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CLICK HERE FOR A FULL LIST OF ALL NICOLAS TRUDGIAN PRINTS BY TITLE |
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Items Signed by Rudolf Opitz (deceased) |
| Clipped Signature - Rudolf Opitz. Price : £55.00 | An experienced glider pilot before World War Two, he was drafted by the Luftwaffe as a test pilot in 1939, and in 1941 was working at he German Rocket Research Centre. He made the world's first flight in a rocket powered fighter in the Me163 Ko...... | |
| Herman's Comet by Stan Stokes. (B) Price : £130.00 | Hermann W. Goering was born in Rosenheim, a small town near Munich, in 1893. He received an appointment to a military school, and became a flyer during WW I. He attained an excellent combat and leadership record, and was the last individual to comma...... | |
| Herman's Comet by Stan Stokes. (C) Price : £95.00 | Hermann W. Goering was born in Rosenheim, a small town near Munich, in 1893. He received an appointment to a military school, and became a flyer during WW I. He attained an excellent combat and leadership record, and was the last individual to comma...... |
Packs with at least one item featuring the signature of Rudolf Opitz (deceased) |
Me163 Luftwaffe Pilot Signed Aviation Art Prints by Nicolas Trudgian and Stan Stokes. Pack Price : £135.00 Saving : £145 | Aviation Print Pack. ...... Titles in this pack : Rocket Attack by Nicolas Trudgian. Herman's Comet by Stan Stokes. (B) |
Rudolf Opitz Squadron details |
Rudolf Opitz Aircraft details |
Me163 Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Built : 0 | Me163 Rocket-powered Me-163 Comet, probably the most technically advanced aircraft of the second world 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. Allied pilots learned to exploit the 163s vulnerability during landing. Rudolf Opitz, the Chief Test Pilot on the 163, was a central figure in the development and testing of the 163. Rudy met Herman Goering once at a special airshow for high ranking military and government officials. The few remaining 163s to survive the War are due to the efforts of Rudy to preserve this unique aircraft for aviation posterity. Of all the Komets lost, 80% were in take off and landing accidents, 15% due to loss of control or fires, and the remaining 5% to Allied aircraft. Only one front line squadron was ever equipped with the Komet. They claimed 9 aircraft for the loss of 14. |
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