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Phaeton Missions
Phaeton Group Jet Wing mission team


MISSION PERSONNEL:

Dr. David West Reynolds, Ph.D
Principal Investigator

Prof. Greg Aldrete, Ph.D.
Military Historian

Capt. Matt Bliss
Military Pilot

Carl R. Cart, Jr.
Jet Engine Mechanic

Jack A. Bobo, JD
Photographer


Phaeton Examines Advanced German World War II Jet


WASHINGTON D.C.--The legendary "Nazi flying wing" was the target of a Phaeton Group field mission on June 1, 2007. Phaeton's director Dr. David West Reynolds led a team of five other Phaeton investigators on a project to assess this aircraft first-hand.

Rare Look at Unique Mystery Jet

The Horten Ho 229 V3 is the only surviving turbojet flying wing from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. The Ho 229 V3 has remained out of sight ever since it was captured and brought to the United States in 1945, and so despite the fighter's strikingly advanced nature it is little known to the public. Reported to be faster than any other plane of its time, the Ho 229 was also claimed by its designer to have been the first stealth aircraft, its geometry pre-dating the American B-2 stealth bomber (which it strongly resembles) by over 40 years. However, historians debate the truth of such claims.

Phaeton's mission was to examine this aircraft for ourselves in an effort to separate fact from fiction. The mission team brought to the project a broad range of expertise, with specialists including former Air Force jet engine mechanic Carl R. Cart Jr., Army pilot Capt. Matt Bliss, and mechanical engineer Hugh Williams. Prof. Gregory S. Aldrete served as the project's military historian and briefed the team on the Horten 229's historical background.

Phaeton Jet Mechanic Aids Team

Carl Cart's aviation background served Phaeton particularly well on this mission. While he was serving in the Air Force, Cart repaired and maintained combat jet fighter engines. In the Jet Wing mission briefing Cart helped the Phaeton field team understand the function and significance of the jet engines that powered the pioneering flying wing craft developed for the Luftwaffe in World War II.
During Phaeton's direct examination of the Ho 229 V3, Cart pointed out various interior elements of the aircraft and explained their function to the rest of the team. Cart's ability to quickly identify specific components was invaluable in maximizing the speed at which the team was able to work.

Cart also worked with our Mechanical Engineer Hugh Williams to measure parts of the aircraft in our efforts to determine whether the wings in the Smithsonian collection would indeed fit the fuselage with which they are associated. Curator Tom Dietz reported that the three components have apparently never been joined together to form a complete aircraft, since the vehicle was captured by American soldiers in an incomplete state of construction. The Phaeton report on this mission will show whether the interfaces we measured would support a straightforward assembly if the aircraft is ever prepared for public display.

Phaeton extends its thanks to Smithsonian Institution curator and specialist Thomas J. Dietz for supporting this mission and arranging our special access to this unique artifact of 20th century history.


Phaeton's Special and Experimental Vehicles Program

Special-application vehicles often represent the cutting edge of technology development and innovative thinking. Along with geographic exploration, experimental vehicles are regarded by archaeologist David West Reynolds as useful "index elements" for assessing a culture era. The Jet Wing mission was part of Phaeton Group's larger Special Vehicles Research Program.



Ho229 cockpit
Cockpit view

Aldrete with Ho229 bat-tail
Tail section

Greg Aldrete and Ho229 wings
Detached wings

Carl Cart measures Ho229 wing root
Measuring

David West Reynolds and teammates discuss Ho229 with Tom Dietz
Quarter angle


 

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