Russian pilots

[Horch]

Women! Flying Yaks

[Geek44]

Indeed. There were even a couple of female aces if I remember correctly. Let's also not forget that one of Germany's best test pilots was Hannah Reitsch ...she tested amost every Luftwaffe type including the Me 163 Komet and said it was the best aircraft she'd ever flown. She's also said to have flown a Storch out of Berlin hours before the city fell.

reitsch_6_200.jpg

Hannah Reitsch 1912 - 1979

[Horch]

Some tough babe's!

[Wolster]

Originally Posted by Geek44

Indeed. There were even a couple of female aces if I remember correctly. Let's also not forget that one of Germany's best test pilots was Hannah Reitsch ...she tested amost every Luftwaffe type including the Me 163 Komet and said it was the best aircraft she'd ever flown. She's also said to have flown a Storch out of Berlin hours before the city fell.

Attachment 4130

Hannah Reitsch 1912 - 1979

She also hovered a Fw 61 inside the Deutshlandhalle at the 1938 International Automobile Exhibition. She also test piloted the manned V1 missile and the Mistel.

I would like to see your reference for her Komet quote, Nick, as I believe she crashed on landing in one with near fatal results after the take off trolley failed to release. Also, she never flew it powered.

She was a great pilot, looked after by Ernst Udet himself, and a very staunch supporter of Hitler right up to her death in 1979. This made her very unpopular in post war Germany and kept her out of the lime light.

Eric Brown's 'Wings on my sleeve' has a section on her and he seems quite taken by her.

[Geek44]

My 'reference' for the Komet quote was probably an inaccurately remembered line from the series 'The World At War' in which she was interviewed several times. I seem to remember her saying that it had exceptional 'flying qualities'.

[Wolster]

I should imagine the 'exceptional' qualities she talked about was the fact it blew up on landing!

:LOL:

[Geek44]

She was lucky then. Not many survived a botched Komet landing.