In this video, we take a look at the Focke-Achgelis Fa 269, a German mid-World War II project that, if successful, would have been the first Vertical-Takeoff-And-Landing (VTOL) fighter in existence. We first talk about the several possible reasons this project came about, from wanting a defense fighter to wanting to combine early helicopters and fighter technology. We then talk about the two major manufacturers of helicopters in Germany at the time, in Flettner and Focke-Achgelis, a company started by Heinrich Focke of Focke-Wulf, and why Focke-Achgelis may have been selected for the job.

We then talk about the strange design of the Fa 269, in using two pusher propellers with a singular motor to provide both vertical and horizontal propulsion. We talk about the swift end of the project and how, even if successful, it likely never would have been more than a proof of concept due to the technology of the era. We talk about the quasi-revival of the project in the Dornier Do 29, and how that proved that the concept could work... at least in theory, anyway.

свернуть