Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz
| Fw 44 Stieglitz | |
|---|---|
| |
| A Focke-Wulf Fw 44J in 2008 | |
| Role | Biplanetrainer |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Focke-Wulf |
| Built by | FMA |
| First flight | Late summer 1932[1] |
TheFocke-Wulf Fw 44Stieglitz(Goldfinch) is a 1930sGermantwo-seatbiplane.Designed byKurt Tank[2]in 1931, it was theFocke-Wulfcompany's first major international success.[3]Produced as a pilottrainingand sports flying aircraft. It was also built under license in several other countries.
Design and development[edit]
The Fw 44 was designed as a biplane with conventional layout and straight, untapered wings. Its two opencockpitswere arranged in tandem, and both cockpits were equipped with flight controls and instruments. The Fw 44 had fixedtailwheel landing gear.It employedaileronson both upper and lower wings. It did not useflaps.It was flown with aSiemens-Halske Sh 14radial engine.
The firstprototypeflew in 1932.[1]After many tests and modifications to increase the plane's durability and aerodynamics, the final Fw 44 proved to have excellent airworthiness.
A second version of the Fw 44 was theFw 44B,which had anArgus As 8four-cylinder invertedinlineair-cooled engine of 90 kW (120 hp).[1]Thecowlingfor this engine gave the plane a more slender, aerodynamic nose.
Twenty Fw 44s purchased byChinawere modified for combat missions, and participated in the early stage of theSecond Sino-Japanese Waruntil all were lost in action.
The last series version was theFw 44J,which was sold or built under license in several countries around the world. It was equipped with a seven-cylinderSiemens-Halske Sh 14radial engine.
Many Fw 44Cs remained inLuftwaffeservice during World War 2, with the Flugzeugführerschulen and one or two Flugkriegsschulen.[3]
Variants[edit]
- Fw 44B
- Fw 44C
- Main production version with minor equipment changes, powered by a seven-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh 14a radial piston engine.
- Fw 44D
- Fw 44E
- Fw 44F
- Fw 44J
- Final production model, powered by a seven-cylinderSiemens-Halske Sh 14aradial piston engine.
Operators[edit]
The aircraft was produced under license in 1937–1942 period[4]
- Austrian Air Force (1927-1938)– license production
- Bolivian Air Force– one aircraft was delivered in November 1937[5]
– license production
- Bulgarian Air Force– license production
- Chilean Air Force– 15 aircraft delivered in February 1938[6]
- Czechoslovakian Air Force(Postwar)
- Swedish Air Force– license production; called Sk 12[7]
- Turkish Air Force(1937–1962)
- SFR Yugoslav Air Force– Postwar.
Specifications[edit]
Data fromFlugzeug Typenbuch 1941[8]
General characteristics
- Crew:2
- Length:7.3 m (23 ft 11 in)
- Wingspan:9 m (29 ft 6 in)
- Height:2.7 m (8 ft 10 in)
- Wing area:20 m2(220 sq ft)
- Empty weight:565 kg (1,246 lb)
- Gross weight:870 kg (1,918 lb)
- Powerplant:1 ×Bramo Sh 14A-47-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine 150 PS (148 hp; 110 kW)
- Propellers:2-bladed Starrschraube, 2.25 m (7 ft 5 in) diameter fixed-pitch RH rotation wooden propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed:185 km/h (115 mph, 100 kn)
- Cruise speed:172 km/h (107 mph, 93 kn)
- Landing speed:74 km/h (46 mph; 40 kn)
- Range:675 km (419 mi, 364 nmi)
- Endurance:4 hours 24 minutes
- Service ceiling:3,900 m (12,800 ft)
- Rate of climb:3.4 m/s (670 ft/min)
- Time to altitude:
- 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 5 minutes 30 seconds
- 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 23 minutes 36 seconds
- Wing loading:43.5 kg/m2(8.9 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass:0.1724 PS/kg (0.0771 hp/lb; 0.1268 kW/kg)
- Fuel consumption:.20 L/km (0.071 imp gal/mi)
- Oil consumption:.01 L/km (0.0035 imp gal/mi)
- Take-off distance:140 m (460 ft)
- Landing distance:140 m (460 ft)
Notes[edit]
- ^abcHolmes, 2005. p. 79.
- ^Munson, K.Fighters Between the Wars 1919-391977 p.129ISBN071370750X
- ^abMunson 1978,p. 53.
- ^"Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz in Detail".Archived fromthe originalon 2017-07-15.Retrieved2017-08-09.
- ^Focke-Wulf Fw-44J Stieglitz * Retired * Used by the Escuela Militar de Aviación.
- ^Focke-Wulf Fw-44 Stieglitz * Retired * Used by the Escuela de Aviación.
- ^Plane Encyclopedia Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz
- ^Schneider, Helmut (1941).Flugzeug Typenbuch(in German). Leipzig: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 68.
Bibliography[edit]
- Cortet, Pierre (May 2002). "Rétros du mois" [Retros of the Month].Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire(in French) (110): 4.ISSN1243-8650.
- Holmes, Tony (2005).Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide.London: Harper Collins.ISBN0-00-719292-4.
- Munson, Kenneth (1978).German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour.Poole, Dorsett, UK: Blandford Press.ISBN0-7137-0860-3.
Further reading[edit]
- Ketley, Barry; Rolfe, Mark (1996).Luftwaffe Fledglings, 1935-1945: Luftwaffe Training Units and Their Aircraft.Hikoki.ISBN9780951989920.
- Pavlovcic, Gabriel; Raczynsk, Esteban (4 October 2018).Focke-Wulf 44J en Argentina(in Spanish).
External links[edit]
