Start here
A few places to begin, from the aircraft’s story to the people who fly it.
Meet the aircraft
The He 162 was built during the closing stages of the Second World War, among the first generation of jet fighters. A single jet engine sits above its compact fuselage.
Aircraft background
VSKYLABS · Read more ↗Early jet handling in the VSKYLABS He 162
The released He 162 simulation explores first-generation jet handling, including engine and airframe failures from mishandling. The project’s documented behaviours are specific to the simulation.
He 162 · VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
VSKYLABS · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube High Flight · 3 min ·
Heinkel HE162 A-2 Salamander
A close look at the He 162 A-2 and its historical setting.
Real aircraft · Heinkel He 162
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Heinkel He 162
The He 162 was built during the closing stages of the Second World War, among the first generation of jet fighters. A single jet engine sits above its compact fuselage.
VSKYLABS' simulation explores early jet handling and operating limits, including developer-modelled engine and airframe failures caused by mishandling.
Heinkel He 162
Aircraft type designators
A model-specific ICAO or FAA designator has not been confirmed in the references reviewed for this aircraft.
History & design
An emergency development programme
The He 162 prototype flew on 6 December 1944, just 74 days after Heinkel received its contract. The rush exposed serious technical problems, and the first prototype crashed four days later.
National Air and Space Museum · Heinkel He 162 A-2 Spatz ↗He 162 A-2: Smithsonian preserved-aircraft record
A-2 development and limited service
The A-2 replaced the planned 30 mm cannon with lighter 20 mm weapons. JG 1 began re-equipping in February 1945, but the museum records only limited encounters with Allied aircraft before the war ended.
National Air and Space Museum · Heinkel He 162 A-2 Spatz ↗He 162 A-2: Smithsonian preserved-aircraft record
Systems & details
Simple construction did not mean easy flying
The programme envisaged a jet suitable for minimally trained young pilots. The Smithsonian’s account describes demanding handling even for experienced pilots, showing how far the aircraft fell short of that premise. This is a historical assessment, not a quantified control-force measurement.
In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12He 162
VSKYLABS · Released
He 162
VSKYLABS · Released
Manuals & resources
Find your next read
Choose a topic for a short introduction and a link to the original source. Simulator references identify the developer and edition they cover.
Simulator documentation
Early jet handling in the VSKYLABS He 162He 162 · VSKYLABS · X-Plane 11 · X-Plane 12
The released He 162 simulation explores first-generation jet handling, including engine and airframe failures from mishandling. The project’s documented behaviours are specific to the simulation.
Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14
VSKYLABS · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Developer documentation
VSKYLABS Aerospace Simulations Aircraft Center: VSKYLABS 'Test-Pilot': He-162VSKYLABS · Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14 VSKYLABS He-162 Volksjäger: Test-Pilot WW2 Jet for X-Plane Flight Simulator.VSKYLABS · Official developer / designated-store reference · checked 2026-09-14Museum aircraft record
Heinkel He 162 A-2 SpatzNational Air and Space Museum · He 162 A-2: Smithsonian preserved-aircraft recordBuilt-in force-feedback profiles
Read the documentary basis, editable starting settings and remaining questions for the aircraft you fly. Each explanation refers to the exact profile revision shown.
Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 2 profile choices
VSKYLABS Heinkel He-162
VSKYLABS · Free and Pro · Revision 3 · Inherited starting point
X-Plane 12
VSKYLABS Heinkel He-162: Mechanical linkage motivates airspeed-sensitive stick resistance.
Heinkel He 162
Free and Pro · Revision 1 · Partial review
X-Plane 12 · X-Plane 11
Heinkel He 162: Mechanical linkage motivates airspeed-sensitive stick resistance.
Discuss this aircraft (0)
Questions, observations and useful sources from the community.
No published discussions yet. Bring a question or share a useful source.
Open aircraft discussions →Content expanded · What’s new
Something missing or a source that needs attention?
Suggest a correction ↗
