Aviation Archive Issue 25 - 2016 UK

(Jacob Rumans) #1

DORNIER Do 335 PFEIL 95


Above: After the war, an airworthy A-12 two-seater was flown to Britain and flight tested at RAE
Farnborough. This aircraft was one of two Dornier Do 335s (the other crashed in France during transit)
obtained from the USAAF in exchange for 10 FW 190s. On 18 January 1946 it was being flown on a
test flight when it was seen approaching Farnborough with smoke coming from the underside of the
fuselage ahead of the rear engine. The aircraft turned and then descended in a shallow dive, crashing
on the village school at Cove. Six persons on the ground were injured and the pilot, Grp Cpt Alan
Frederick Hards, was killed.


Left: The choice of a full ‘four-surface’ set of cruciform tail surfaces in the Do 335’s rear fuselage design,
included a ventral vertical fin–rudder assembly to project downwards from the extreme rear of the
fuselage, in order to protect the rear propeller from an accidental ground strike on take off.


Below: The Dornier Do 335A-10 and A-12 were dual control conversion trainers, the former having
DB603A engines and the latter DB603E powerplants. The instructor occupied the second cockpit,
although without an ejection seat owing to production shortages.

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