HE-162

The fifth airplane that I constructed was the Heinkel 162 Volksjager or people's fighter, also known as the "Salamander.
The original aircraft was to be built using a minimum of materials and in a short amount of time. The He-162 was the first aircraft with an ejection seat and was the first single seat jet fighter. Construction of this airplane followed along the same method that I used in the earlier airplanes, it was built in sections, skinned and then bolted together. The 162 is large compared to some of my earlier projects. The jet engine pod on top of the fuselage presented quite a challenge.
The intake and exhaust were made by cutting "donuts" out of 2 inch thick rigid foam insulation and gluing them together, carving them to shape and covering them with 6-9 layers of paper mache. Next a layer of auto body filler was applied and then sanded. The jet intake had 16 layers of rigid insulation. The nose of the airplane was also constructed in the same way. I used 47 gallons of filler on the plane!! Again, I built all the instruments used in the cockpit. The airplane took 6 years to construct. It was donated the Wings of Eagles Discovery Center in Horseheads, NY. (formerly the National Warplane Museum.)