Got to meet a gentleman who piloted an He-162 at Planes of Fame about 8 years ago. He was 17 when he was shot down and captured. According to him the planes were flown from the factory by inexperienced pilots, like him, to the front line units. That way if the plane had defective workmanship it would not kill an experienced pilot.
Will have to find his story again because if I am not getting my individuals mixed up, easily done after seeing so many guest speakers at PoF over the years, he eventually ended up in the US Navy.
Wheels