In 1944, Germany's air defense problems were increasingly worsening; On top of that Hitler's industrial plants were often the victim of Allied bomber raids always straining what little resources they had left. Germany needed a new fighter that was less expensive and also able to be produced faster. From this thinking the Heinkel HE-162 was brought forward to fill the void. Pilots were to be recruited largely from the Hitler youth and the initial production rate at the beginning was to be 1,000 aircraft per month, rising quickly to 4,000 aircraft per month. Extensive component sub-contracting as well as underground assembly facilities were to be used to produce the numbers desired. The specification was issued on September 14th, 1944 and the aircraft was to be ready for mass production by the January 1st 1945. Production requirements called for a minimum of strategic materials as well as the use of non-specialist laboring its manufacture. It also had to weigh less than 4,409 lbs, be able to take off in no more than 1,640 ft., and carry two 30 mm cannons. The result was an aircraft with a one-piece wing of wooden construction, a semi-monocoupe fuselage of duralumin, and a plywood nose and nose wheel doors. In addition to the 153-gallon fuel tank behind the cockpit, the wing was sealed between main and auxiliary spars to provide an integral tank with a 39.6-gallon capacity. The supplied BMW 190-003E-1-turbojet engine mounted on top provided the aircraft with 1,764 lbs. of thrust, simplifying installation and avoiding problems with intake and tail pipe ducting. Chief test pilot Flugkapitan Peter flew the prototype on December 6th, 1945, bringing the aircraft to a speed of 522 mph and an altitude of 19,685 ft.

On December 10th, before military and government personnel, the starboard wing leading edges were torn off during a high-speed pass that resulted in the crash of the aircraft and the loss of life to the test pilot. The second prototype flew on December 22nd along with other development aircraft in the program that lead to the findings of some aerodynamic problems. The third and fourth prototype flew on the 16th of January 1945. Both of these aircraft had a few design changes to correct the problems from the earlier setbacks. These changes included wingtip extensions as well as increasing the overall surface area of the vertical tail. The 30 mm cannons proved to be to heavy for the lightweight airframe so instead two 20 mm cannons were substituted. A total of 116 HE 162s were built, and more than 800 were in various stages of assembly when the underground centers were overrun.

This HE-162 is considered a park flyer. However, because it uses an electric ducted fan for propulsion, you'll need to give yourself a little more flying area than with a propeller-powered park flyer.

TAKEOFF:
As I mention above, I am choosing to hand-launch the model. To accomplish this, grab the fuselage below the main wing, apply full power, and toss it straight and firmly into the wind. Let the HE-162 build up speed for about 10 yards before applying up elevator. The model will drop as you release it but if properly balanced and trimmed, it will begin to fly and remain level. You do not need a big running start, a simple hand toss should be sufficient.

FLIGHT PERFORMANCE:

To be honest, I was not sure what to expect with this model. The generous dihedral in the main wing led me to believe that it would be stable, but the EDF mounted above the wing concerned me that the stability might suffer. I am glad to report that this model is very stable.

Our test flights were with a 10 mph steady breeze. This is probably the most wind that I would fly the model in. The 300 size EDF moved the plane along at a good rate. I would not call it fast, like you might expect from a jet, but I would not call it a slow-flyer either.

Most of the flight was either at full power or very close to it. On high rate ailerons the model rolls pretty well. Several attempts were made at a loop, but the model would keep falling out at the top. Being that this was a scale Warbird and not really designed for aerobatics, no other maneuvers were attempted.

The HE-162 feels much like a trainer in the air. It is very stable and controls are soft when setup as the manual directed. There were no bad stall characteristics exhibited.

LANDING:

Landings were simple. Just reduce the power on final and expect the model to float a bit. Keep feeding in up elevator until the model just about flairs. And it will touch down gently on the belly every time.

CONCLUSION:

The HE-162 was a real pleasure to fly. The average flight time was 4-5 minutes with the 600 mAH 8 cell battery pack.