Ever Seen the First Jet Fighter? Now You Can!

For the first time in living memory an Me-262 is coming to EAA AirVenture, giving audiences an exceedingly rare chance to see the world’s first operational jet fighter with their own eyes.

The Military Aviation Museum announced the visit along with some more good news: Their AD-4 Skyraider is tagging along, too, to participate in a special anniversary event in the latter half of the week. Their Me-262 isn’t a true wartime aircraft, being a replica, but it’s darn close: Their aircraft was built up from plans made during the restoration of an original aircraft, allowing them to have a show-ready jet without the risk a true classic entails. That original was the National Naval Aviation Museum’s Me 262B-1a/U1, Work Number #21448.

Unsurprisingly, the original Jumo engines aren’t a part of the modern aircraft. The Germans had plenty of problems with them back in the day, and decades later spares and support are a ludicrous fantasy. Instead, they opted for something more modern, reliable, and compact in a pair of General Electric CJ1610 engines, de-rated to keep its flight dynamics in place. From a historical point of view, it’s an interesting contrast between engine tech: The CJ1610 were used in the T-33 Shooting Star upon its release in 1959, basically a stone’s throw from the Jumo 004B introduced 15 years prior. Me-262 pilots of old could only dream of its performance, where the Jumo’s 10 to 30-second spool up time was cut down to a handful of seconds. On top of that, the GE engines are a fraction of the weight too, thanks to American industry’s ability to stuff gear with all the rare materials jet engines demand. A Jumo engine with all the plumbing would weigh about as much as a student’s Skyhawk in its entirety today, while the GE weighs as much as them & a CFI.

From afar, nobody will really care about the mechanical differences, of course. The Me-262 looks every bit its original warbird design, modeled directly after a fairly clean, late-war aircraft that was lost in Switzerland. That aircraft is exhibited today in Munich, as a testament to technology’s progress and the world’s first jet fighter.

“We can think of no place better to bring the Me 262 reproduction than to Oshkosh, because of the great appreciation EAA members and attendees have for historic aircraft,” said Keegan Chetwynd, the Military Aviation Museum’s director and CEO. “We all know the story with old airplanes, however – they have their own schedules regardless of what plans we might set. We’re investing in this project to make it happen, so any result won’t be for lack of trying.”

“This magnificent Me 262 would fit perfectly with our 2025 programming that is focusing on the remarkable leaps of aviation technology that occurred between the end of World War II and the early days of the Korean War,” said Rick Larsen, EAA’s vice president of communities and member programs, who coordinates AirVenture features and attractions. “We understand the challenges of not only preparing this reproduction for a trip to Oshkosh, but the logistical needs along the way. We appreciate the Military Aviation Museum’s efforts to make it happen and will eagerly follow its steps on the flightpath to Oshkosh.”

FMI: www.militaryaviationmuseum.org