| General
History
Designed
by the Germans during World War II this pilot-less aircraft
carried nearly a ton of explosives and was used to bomb
London and southeast England during World War II. 8,600
of these V-1’s were launched from the northern shores
of occupied France over a period of two months in 1944.
At a preset distance, the fuel was shut off and the V-1
dove into the ground. Many were destroyed by anti-aircraft
fire and fast flying British Meteor Jet aircraft but more
than 2000 fell on London itself. After the invasion of
France, the Allies overran the launch sites and the V-1
did not continue to pose much of a threat although some
were launched from He-111 bombers.
During the initial
testing of the V-1 there were many crashes and it was
not known why the gyro-stabilizing system would not maintain
controlled level flight. The decision was made to make
a piloted version in an attempt to solve the problem.
Famous German woman test pilot, Hanna Reich, test flew
the aircraft. When the speed increased to a certain point,
it was found that the wooden wings were twisting beyond
what the Gyro could control. Because of her observations,
the wings were stiffened and the problem was solved. Toward
the end of the war, piloted suicide versions of this concept
were considered.
To
learn about the personal history of our very own Fiesler
V-1 "Buzz Bomb" as well as comments from Kermit
Weeks, please visit our beautiful art deco facility and
old-fashioned hangars.
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