Messerschmitt P-1106 "T-tail"
Limited edition Luft 46 kit ; 1/72 scale. Price eur38.
News page---- illustrated catalog----back to Sharkit home page ---- order this kit or e-mail me
History
The first P-1106 design, dated December 4th, 1944, was basically a modification of Messerschmitt's earlier P-1101 single-seated supersonic jet fighter. Messerschmitt's engineers chose to reduce the P-1101's air intake's length to minimize lost thrust. In addition, they slid the cockpit to the rear of the fuselage. The result was a wholly different plane with an increased fuel capacity (1,200 kg rather than the 1,079 kg of the P-1101) and an improved aerodynamic form. But since the wing was placed directly in the pilot's field of vision, the design was ultimately problematic. (In fact, none of today's jets have a pilot situated with such perilous sightlines.)
To the designers' credit, they placed the horizontal component of the plane's "T" shaped tail unit above the "wake zone" that normally resulted from the separated flow shock of the wing and fuselage. (This design was so unique that it had actually been patented in 1944.) This innoative tail unit was tested at the Götingen Aerodynamic Testing Laboratory in February 1945 on a full-scale model of the P1101 and was later used on the DFS 346 research aircraft and the Focke-Wulfe ta 183. This design was so successfull that it can still be found on many modern aircraft, from commercial airliners to fighters like the F-104.
More details in "incredible flying machines #1"
[Ttail drawing]
 This is one of the first Sharkits and is very easy to build.
  • box-art
  • color side view
  • color front view
  • side view of the plane with engine, main tank, and pilot
  • upper and detail views; engine, armament, landing gear schematics.
  • organic camouflage patern side and upper views
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