During the course of World War Two, German aircraft designers embraced many unusual concepts. Some worked, but not all. The Blohm & Voss, a product of the mind of Richard Vogt, a German aircraft designer who conceived of many weird and wonderful designs during World War Two. At a time when the shortage of aluminum was starting to affect aircraft production, the P163 concept offered a way of partially utilizing steel as an alternative. At least in a limited way. Of course, there would be a weight penalty. However, the additional strength of steel might allow the wings to support a crew gondola and each wing tip. Thereby allowing much more free space than the main fuselage for engines, weapons and fuel. Each of the gondolas would have weighed about one ton. Evoked predicted that they would actually improve flight performance by reducing both bending in the wings and turbulence from their outer edges. The Project 163 was envisioned as a high speed bomber. Fulfilling some of the multiple roles performed by the famous Junkers Ju 88. The Junkers plane was clearly in the fast bomber class. It had a crew of three or four grouped together to improve morale and enable better communication. However, the aircraft was lightly armed and relied mainly on speed for survival against enemy fighters. In contrast, the design of Blohm & Voss's new proposal necessitated having two separate crew seating positions separated by at least 60 feet. The 163 was manned by a crew of four with two men in each gondola. There would be a single pilot who would have a spectacular view not disrupted by turning propellers. More significantly, the pilot sat back-to-back with his navigator and part-time gunner, who was in an excellent position to cover the rear and left flank of the aircraft. To balance the architecture, Project 163's other gondola had two Gunners, one facing aft, the other forward. At least in theory, this high speed bomber would have been very well protected. Not surprisingly, there were serious concerns about the actual control of such a revolutionary layout. How would a pilot react to being at the very tip of an aircraft rather than the center? To test the impact of this position on the pilot, an early asymmetric Focke design was modified. An additional gondola was added to the BV141 port wing and tested. Another major advantage of the wing tip cockpit was that it would leave the 163's main fuselage less cluttered, leaving space for a power plant that consisted of two engines coupled together driving counter rotating propellers in a centerline thrust. At about the same time that Project 163 was being developed, the centerline thrust approach was also being explored in the South of Germany by the Dornier Company. Their Do 335 arrow heavy fighter bomber design was also based on the principle of centreline thrust. One engine set in the traditional nose position. And another placed in the centre of the fuselage, driving a propeller at the very back of the aircraft. In the United States, another company, Douglas aircraft were also engrossed in another centerline thrust project, which was just as revolutionary. The XP42 or Mixed Master was designed as a fast long range bomber. It employed 2 engines mounted near the middle of the airframe, driving separate propellers grouped together at the rear. The XP42's layout, like that of the Do 335, resulted in extremely clean flying surfaces that made for increased speed and maneuverability. Both aircraft were finally made, and with testing so advanced, they probably would have gone into production if the war had continued. Meanwhile, back in Germany, the war was not going well and the benefits of all new aircraft projects were being seriously reappraised. Although it was reasonable to assume that Blohm & Voss had a design that would be the equal of the Junkers Ju 88 in speed range, and it would also have offered considerably more defensive gunnery, there was still caution about the practicality of the crew positions. How would pilots feel about such an unusual design? The acid test would be the adapted one for one asymmetric plane. The standard Bv 141 actually worked quite well. The addition of yet another gondola at the very tip of one wing made the aircraft even more bizarre looking. But it served its purpose and apparently proved that the wingtip cockpit arrangement was workable. However workable just wasn't enough. Project 163 was cancelled before a prototype was built. There would be no armadas of this unusual looking aircraft flying over enemy targets, and the addition of another gondola at the very tip of one wing did not turn it into a swan, but it served its purpose and apparently proved the wingtip cockpit arrangement was acceptable. Another factor behind the decision to cancel the 163 was its performance. It simply did not offer any major improvement on what was already proven and available. But performance was not Richard Vogt primary objective in designing the 163. His goal was to find a way of substituting steel for aluminum, which at the time was in short supply. But as the war progressed, not only aluminum but all materials in Germany were in short supply. But Richard Votes revolutionary concept would later be vindicated by the United States Air Force. In 1949, the Northrop F 89 Scorpion was finally selected by Air Defence Command as its mainstay all weather interceptor. It was equipped with cannons, but the A, B and C models displayed structural problems in the wings, and there were some losses. In 1954 the D Model ended service. This had a much strengthened wing and a huge pod mounted on both wing tips. Each pod contained 52 mighty mouse rockets. The F- 89D became the main production version of the Scorpion and perhaps supported votes theory on wing bending and turbulence. The post war B17 clearly demonstrated the benefits of Vogt's wingtip theory. But we had a B17 there that had a crew position on the right wing tip. The reason they did that was. To develop a central gun control. So they had this on the V-29. However, it wasn't on a wingtip, but that was what the airplane was built for. However, the war was over and everybody forgot about that except the armed people thought, oh, what a wonderful thing to find out what it is like to roll an aeroplane if you're not on the roll axis. Everybody said you're going to make any difference, but they insisted on doing it and they built a cockpit in that position out there using the formation stick, which was a. Work through the autopilot and you could fly the airplane from this position out on the wing tips. I got, I got to fly it. The one thing you did learn was, you know, when you're in turbulent air, you keep seeing the wings flap up and down. That's not exactly what's happening. The wings are more tips are more or less steady. It's the fuselage that's moving up and down. And you could sit out there on that wing tip and jiggle the formation stick longitudinally and make the people in the airplane sick, and you were hardly moving. But you didn't do it too much, because they get mad at you and get even with you later. In recognition of his genius, Richard Vogt was invited immediately after the war to work in America. He contributed to many designs, including the ambitious tiptoe project and its many variants. From 1933 until the end of the Second World War, German Aviation led the world in aerodynamic design and technical innovation. Long before the outbreak of hostilities, German industry produced an Armada of technically superior warplanes. When war broke out, the Luftwaffe quickly overwhelmed some of Europe's most vaunted air forces. Classic designs like the Bf 109 Fighter and Ju 88 proved to be superior fighting machines, while others, like the Blohm & Voss Bv 141, became one of aviation's true oddities. Germany's plan for war in Europe called for an Air Force that was to be used in direct support of its ground forces. The Luftwaffe's task was to sweep the skies clear of enemy fighters. Then destroy enemy troops and installations. Key to the Luftwaffe's success were ground attack aircraft like the Henschel 123 and Ju 87 dive bomber. Ordered in 1934. The Henshel 123 proved to be a rugged and reliable aircraft. It would cease service well into 1944. Ground attack was only effective when good battlefield observation and reconnaissance could locate enemy targets. That job was given to the Henschel 126. With its excellent low speed short field characteristics an outstanding all round view, the Hs 126 proved a great success in the early campaigns of 1939 and 1940. The Hs 126 would see action on every front. But by 1941 its limited performance was beginning to show and a new battlefield reconnaissance aircraft was needed. This led to some of the wars most unusual designs. The Blohm & Voss company was one of the first to respond with their Bv 141. Designed around the concept of maximum all round view, the Bv 141 was in many ways a problem looking for a solution. The unorthodox design featured an asymmetric layout. With the radial engine installed at the front end of a portside tail boom. And then extensively glazed crew nacelle mounted to starboard. Unusual and radical in design, the Bv 141 performed surprisingly well. But in the end it was considered too unconventional and it was cancelled in 1943. Yes, in my meandering throughout Germany just after the capitulation I was looking for unusual of advanced technology aircraft and the one for one intrigued me a little that I had heard that there were at an airfield called Vershein. Which was quite near Meissen. And there was a big Viconia science unit which had many reconnaissance types of aircraft, and I thought maybe the 141 will appear there, so I flew there and. There's no sign of one, but I asked if I could speak to some of the POW's. Who were in the cage there and one of the chaps told me that a 141 hadn't did been there, but the last year remembered of it was not too long ago it had had an ancient problem while flying nearby and had landed on an emergency strip. East of Großenhain So I flew over in that direction looking for this strip. But it wasn't really a strip I found. It was a small airfield, and uh, it was... But this time I had moved into the Russian occupation zone and I decided to land there because I had already found that that stage. After the war, the Russians were still very amenable to the Brits because we had come into the early stages. Of the war. To help them. Anyway, when I landed There wasn't a lot of aircraft there. And then there was a Russian commissar and with an interpreter and I asked if there was a 141 there. He didn't really know things like the aircraft numbers and but he said there were one or two aircraft left, but his people had been at the examined their airfield, taken away what they wanted, and the rest was left for destruction. So I said could I have a look around and see where there was? He said, well, yes, why not? Because it's all going to be destroyed anyway. And then the in one hand there was indeed a 141. It had regularly had its engines run up by felt viable. Who and who was available? And I said to him, was the aircraft flyable? And he he declared, ohh, yes it was. I, for all this suspected his motive. So I wasn't too sure of what he was saying or believing what he was saying, because I think he had hoped I would fly him out of there and out of the Russian zone. But the Russians were obviously not going to play with that. Anyway. I thought, I'll take his word, friend, have a go at this, and then the commissar didn't object, he said. As long as I stayed within sight of the airfield and I'd only have enough fuel to do that. He didn't mind because. It was due for destruction anyway, and so he let me fly that and I had about 30 to 40 minutes in it to try out this theory that it flew very nicely and in a straight line when. At on an angle of Bank of 90 degrees. And After about Two or three goes at this at various speeds and heights I had trouble with the engine So I had to return to base. And. So I formed an impression. That probably did what it said could do it, but its real reason for failing in my opinion was. It's certainly Wasn't an aircraft in the same Category of handling as the Focke-Wulf 189, which I had already flown and was its competitor. Another odd looking aircraft was the Focke-Wulf 189. The completely glazed central nacelle Twin engines and tail booms were considered too radical for conservative Luftwaffe officials. Performance, however, won the day. Known as the Flying Eye, the Fw 189 proved supremely versatile. Universally popular and one of the most reliable aircraft ever to see lifafa service. During combat operations, the Fw 189 surpassed all expectations. Despite flying low over the battlefield. And taking large amounts of damage. It had the ability to absorb punishments and fight another day. So I think that killed it more than the theory that it gives them the the gunner a wonderful field of fire by having no. Starboard half of the tailplane and Being asymmetrically offset to give a few a clear field of fire the gunner. So that was my experience of it. Not very impressive. Well, but. Interested. The Arado 234 It was a beautiful looking airplane, aesthetically it was very clean and looked dynamic aerodynamically. Very attractive and cockpit was unusual. It was a glass cockpit right up the nose and it reminded me when I got into a roll of like being in a helicopter. You were stuck right out in the front. There was completely clear vision right here. On the other hand, you were sitting pretty close to the accident if it had to happen too and My first meeting with the 234 wasn't very happy event because this was up at Grover in Denmark, where we found a number of 234s and I had one prepared. For the flight by the German crew, because we obviously didn't have the expertise to deal with it at that stage and. I taxied it out to the end of the Runway. I was well aware, of course, that the Jumo 004 engines. To fit it to it. Had. A scrap life. Total scrap life of 25 hours. So one really needed to know the service history of the engine we were flying that the Germans were very very adept at destroying documentation and we could find no service records however. Attacks it out to the end. The runway Grover. And revved up to full power, ready for takeoff and just about to release the brakes when the starboard engine Exploded and totally disintegrated, taking most of the starboard wing with it and. This of course, could mean one of two things, either the crew had sabotaged it, or it was an engine with 24 hours and 50 minutes on it. We never got to the bottom of what caused it. But let's suffice it to say that. I must have flown something like 3 to 400 hours on the the Jumo 004 in various and never had another problem with it after that. So it did not give me a poor impression that 234. On the contrary, when I flew it, it was very nice aircraft handle. At a very fast turn of speed. It was it could fly at and Cruise and it's top speed was 474 miles an hour, which was very high. And of course it relied on this speed for its survival because it had no guns fitted to it and was purely a reconnaissance bomber as such. But as I say, it handled beautifully. It was straight wing, was not swept wing and Made a very good impression.
