When History Ignites: The Military Aviation Museum’s V-1 Flying Bomb in Action

At the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia, a rare and spectacular event unfolded when a restored Fieseler Fi 103 (V‑1 flying bomb) was started up, erupting into a roaring plume of flame from its pulse-jet exhaust and held that fire for minutes.

The video captures the exact moment when the V-1’s engine ignites. The iconic tail-pipe exhaust erupts in a bright flame, then continues to flicker and pulse as the pulse-jet stabilises. Observers note that the fire isn’t a quick flash: it persists, a rolling, roaring burst of combustion that underscores the brutal simplicity of the V-1’s engine.

The V-1 was powered by an Argus As 014 pulse-jet engine — one of the earliest cruise-missile propulsion systems. Unlike conventional aircraft engines, the pulse-jet doesn’t draw in air through a rotating compressor but instead uses periodic bursts of fuel-air mixtures ignited at about 45 times per second.

The result is a distinctive “buzzing” sound and dramatic flames from the exhaust. That fiery show, captured at the museum, is close to what wartime observers would have seen during a V-1 ramp launch!