*** Signed by Capt. Eric Brown!

Historical:

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-poweredfighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. German test pilot Heini Dittmar in early July 1944 reached 1,130 km/h (700 mph), a flight airspeed record. Over 300 aircraft were built, but the Komet proved ineffective as a fighter and was responsible for the destruction of only about nine Allied aircraft. (16 air victories for 10 losses, according to other sources.)

In the news recently:

Eric Brown, Record-Breaking British Aviator and World War II Combat Pilot, Dies at 97

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/europe/eric-winkle-brown-pilot-dies.html?_r=1

About Eric Brown:

Captain Eric Melrose "Winkle" Brown, CBE, DSC, AFC, Hon FRAeS, RN (21 January 1919 – 21 February 2016) was a British Royal Navy officer and test pilot who flew 487 different types of aircraft, more than anyone else in history. He also held the world record for most aircraft carrier landings performed (2,407) and was the Fleet Air Arm's most decorated pilot. He achieved several "firsts" in naval aviation, including the first landings on an aircraft carrier of a twin-engined aircraft, an aircraft with a tricycle undercarriage and a jet-propelled aircraft. He was also the most-decorated pilot in the history of the Royal Navy.

Info: Me 163 Komet – VF241, Captured Enemy Aircraft Flight, RAE, 1945 – Signed by Capt. Eric Brown, Commander, CEAF