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Flettner 302 A-1

119k DestinyAviation  7.0 years ago

Notes
-Use the VTOL wisely
-For takeoff, pit the VTOL slider about 1/4 to 1/2 the way up. Then just throttle up (FYI, you don't need 100%)
-Fun fact: This thing can fly without the propeller engine, it will just have some trouble ascending. It actually flies pretty well, too

Controls
-No special controls. Just deactivate action group 8 because I'm not sure if I set the propeller correctly

After the initial interest in the military use for helicopters, the Flettner design team designed the 302 series as a future replacement for their older models. Construction of the first A-1 finished in August of 1943, and the first test flight took place on September 2, 1943. As a show of power and force, the flight was conducted from a top-secret German aircraft carrier, where Adolf Hitler was present. The pilot, after successfully taking off, performed a series of aileron rolls over the deck, along with hovering just feet above the surface of the ocean (the flight took place in the Mediterranean Sea). Hitler was so impressed with the flying (the Flettner company was not, seeing as the pilot disobeyed orders to not do anything risky) that he gifted the pilot with a special medal specifically for him, the "Helicopter Ace" medal. The next four flights were also flown from the deck of the aircraft carrier, but operations had to be moved elsewhere after the carrier was ordered for disassembly. By this time, Flettner had built two more prototypes of the 302, the A-1a and the A-2. On January 5, 1944, the A-1a went out for a routine test flight. The A-1a was equipped with a single 12mm machine gun in the nose for testing purposes. That morning, a flight of three P-47 Thunderbolts spotted the lone helicopter and decided to engage. The battle lasted fifteen minutes, with ground crews not being able to help the helicopter. Miraculously, the A-1a shot down one of the P-47s before the engine was damaged and the pilot was forced to bail out. The program was eventually shut down after the A-2 crashed on landing the next month.

Spotlights

General Characteristics

  • Created On iOS
  • Wingspan 39.6ft (12.1m)
  • Length 48.1ft (14.7m)
  • Height 16.2ft (5.0m)
  • Empty Weight 8,375lbs (3,799kg)
  • Loaded Weight 10,790lbs (4,894kg)

Performance

  • Power/Weight Ratio 1.249
  • Horse Power/Weight Ratio 0.092
  • Wing Loading 65.3lbs/ft2 (318.9kg/m2)
  • Wing Area 165.2ft2 (15.3m2)
  • Drag Points 8611

Parts

  • Number of Parts 158
  • Control Surfaces 5
  • Performance Cost 614