Nicolas Trudgian range of Me 163 aircraft aviation signed
art prints. This site is dedicated to the artwork of Aviation artist
Nicolas Trudgian. Including the full range of Aviation prints published
by the Military Gallery which Cranston Fine Arts have purchased the last
remaining prints. Which include many rare items. many of Nicolas
Trudgian prints have been signed by Many of the Top Fighter and Bomber Pilots
of World war two over the past Decade. and many of these great Pilots are no
longer with us. This could be the last chance to own a piece of history which
will soon be no longer available except on the more expensive secondary
market.
ME-163
Comet. Aviation art prints of the ME-163 Comet. The
rocket-powered Me-163 Comet, probably the most technically advanced
aircraft of the War. Out of necessity, German aircraft designers
compressed decades of development time into years or often months.
Although it did not play a significant role in combat, the 163
represented a radical departure from conventional aircraft design. With
a length of only 19 feet, the diminutive 163 was powered by a liquid
fuel rocket engine. The production models of the Comet were fueled with
a mixture of C-Stoff (a mixture of 57% methyl alcohol, 13% hydrazine
hydrate, and 13% water) and T-Stoff which was 80% hydrogen peroxide.
Almost 5000 pounds of fuel were carried, but the Comets engine had a
burn time of only a few minutes. Many technological breakthroughs were
required for the Comet program to succeed. Because space and weight were
so critical, use of a conventional landing gear was not possible.
Instead the 163 utilized a simple dolly consisting of an axle and two
wheels which was jettisoned upon takeoff. For landing the 163 utilized a
sturdy retractable skid with hydraulic shock absorbers. The Comet was
also not particularly effective in combat despite its 596-MPH top speed
and twin canon. The aircraft had only about 150 seconds of power once it
reached altitude. Thereafter it became a very fast glider.
Rocket Attack by Nicolas Trudgian.
It required more than a little nerve to fly a fighter into the barrage of fire sprayed out by the gunners of a box of B17 bombers; it took even greater courage to do so in the rocket propelled Me163 Komet. With rocket science still in its infancy, these small aircraft were still in the experimental stage, and piloting what amounted to a flying bomb was in itself a perilous business, let alone flying them into combat. But these were desperate times. The day and night bombing assault on Germany was bringing the mighty war machine to its knees, and aything that might help stem the tide was thrown into battle. Powered by a mixture of two highly volatile chemicals, the slightest leak, or heavy landing could cause a huge explosion, and the mix was so corrosive that in the event of even a minor accident, the pilot could literally be dissolved. Sitting in a cramped cockpit, surrounded by dangerous chemicals and ammunition, the intrepid aviator would be launched into the sky on what was, a.........
