 The first thing you notice when you see the DO 335 Pfeil (Arrow), is of course the tandem engine layout. The front engine is spinning a normal "tractor" prop, while the rear engine, facing backwards, is spinning a "pusher" prop. The advantages of this design, over a typical twin (with engines mounted on both wings), are numerous. Most importantly, the plane has the power of a twin with the frontal area of a single, so only half the drag of a normal twin, which means higher performance. Secondly, both engines are on the aircraft centerline, which yields a much faster roll rate than normal twins. Also, the loss of a single engine in flight does not produce asymmetric thrust issues, as are present with a traditional twin in the same scenario. The Brainchild of Claudius Dornier, the 335 was a World War II heavy fighter. The Luftwaffe was anxious to get their hands on the new planes. Unfortunately, delays in the delivery of the Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines, allowed only 10 aircraft to be delivered before the War ended. Had the Germans been able to realize the potential of this aircraft , who knows what could have happened. With a max speed of 474 mph at 21,000 ft and a climb rate high enough to reach 26,000 ft in under 15 minutes, the 335 could easily outrun any Allied fighters. Only one example remains, it was the second of the original 10 prototypes. It was captured at the factory by Allied Forces in April of 1945. It was shipped to the Navy for testing at Patuxent River Naval Air Station. After testing from 1945 to 1948 it was locked away in a storage facility until 1974, when it was returned to the Dornier plant in Germany for restoration. It now resides in Silver Hill, Maryland at the National Air and Space Museum along side the only known examples of an Arado Ar234, and a Heinkel He 219. Takeoff weight 19,500 lbs.
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Today in Aviation History :
July 30, 1935... Lieutenant Frank Akers of the U.S. Navy becomes the first person to make a "blind" landing at sea. His biplane has a hooded cockpit allowing him to see only his controls and instruments. He lands on the USS Langley.
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