Quote:
Originally Posted by McCoy
Dornier Do 335 A-1 ”Pfeil”
Manufacturer: Dornier-Werke GmbH.
Type: Twinengine fighter
Crew: 1
Length: 13,87 meters
Wingspan: 13,8 meters
Heigth: 4 meters
Weight: 7400 kg (empty)
Engine: Two Daimler-Benz DB603 G V12 fore n' aft in the airframe, pushpull configuration.
Speed: Cruising speed 665 km/h, topspeed 765 km/h
Operational range: 2050 km, 3750 km with droptanks.
Max ceiling: 11410 meters
Arnament: 1 MK103 30mm cannon fireing through the front spinner and two MG151/15 15mm machineguns in the forward engine cowling. An internal bomb bay for one 500 kg bomb and supports under the wings for droptanks or gunpods.
Other versions: A-4 reccon, A-6 tvoseated nightfighter with radar och MG151/20 instead of MG151/15 and without the internal bomb bay, A-10 & A-12 Twoseaters for training, B-1 with two additional MK108 30mm cannons placed in the wings.
The first flight with the prototype Do 335 V1 was made in october 26 '43 and the airspeed of 560 km/h was reached just by using the rear engine and folding the front propeller against the wind in order to reduce drag. Do 335 A-1 began production in the end of november ’44 and a total of 90 planes in various confiruations was built by the end of the war, 60 of those was flown and 20 of them did reach the airdivisions. One thing to remember is that Do 335 was the first airplane in history that was equiped with a serieproduction catapult chair. They had to as it was impossible to eject safely without it due to the rear prop.
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Interesting point. But actually ejecting from one of these was a 5 stage process. The first stage blew the rear propellor of the plane, the second blew off the upper verticle stabiliser. The seat was then 'primed', then the canopy was ejected. Finally the pilot ejected.
This from Captain Eric Brown's biography 'Wings on my sleeve'.
He also states he heard a story that when the system was first used the pilot who had ejected was found dead with both arms ripped off. The second pilot to eject was also found dead with one arm ripped off. It turned out that when the pilot grabbed the two handles to eject the canopy and pulled back the canopy was ripped off by the wind so fast the pilot couldn't let go and lost his arms!!