View Single Post
  #7  
Old August 11th 10, 05:40 AM posted to rec.aviation.military,rec.aviation.homebuilt
David E. Powell
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 168
Default The DOWA 81 - East German Escape Plane

On Aug 10, 3:23*pm, Rob Arndt wrote:
On Aug 10, 10:58*am, Bug Dout wrote:

Arrested the day before their planned takeoff. *Leaves many questions:


* how did they plan the movement, assembly, and takeoff of the plane?
* how were they found out?
* curious that only a year of prison and then deportation to where they
* wanted to go! *"Don't throw me into that briar patch!"
* why didn't the E. Germans destroy the aircraft/
--
They said I was the greatest pitcher they ever saw; I couldn't
understand why they couldn't give me no justice.
*~ Satchel Paige


AFAIK, the family was reported and the STASI moved in. The aircraft
could be broken into sections for assembly and the two motorcycle
engines came for the 250cc MZ ES 250:http://youngtimer.files.wordpress.co...rophy-es-250-2...

Although captured, the Pfeil 5/Wagner DOWA 81 was test-flown by the
GDR AF. It flew fine. It probably just sat around until reunification
and then was placed in a museum.

Although ugly, I like it.

Rob


Thank you for the additional info. As the STASI maintained huge
archives on everything and everyone they could, it is likely it was
either kept as a reference to what someone else could do, or just kept
because they kept everything.

As for the family, the father was an engineer and his prominence may
have helped the family eventually get out, as a higher up wanting to
go was a real embarrassment for the East German gov't, but a year in
East german prisons was surely not fun.