DH-108.

This is coolbert:

Compare these two aircraft.

First the Me-163. The famous Komet. Swept-wing, tailless, rocket-powered combat aircraft used by German in the latter days of World War Two [WW2].



[this was one “boss” airplane. Each and every time it took off, in an almost vertical climb, broke the then existing speed record!!]

"boss: adj. Slang First-rate; topnotch"

And the DH-108. British jet powered, swept-wing, tailless aircraft build in the aftermath of WW2.



Called the Swallow. A prototype aircraft designed to test new principles of design, engines, etc.

The Me-163 did NOT turn out to be an effective combat aircraft. NOT versatile enough, used a fuel mixture that was TOO volatile, limited to being flown only by the most experienced pilots, etc.

The DH-108 , IN TEST FLIGHTS, NEARLY BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER??!! DID NOT DO SO, BUT CAME VERY CLOSE!!

"The design ventured into the realm of supersonic speeds"

The son of Geoffrey DeHavilland, Geoffrey Jr., lost his life test piloting the Swallow when the aircraft broke up into pieces during a high-speed maneuver.

"suffered a catastrophic structural failure that occurred in a dive from 10,000 ft (3,050 m) at Mach 0.9 and crashed in the Thames Estuary. The pilot, Geoffrey de Havilland Jr., the chief test pilot and son of de Havilland company owner-designer Geoffrey de Havilland"

To what extent the design of the Me-163 influenced the development of the DH-108 I cannot say.

DeHavilland and company took one look at the Komet and said, “good to go with this!!”

AND THAT WAS THAT??!!

coolbert.