(robert arndt) wrote in message . com...
"M. J. Powell" wrote in message ...
In message , B2431
writes
From: (robert arndt)

As the Fatherland's
best test pilot she was much braver than the guys and one of the last
century's greatest test pilots- female or otherwise

Rob

Not taking away from her accomplishments, but who says she was one of the
"greatest test pilots?" The fact that she was an ardent Nazi until the day she
died? The fact she was the first to successfully pilot a V-1 after 2 others
died?

Name one airplane besides the manned version of the V-1where she was part of
the test programs.

The Gigant?

Mike

From 1935-45:

See Adler amphibious glider (project cancelled)
Germany's first transport glider- which became the DFS 230
Me 321/323 Gigant (not part of official test team, insisted anyway)
Me 328
Reichenberg IV

Some other aircraft flown:

Kranich sailplane
Rhonsperber Junior sailplane
Fiesler Storch
Junkers 87 Stuka
Fw-61 helicopter
Me-163 Komet
Me-262 Schwalbe
Bucker trainer
Fw-190
Do-17
Ju-52

Rob

Eric Brown, who was chief test pilot at Farnborough during the war,
was aware of Hanna Reitsch but considered her a priviledged, freelance
test pilot for Nazi propaganda purposes since she never really
completed any of the prestigious aircraft test programs she took an
interest in.

The German male test pilots also didn't care for her especially with
her connections to Udet, Goering, and Hitler. This allowed her to come
into any advanced test program with no notice infuriating the other
test pilots. She would then take a few flights, report her findings
apart from the others, then leave for another project.

The only other female Flugkapitan test pilot resented Hanna too. Hanna
was glorified in the Nazi media and she was not, even though she
stayed with the programs she was involved with. At Rechlin, they both
tested the dive brakes on the Ju-87 but Hanna got bored and left back
for DFS.

Apart from the dedication Hanna had towards advancing aviation and the
variety of advanced projects she was priviledged to test fly, she was
more than anything a Nazi celebrity that expressed unwavering support
for Hitler.

That is what she is most remembered for, not so much for her test
pilot skills,

Ashton Archer III