Something slightly different to kick off the first Thursday Thunder of 2021. The Heinkel 162 has always been one of my favorite weird German jets. Naturally, when YouTube’s algorithm recommended a walkaround video of one of the few surviving examples, I had to click.
This led to a fascinating discussion of Me-262 vs He-162 from the same channel.
It’s probably a lot to do with how the He-162 looks. It’s not as though single engine fighters are uncommon, but who, with the exception of various UAVs, straps the engine on top of the airframe, right behind the pilot? Okay, there are a few examples over the years, but none that made it past the prototype stage.
Save for the SubSonex.
You know, if you did up a SubSonex in a similar paint scheme to an He-162, I bet it would look pretty darn good. Surely a more interesting way to bore holes in the sky for an hour or two than a Cessna 172.