38 Lightning taking off from Corsica airbase. His plane was faster than most, because he was not carrying any machine gun, only cameras. He once told me that he once crossed his path with a Me 262, and the plane was so fast he had never seen this before. Luckily, the plane was not after him.

This video was taped at Ellington Field in Houston. The plane was on display at the Lone Star Flight Museum last time I checked. It's owned by a kindly German gentleman we met there. Unfortunately he was confined to a wheelchair and unable to fly in his own plane. They were giving flights to his family members that day. It was a real joy to meet him and watch this fabulous plane fly.

This thing is so cool. I love the way it sits. It has such a tough stance. So basic yet underneath was truly state of the art. Love seeing this and learning. Thanks for sharing this. New subscriber.

Beautiful. And in its historical context, it's mesmerizing.

I wish my grandpop were still alive to show him this. He wasn't in the war himself, but was a big wwii buff as I've now become. He always told me how his good buddy Jack was encamped in France when one of these flew over at full tilt and they were all losing their minds because they never heard that sound before. Some guys thought it was a rocket until they saw it was a plane of some sort. He said they never saw anything that fast and couldn't believe it was a manned aircraft. How surreal that had to be for those guys. Wish I could hear my pop tell that story once again and show him this video of one still flying today.

Even today that thing looks deadly! Magnificent!

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.

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!!!!

Decades ago I worked for a man who flew Hurricanes and Spitfires in WWII. Once they saw an ME-262 over France and went after it but it sped away, and they were in awe of its speed.

My father was not a luftwafe pilot, no usa pilot, not even english pilot. I hope you enjoyed this story.

About 20-ish years ago I was in Seattle on business and visited the ME262 Project's hangar. Nice to see one flying.

i love messerschmitt 262s. They just look so smooth, sound really good and are just badass.

As the first operational jet fighter the Messerschmitt Me 262 is the great-grandfather of all the military jets and is still one of the most beautiful.

Che Meraviglia! IL primo caccia a Reazione della Storia! ME 262. E' Stupefacente e Bellissimo!👏✈️👏

Can you imagine how insane it must have been to hear one of these things as an Allied pilot for the first time?

Even the two seat varient looks great! Amazing job from crew to pilots.

Amazing. Love it,Thanks to the people who make this happen 💪

I actually met a WW2 bomber pilot who told me he was flying on a bombing mission and one of these planes came out of nowhere and flew right past him. He said he could not figure out how a plane could fly with no propellers.

I knew a man who shot down one of the ME-262s at the end of WWll as it was taking off - it was just as vulnerable at take off as any other aircraft! The man's name was John Cooper Fitch, an American P-51 pilot who became a world class road racing driver after the war. He actually became the only American driver to be asked by Mercedes Benz to drive one of their Works cars. In 1955 he finished 1st in the Standard Sports Class of the 1,000 mile Italian road race known as The Mille Miglia, in a Mercedes 300 SL. He was shot down himself while strafing a German train and spent the last couple months of the war in a German POW camp! He was a fascinating man to talk with and always showed good poise and respect. RIP John

Holy shit..One of them actually flying..It's beautiful..Small sleek..

Beautifully done, excelllent...Bravo!!

These aircraft have an interesting history that fewer people know about. According to Luftwaffe ace Franz Stigler, as he writes in his book, these aircraft were (obviously) massively technologically advanced and ahead of their time. However, they were being produced late in the war, at a time when Germany did not have access to many of the precious metals in quantities or qualities that they did at the beginning of the war. The result of this fact was that despite having the potential to be so far ahead of allied aircraft, these jets were less useful than you initially might believe: Turbines and other critical engine components were made out of inferior materials, which meant that making rapid, unanticipated throttle changes in flight could easily and unexpectedly cause an engine to flame out or, worse, self destruct. Additionally, the jets themselves were made of bodies that were not akin to rapid changes of G-force, and pulling back too hard on the control sticks or making too many rapid movements put undue stress on the fuselage, resulting in parts of the aircraft weakening, initially causing no problems but instead killed the next person to fly the aircraft (as the airframe would cool after landing and hairline fractures would form, which made the entire jet brittle and liable to separate altogether once those parts met G-forces again). By the time Germany had manufactured enough of this aircraft to be useful, jet fuel (and all fuel for that matter) was at an absolute premium. As a result, these aircraft were often kept turned off on the ramp, and pushed to the runway with a Kettenkrad (a half-track motorcycle) where they would be started on the runway and taken off. This created longer delays where the aircraft was exposed on the runway to assault from allied aircraft already flying overhead, causing pilots to be killed before their jet even took off and creating runway obstructions. Additionally, just after the Me-262 started rolling off the production lines, the Allies conducted the Bombing of Hamburg that created the Hamburg Firestorm. Hitler was furious at the Allies for this, and directed that the Me-262 (which was designed and created as a fighter) be used to bomb England. With the addition of bombs and the flight over British air space during a time when Germany no longer held air superiority, this resulted in massive losses of both pilots and the newly minted jets. Additionally, the jets had small fuel tanks mounted directly underneath the pilot, meaning a stray bullet could cause the entire jet to explode. When that didn't happen, they often ran out of fuel very quickly, causing many to be lost into British hands and thus essentially giving the Allies the jet technology. Lastly, for the few of these aircraft that were used by Franz Stigler and his group were authorized to use as fighters, they found them to be massively overpowered in the sense that they were SO much faster than the Allied aircraft they flew against that they actually had trouble fighting the aircraft because by the time they were in range, they would have to start pulling back on the sticks because (as I described earlier) pulling back too late caused either a collision or created fractures in the airframe. Massively interesting aircraft, so far ahead of their time. But one must remember they were essentially the first jets, and they had a many issues that prevented them from turning the tide of the war in Germany's favor.

Truly rare footage of the iconic and sharky ME262 in action.. Hugely appreciated! 👍

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

WOW!! Always fascinated me! Thanks So Much for posting. I had no idea there were any ME-262 that worth air worthy!

This is as close as we get to the first jet propulsion flight. Regardless of the geopolitical issues, this is a close look at early jets. Thank you for capturing this moment.

Imagine never hearing a jet engine in your life and then seeing the axis fly one of these over your head in 1945. That shit must have been terrifying! A wonder weapon of its day.

the most beautiful machine ever built.

Incredible for something coming up on 100 years old.

This jet is too beautiful to exist *__* Yes, Su-57 and F-22, but they're gen 5, c'mon, and this is literally the first operational combat jet

I didn't realize there were any ME-262's, either production or replicas, in existence capable of taxiing on their own power, let alone fly.. Seeing one in a museum was an incredible thing, I can't imagine how awesome it would be to view one take off, fly around and then land. Amazing video and a salute to all that have contributed money, time, expertise and everything else that it took to make it possible and that it takes to continue it's mission. Thanks!

Incredible to see something operate that was built nearly 80 years ago. Astounding!

Can you imagine what the first pilot who was standing next to this thing thought when the sound of the jet started? That high pitch screaming I would have thought this was some kind of new dangerous magic. What a feeling.

I live near Ellington and never miss a chance to look up when hearing a plane passing overhead. Bout 10 or 12 years ago (maybe longer) I looked up and saw what a first glance looked like an A-6 Intruder but different. It dawned on me it was an ME-262. Needless to say I was awestruck. My oldest son snooped around on utube and found a new and obscure vid of the plane. 🙂

How can the very first operational jet fighter STILL look the coolest?! 😍

They were effective against the B-17 - just too late in the war. I read a US memoir from 44/45 that had a 262 down 3 B-17s with one pass. The 30mm cannon round was devastating. By that time though, the Luftwaffe had no experienced pilots left and very little fuel.

Back in the 70’s my brother had an excellent me -262 model kit that was assembled to perfection. Paint and decals matching some war photos we had. It was beautiful, sadly it wound up getting destroyed in combat reenactment. It was was hit with .22 caliber projectiles, and then a huge explosion with a yellow-black checked “bomb”, and completely destroyed on impact.

So much was learned from this extremely advanced design - from the engine mount location, to the swept wings, and of course the speed of the plane itself. Absolutely revolutionary.

Thanks to all concerned for getting this profect literally off the ground. Great video showing her off in all angles, never realised how big they were and how, even by today's standards, how modern she looks. 👍🏻👍🏻

Such a huge evolution in aircraft design. Instantly made other planes look outdated.

At the 7:40 mark, the actual take-off takes place. If memory serves me, this jet could fly at 555 mph while the allies were flying piston fighters that flew at roughly 375 mph.

To actually see one of these in working condition is just incredible

Amazing to think it was invented over 70 years ago. Looks like a very capable aircraft still

Simply amazing! Thanks a lot!!!!

The taking off, gear up/down and landing were perfect, well done

Even though I came across this vid by chance, the thrill I felt when it took off was unexpected. What a brilliant Aircraft and well done to the lads who have kept it going. Loved this vid.

German engineering....impressive then....now...and forever. Big thank you to the team keeping it airworthy.

The fact that the airframe is still flight worthy is incredible

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.

All the angles in this video really showcase what a gorgeous machine this is. I really never realized her beauty before.

It's a beautiful masterpiece of its time!

Such a glorious machine

It went by like we were standing still 🔥

So cool that we still have old war-birds like these. This bad boy basically being the progenitor of all modern fixed-wing fighter aircraft. (even if it is just a trainer version) so cool to see history in action!

Thanks for flying and make it still working , this wonderful ME 262 , the great history of the world of jet fighters .

Just got to see this beauty fly in Houston a few days ago now. What a work of art she is!

A piece of history, exciting to watch even on video

Simply gorgeous. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be in the sky in such a historically significant machine.

Seventy-seven years ago people flew as fast as today's airliners, it's mind-boggling. I am always amazed by the technology of men when they are entrenched in a catastrophic atmosphere. And above all thank you, oh a big thank you to the men who bring these jewels of aviation back to life.

I saw this specific plane at wings over houston, great to see her in shape!

Saw this fly at Wings Over Houston this year. It was AWESOME!

My father was in WWII and he took a picture of one of these setting on the ground, still one of my favorite photos.

Just.... WOW! What a beautiful aircraft, a ground-breaker, so ahead of it's time to boot. Love it.

Incredible story very brave Pilot wish i could have thanked him in person

Thanks for sharing that 👍

As a kid, some time ago, the only Axis plane I had as a model was the ME-262 - still amazing.

Impressive machine. I love the triangle-shaped body of the Me 262.

Congratulations for the pilot, he had total control over this extraordinary and mythical plane.

The single seater is the best looking jet plane to date..such a pretty bird.

My late father always told me how in awe he was seeing his first jet fighter and his first buzz bomb. He told me he would wonder what kind of people are these Germans to develop such weapons. He told me of watching P51s dog fight the Me262 on a sunny day over Germany.

one of my grandfather's was in the medical corps during World War 2 for Canada, and he said the first time one of these flew across literally every one on the ground almost stopped what they were doing and watching what was happening in the air. to see one of these ME-262 vs an Allied plane and the almost comical speed at which the 262 flew compared to the Allied fighter. they knew history was being made that day in aviation

One of the Most Beautiful things the world!

Such an elegant looking plane.

Großartiges Teil! Super Sound, tolles Design. Die Messerschmitt ME 262 ist eine Legende.

I never imagined seeing one fly. Amazed seeing that.

Thank you very much for this perfect video

So cool to watch this. I was a Navy plane captain for E2cs in the early-mid 1970s. Did many land and carrier launches and recoveries, I'm guessing that the ME262 had an electric starter motor because I saw no "huffer" compressor....a very advanced piece of engineering, not needing the 2nd piece of starting equipment. Also, I missed that the director didn't go thru the final control surfaces testing...you know....testing the flaps, rudder,....etc, and all other air surface moving parts with hand signals. Still noise that sound is still magic. What is the fuel capacity?

The most beautiful plane of the entire war. It's a piece of airborne sculpture. The 2 seater hurts the lines of the original though.

Always loved this plane, ever since I was a kid.

BEAUTIFUL

Thousand thanks for this rare vid of a mega-rare bird!!!!