Junkers A50
| A50 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A50ci D-2054 in Deutsches Museum Munich | |
| Role | Sports plane |
| Manufacturer | Junkers |
| Designer | Hermann Pohlmann |
| First flight | February 13, 1929 |
| Number built | 69 |
| Unit cost |
RM 16,200 or £795[1]
|
The Junkers A50 was a German sports plane of the 1930s, also called the A50 Junior.
Contents
Development
The Junkers A50 was the first sportsplane designed by Hermann Pohlmann in Junkers works.[2] It had the same modern all-metal construction, covered with corrugated duralumin sheet, as larger Junkers passenger planes.[2] The first flight of the A50 took place on 13 February 1929. It was followed by further four prototypes, in order to test different engines.
Junkers expected to produce 5,000 aircraft, but stopped after manufacturing only 69, of which only 50 were sold. The high prices probably inhibited sales. Apart from Germany, they were used in several other countries and some were used by airlines. The purchase price in 1930 in the United Kingdom was between £840 or £885.[3] Starting from the A50ce variant, the wings could be folded for easier transport.
Three German A50 took part in the Challenge international touring plane competition in July 1929, taking 11th place (A50be, pilot Waldemar Roeder) and 17th place. Three A50 took part also in the Challenge 1930 next year, taking 15th (A50ce, pilot Johann Risztics), 27th and 29th places.[2] In June 1930 a series of eight FAI world records for altitude, range and average speed were set on a floatplane variant of A50 with the Armstrong Siddeley 59 kW (79 hp) engine. In 1931 Marga von Etzdorf flew an A50 solo from Berlin to Tokyo, the first woman to do so.
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Variants
- A50 - Armstrong Siddeley Genet 59 kW radial engine
- A50ba - Walter 59 kW engine (one built)
- A50be - Armstrong Siddeley Genet 59 kW engine
- A50ce - Armstrong Siddeley Genet II 63 kW engine or for export Genet Major I 74 kW, folding wings
- A50ci - Siemens-Halske Sh 13, 65 kW radial engine, folding wings. Originally designed to be mass-produced as a "Volksflugzeug".[4]
- A50fe - Armstrong Siddeley Genet II, 63 kW engine, modified airframe, folding wings
- KXJ1 - A single Junkers A-50 supplied to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for evaluation.
The -ce and -ci variants were produced in the largest numbers with about 25 of each on the German civil register.[5] Due to their construction, the A50 were durable aircraft and they lasted long in service. The last plane was used in the 1960s in Finland.[2] There is one A50 preserved in Deutsches Museum in Munich and another in Helsinki airport. One A50 (VH-UCC, c/n3517) is in airworthy condition in Australia.
Description
Metal construction sports plane, conventional in layout, with low cantilever wings, stressed corrugated duralumin covered.[2] Two-spar wings were folding rearwards or could be detached.[2] Crew of two, sitting in tandem in separate open cockpits (if it flew without a passenger, one cockpit could be closed with a cover). Two-blade propeller. Conventional fixed split axle mainwheel landing gear, with a rear skid. Fuel tank 95 l.
Operators
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- South African Air Force
- South African Airways operated three aircraft
Survivors
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Specifications (A50)
Data from [6]
General characteristics
- Crew: two
- Length: 7.12 m (23 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 10.02 m (32 ft 10.5 in)
- Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10.5 in)
- Wing area: 13.7 m² (147 ft²)
- Empty weight: 360 kg (794 lb)
- Loaded weight: 600 kg (1,323 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Genet II radial engine, 64.7 kW (88 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 172 km/h (107 mph)
- Cruise speed: 145 km/h (90 mph)
- Range: 600 km (373 mi)
- Service ceiling: 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
- Take-off run (over 8m-high gate): 250 m[7]
- Landing run (over 8m-high gate): 187 m[7]
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
References
- ↑ Kay, Anthony L. Junkers Aircraft and engines 1913-1945 (2004) p.95-7. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books ISBN 0-85177-985-9
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 (Polish) Krzyżan, Marian. Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934 [International aviation competitions 1929-1934], Warsaw 1988, ISBN 83-206-0637-3
- ↑ Junkers Junior, Flight, April 4, 1930.
- ↑ Junkers-F13-and-A50
- ↑ http://www.goldenyears.ukf.net/
- ↑ Turner, P. St.J. and Nowarra, H Junkers: an aircraft album (1971) p.54-7. New York: Arco Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-668-02506-9
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Best take-off and landing results from Challenge 1930 competition (Krzyżan, op.cit., Table II)
External links
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