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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0634.PDF
650 HANOVER'S AIR SHOW ILLUSTRATED WITH "FLIGHT" PHOTOGRAPHS THE practical progress made by West Germany's aircraftindustry since the ending of the postwar ban on poweredaircraft on May 5, 1955, was effectively demonstrated for the first time at Hanover last week. At an exhibition at Langen-hagen Airport no fewer than six original designs of sports and touring aircraft were flown; also apparent was the industry'sstrong basis of licence-production of foreign machines, and there were a number of novel projects. Organized by the Society of the German Aircraft Industry(Bundesverband der Deutschen Luftfahrtindustrie), the exhibition took place simultaneously with the German Industries Fair atHanover. Its two sections comprised an indoor exhibition hall in which 45 companies exhibited their products (a number ofassociated component and equipment manufacturers were exhibit- ing at the main industries fair); and an outdoor park of aircraftwhich included foreign types. Guaranteed to make any visitor stop, stare and blink on enteringthe display hall was the prominently mounted Swan I ornithopter —or Schwingenflugzeug, to quote the designer, Walter Filter.This single-seater prototype has a tow-hook under the nose and will be aero-towed as a sailplane, the occupant using leg-musclepower after release to operate a mechanism which flaps the outer wing sections and, it is hoped, delays the effect of gravity. This aircraft has not yet flown, and an increase in tailplanearea may well be effected before the first flight. The angle of incidence of the five feather-like aerofoils forming each of the twoouter wing panels varies throughout the flapping cycle. The 13-metre Swan 1 has a flying weight of 730 lb and is to befollowed, once the principle of the design has been proved in flight, by a two-seater, 15-metre Mk 2 weighing 1,210 lb and asix-seater, 20-metre version of 2,980 lb. The Mk 2 would be powered by a turbine engine for take-off, and the Mk 3 wouldhave a fuselage-mounted power unit to actuate the flapping wings. From projects on to actual aircraft, me most interesting of whichat Hanover were perhaps the brace of RW.3 Multoplanes shown by the Rhein-Flugzeugbau company. Aptly described as a multi-purpose aircraft, the RW.3 is a tandem two-seater powered by a 65 h.p. Porsche engine driving a pusher propeller mounted in avertical slot in the fin. As mentioned by Walter Neumark in his article on flying the prototype RW.3 in Flight of December 27,1957, eight-foot wing extensions can be fitted to give a useful gliding performance with the engine switched off. No longer just a novel prototype, the RW.3 has been orderedby customers in Sweden, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Spain, and is the subject of firm interest from Switzerland, Australia and Canada.Five aircraft have been built, a delivery period of 3-4 months is quoted, and the production rate is planned to rise to ten machinesper month by July. A demonstration tour of the United Kingdom is expected to begin later this month. Compared with the prototype Multoplane, the production ver-sion (built to conform with U.S. Civil Air Regulations, Part 3) has a revised instrument panel and is 110 lb lighter. A 90 h.p.Continental could replace the standard Porsche engine if required. A German C. of A. has been granted to the prototype and is The Swan 1 ornithopter designed by Walther Filter (see text) made its public debut at Hanover. This machine has not yet flown. expected in the immediate future for the production machine.Ex-works price of the RW.3 is DM 29,800 (about £2,540). Two examples of the Dornier Do.27 utility aircraft (flightimpressions, Flight, June 14, 1957) were on view, in civil and military markings respectively. Of the order of 428 Do.27s forthe Luftwaffe, approximately 150 have been completed to date; and the company has private and government orders for 10-15civil machines. Low-wing touring aircraft included the all-metal Blume B1.502four-seater and the Klemm K1.107B three-seater, each of which is powered by a 150 h.p. Lycoming engine. The B1.502 wasdesigned by Prof. Walter Blume and built by the Focke-Wulf company; while the K1.107B has been developed by the Klemm- <Bolkow combination. The examples of both of these types at ~-: Hanover were prototypes. D-EKUB, the B1.502, began life as theB1.500, making its first flight in March last year. Since then its weight has increased to 1,480 lb (empty), 2,140 lb (two-seater), ....and 2,470 lb (four-seater). A second machine of this type has been >; built; both are designed to comply with British A.R.B. require- 1ments in the normal category (as a four-seater) and the semi- ., aerobatic category (as a two-seater). A design feature of themachine is its laminar-flow wing, a smooth surface being obtained with the aid of Redux bonding. The Klemm K1.107B, D-ECAD, is the successor to the 90 h.p.K1.107A. An initial batch of six machines is now under construe- • tion, and the company hope to make about 30 during this year. WThe machine, which is semi-aerobatic as a two-seater, cruises at 118 m.p.h. and is sold at DM 36,400 or £3,100 (standard version)and DM 39,100 or £3,340 (luxury version). r One of the German industry's larger production contracts is forthe manufacture under licence of 220 Fouga CM.170R Magister jet trainers for the German Air Force (the total order is for 260 -vmachines, with 40 of these delivered from France). This work is being carried out jointly by Ernst Heinkel FahrzeugbauG.m.b.H. and Messerschmitt A.G., operating together as Flug- zeug Union Siid G.m.b.H.; and one of the German-built machines,AA-149, was on show at Hanover. Magister production is divided between the two constituentfirms. Complete fuselages are built by Messerschmitt at Augs- burg; and the tail unit, wings and nose by Heinkel at Speyer,Stuttgart. Final assembly is at Munich-Riem. The Magisters so far produced by Union Siid have all incorporated French com-ponents; the first all-German machines are expected to be completed next month. Other current products of the Heinkelcompany include components for Turbomeca Marbore and Artouste engines; while Messerschmitt has a sizeable overhaul Two RW.3 Multoplanes (below) demon- strated their versatility at Hanover. Right, the revised cockpit layout of the production version of the RW.3.
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