Lockheed Me-U1R Dragonfly

[Bertie McBoatface]

In the early 30's, Willy Messerschmitt found himself with an enemy in high places in the shape of Erhard Milch,

head of German civil aviation and ardent Nazi. Hans Hackman, a close friend of Milch, was killed testing the

prototype Messerschmitt M20 transport plane. Milch was incensed by Messerschmitt's lack of remorse for the

death his friend, and he made sure that Messerschmitt got no government work. It was also Milch who, as head

of Lufthansa, forced bancruptcy on the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in 1931 following further crashes of M20

aircraft. In 1933 Hitler came to power and German rearmament started. This gave Milch even greater power

and it might have been expected that Messerschmitt would suffer accordingly. Milch denounced Messerschmitt

as a traitor and an 'interview' with the Gestapo ensued.

However Messerschmitt had friends in high places, Rudolph Hess, the deputy head of the Nazi party was one,

Hermann Goring was another. The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke was resurrected in 1933 and set about getting

government contracts. And the rest is history. But what if Willy didn't have those high level Nazi friends? What

if his Gestapo experience had raised Messerschmitt's awareness of the evil nature of new regime?

Maybe something like this...

Oor Wullie got out of Germany as fast as he could with only the clothes he was wearing and a briefcase full

of his latest blueprints. He made his way to the USA where he was warmly received by Kelly Johnson and

given a job in Lockheed's design department.

Johnson's work on the P-38 interested Willy, and he began to develop ideas for other high altitude projects.

He had brought the plans for the Me110 out of Germany and this provided a sound basis for a twin engined,

two seat aircraft. He wanted it to be a war winner but his new pacifist leanings turned him away from offensive

weapons. Instead he investigated the undeveloped (!) field of photographic reconnaissance. His design had

promise but not enough altitude. One Friday afternoon in the bar, he spoke to Johnson and discovered that

he too had speculated about extremely high level aircraft, and had designed a wing optimised for the thin

air at 50.000 feet.

It was the work of moments to combine the two designs on the back of a handy cocktail waitress.

The engines were converted to run on dry martini, which solved the vapour lock problems associated with

petrol and high altitudes. It also resulted in the curiously fragrant and elegantly white exhaust stains of the

Lockheed Me-U1R Dragonfly.

An uprated and articulated propeller derived from the P-38 was added to 'grip the air' at an altitude

of nine miles.

The tail was increased on surface area to cope with longitudinal stability difficulties. The swallow-tail

design was adopted to keep the ruddevators clear of prop wash.

An enormous camera with a focal length of over ten feet was built in to the cabin with the primary

lens peeping through the huge dorsal fuel tank.

The aircraft had a range of many thousands of miles and was able to overfly the continent of Europe

in daylight with no fear of interception.

First customers for the Dragonfly were the RAF. The most important photographs ever known were

taken over Poland in 1940 by Wing Commander Blatent-Whiffery and proved that Hitler intended to

attack Russia within a year. The photographs, shown to Stalin, resulted in the Autumn 1940 surprise

attack by the Soviet Union on Germany, and the subsequent collapse of the Nazis - it was all over

by Christmas! I do love a happy ending.

Enjoy!

[Fujimi Me110C/D + Italeri U-2R]

Edited September 3, 2011 by per ardua ad ostentationem

[Jeenyus]

Running on dry martini? Shaken or stirred?

[Bertie McBoatface]

Running on dry martini? Shaken or stirred?

Speaking as an iconoclast, shaken my dear Jeenyus, shaken!

[Moofles]

LOL, love the back story to it, great idea.

[Rob C]

Great WHIF and story. Love it.

[Bertie McBoatface]

LOL, love the back story to it, great idea.

Thanks, glad you like it.

Great WHIF and story. Love it.

Cheers Rob.

[jimbuna]

Very innovtive.....loved both the story and the build.

[Bertie McBoatface]

Very innovtive.....loved both the story and the build.

Thanks Jim, it was a fun build for me too. Do you like the 'clouds' camouflage?

[Basosz]

Lovely Whiff, but what medicine are you on and can you get me some please? You can't just do that to these airplanes!

[Bertie McBoatface]

Lovely Whiff, but what medicine are you on and can you get me some please? You can't just do that to these airplanes!

What I am on is a longer Summer holiday than I need = boredom!

That led to a combination of a nearly-finished-but-lost-interest U-2 and a bought-on-impulse-but-not-really-interested 110. At least I cleared the shelves a little!

[sequoiaranger]

I love your long-winged bird!

I guess great minds slop at the same trough--here is my "what-if" 1/72 Heinkel He-121 (Japanese "Soryu"---Gray-Blue Dragon) High-Altitude German fighter (sold to the Japanese for studying the jet-streams), a combination of the ancient Faller 1/100 He-111, the U-2, and others. I added some Heinkelisms, like the "indented" wing roots, rounded wing tips, and used the gunner's rear-facing perspex for the windscreen. The mis-shapen Faller glass nose simply became the engine nacelle. I added some bits from a Lindberg Heinkel 111 (about 1/64th, though it claims 1/72), too. It has a Fw-190V18 high-altitude turbocharger (big scoop underneath, plus the visible exhaust driver--from a proposed X-16 engine, no less!). Not seen is the pilot's custom "fishbowl" pressure suit, and the mortar-tube-style rockets underneath.

Edited October 19, 2011 by sequoiaranger

[jimbuna]

Thanks Jim, it was a fun build for me too. Do you like the 'clouds' camouflage?

Oh very much so....simply stunning.

[Bertie McBoatface]

I love your long-winged bird!

Ditto, dude. Interesting that we chose similar paint schemes! I like your 'Heinkelisms' I had the same concepts in mind when I saw the similar shapes of the U-2 and Bf110 wingtips. Have you seen the Fairchild Flounder what-if on this forum. You'll like it, I'm sure.

http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=80074

[sequoiaranger]

>Interesting that we chose similar paint schemes!<

Yes. As I understand (and I have only been in medium-altitude commercial jets), the ground below from high altitude fades into a light blue-gray, as both our planes are suitably camo-ed. Underneath my "Höhenjäger" is a very dark blue, again because at high altitude the sky overhead is very dark from thin atmosphere (hey, the U-2 was BLACK!). I put "cityscape", "rivers", and "woods" in abstract on top to break up the aircraft's outline, but also represent what might be seen below from above (hey WHAT is going to be so high looking down on these guys, anyway?? But I suppose it would help for climb-out and descent).

>I like your 'Heinkelisms'<

Interesting that, before the war, that Heinkel was looking for speed and endurance records, whilst Junkers was looking at altitude records!! I am supposeing that, in the race to gain favoritism from the political hierarchy (as Willy Messerschmitt was good at), Ernst Heinkel now looks at all "prestige" honors to claim for his aircraft, including altitude.

>Have you seen the Fairchild Flounder what-if on this forum. You'll like it, I'm sure.<

Dude! I built it! (and the Decimator)

Your Hohenjaeger somewhat resembles that Russian long-distance research aircraft--ANT-25

http://www.fiddlersgreen.net/models/aircra...olev-Ant25.html

I used to have a model of THAT, too, but it got sold when I sold off my 2,000+ kit stash.

Edited October 20, 2011 by sequoiaranger

[Bertie McBoatface]

Dude! I built it!

Doh!