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'Before I retire it is very important to me that I construct at least one good German airplane, and the Me 262 is the best thing I could ever dream of. For me, this aircraft is the "Top Gun". --Herbert Tischler
At this moment there is a small assembly line located just outside Fort Worth, Texas where five brand-new Me262's are being painstakingly built. This incredible project is headed by craftsman Herbert Tischler. The project began on July 1, 1993. Since the original drawings for the 262 no longer exist, a pattern aircraft was needed for duplication. This was obtained in the form of "White 35" which is on loan from NAS Willow Grove. The Navy has given permission for Mr. Tischler to disassemble their 262 on one condition; that he give it back in fully restored condition for static display. This is fortunate as "White 35" has been on outdoor display for many years and was deteriorating rapidly with corrosion in many areas. The "new" Me262's are being manufactured in the exact same manner as the originals They will be exact, even down to the four nose mounted guns. The only diffrence will be the engines, General Electric J85ps will be used in place of the original Jumo engines. However the J85 engines will be buried inside dummy Jumo assemblies so that correct visual appearance. At this point production of the 262's is approaching the final phases. Flight testing will begin later this year. All of the airplanes except one are two-seaters. One is a single-seater. One possibly two of the two-seaters are built in such a way that they can be converted to look like single-seat airplanes just by changing some sheet metal. The cockpits are being outfitted as per the owners desires. Most of the aircraft seem to have a basic VFR cockpit but at least one will be outfitted with a "full IFR" suite. Tischler is only planning on painting the first aircraft which will be in typical green/grey day-fighter colors. He is leaving it to his customers to paint their aircraft however they want them.  
         
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