Focke-Wulf A 17 Möwe
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|name= A 17 Möwe |image= Focke Wulf A 17 L'Aéronautique November,1928.jpg |caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type |type= Airliner |manufacturer= Focke-Wulf |designer= |first flight= 1927 |introduced= |retired= |status= |primary user= Deutsche Luft Hansa |more users= |produced= |number built= 20 |variants with their own articles= }} |
The Focke-Wulf A 17 Möwe (German: "Gull") was an airliner designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the company's first large commercial aircraft.
It was developed in the late 1920s with the goal of producing a competitive civil aircraft that possessed a minimal production cost and a high load-carrying capability. The resulting aircraft was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. It provided fully enclosed seating for up to eight passengers in relatively luxurious conditions for the era as well as a fully enclosed cockpit for the two pilots. The exterior of the steel tube airframe was streamlined and was covered with fabric, except for the wings, which were plywood instead.
The A 17 performed its maiden flight in 1927, and entered revenue service several months thereafter. It was only ever produced in limited quantities, the primary customer of the type being the German airline Deutsche Luft Hansa. Several aircraft were also used for experimental purposes and as trials aircraft, such as for the Junkers Jumo 5 diesel engine. Operation of all A 17s was discontinued during the latter part of the 1930s.
Development
The project that would produce the A 17 was a novel undertaking for the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf, being the company's first large commercial aircraft. Nevertheless, the design team held to several established principles for the project, specifically the pursuit of low manufacturing costs and a comparatively generous load-carrying capacity. The resulting aircraft would be economic and available for purchase by 1926 at a competitively low price tag. The efficient model that this combination delivered was thought to have made the A 17 an attractive prospect to potential operators.NACA 1926, p. 1.
The A 17 Möwe was a high-wing cantilever monoplane.NACA 1926, p. 2. It was powered by a single nose-mounted engine. It could easily be removed for maintenance or replacement purposes by simply undoing four bolts that secured the engine bearer to the four primary longerons. Safety measures including a firewall and fire extinguisher that could be remotely operated from the cockpit.
The exterior of the aircraft was streamlined, yielding both aerodynamic efficiency and a pleasing aesthetic. Extensive use of steel tube framework was used in the structure of the airframe while the exterior of the fuselage was covered with fabric.NACA 1926, pp. 2-3. The wing, however, was covered with plywood. The leading edge of the wing contained a series of rubber cables that provided shock absorption to the undercarriage, the twin pairs of steel-tubing struts of the undercarriage having been braced by vertical struts that were connected to the wing.
It had a relatively spacious cockpit that was designed to accommodate a pair of pilots. Access to the cockpit was via a door in the forward wall of the passenger cabin. The cockpit was enclosed by a windshield; the pilots had favourable visibility, both forward and laterally. Dual flight controls were fitted as standard, although the principal pilot had the ability to disconnect them if so desired. Both the elevator and ailerons were operated via hand wheels while the rudder was controlled by a rudder bar. The stabilizer could be trimmed mid-flight to account for any centre-of-gravity changes via a hand wheel on the left hand wall of the cockpit. Typical instrumentation for the era was present. The cockpit also had a compressed-air starter that was used to ignite the engine.
The passenger cabin, which was elegantly furnished for the time, was located aft of the cockpit. Entry was relatively easy from ground level. In a typical configuration, the cabin would contain eight comfortable chairs. The walls of the cabin featured relatively large windows for lighting purposes; these windows could be let down and provide passengers with an unobstructed view. Beneath the passenger cabin was a baggage hold; forward of this hold and underneath the cockpit was a room intended for storing air mail.
Operational history
The test flight programme was performed at Adlershof.NACA 1926, p. 3. The majority of aircraft flew with the national airline Deutsche Luft Hansa; it operated the type through to sometime in 1936.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_102-06183,_Berlin-Tempelhof,_Sturmschäden_an_Flugzeug.jpg after sustaining storm damage in July 1928]]
In its later life, individual aircraft were often used for experimental and flight test purposes. In the early 1930s, two A 17s were used for testing the Junkers Jumo 5 diesel engine. In 1929, an example was built with a BMW VI engine and fitted out for aerial photography and survey work and designated A 21; the cabin of this aircraft was equipped with a darkroom.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}} Later the same year, the BMW engine was used on a further five airliners for Luft Hansa, these being designated A 29.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}
Variants
- A 17 - Eight-passenger airliner powered by {{convert|420|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Gnome et Rhône 9Aa Jupiter. One prototype and 11 production aircraft.
- A 17a - Conversion of A 17 with {{convert|480|hp|kW|abbr=on}} geared Siemens Jupiter VI engine.{{Harvnb|Stroud|1966|p=266}}
- A 17b - Conversion with Siemens Sh 20u engine. One converted.{{Harvnb|Stroud Aeroplane Monthly|January 1987|p=43}}
- A 17c - Conversion with {{convert|520|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Junkers Jumo 5C diesel engine. One converted.
- A 21 Photomöwe - Photographic fitted with BMW VI engine (two built)
- A 26 - Converted A 17 used as an experimental aircraft by Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt (DVL).
- A 29 - production version of A 17 with BMW VI engine. Five built.{{Harvnb|Stroud|1966|pp=268–269}}
Specifications (A 17a)
File:Focke-Wulf_A_17_3-view_NACA_Aircraft_Circular_No.66.png
{{Aircraft specs
|ref= European Transport Aircraft since 1910,{{Harvnb|Stroud|1966|p=265–256}} National Advisory Committee for AeronauticsNACA 1926, pp. 3-5.
|prime units?= met
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|crew= two
|capacity= eight passengers
|length m= 14.63
|length note= (tail up)
|length ft=
|length in=
|span m= 20.00
|span ft=
|span in=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|wing area sqm= 62.5
|wing area sqft=
|empty weight kg= 2,450
|empty weight lb=
|gross weight kg= 4,000
|gross weight lb=
|fuel capacity=
|eng1 number= 1
|eng1 name= Siemens Jupiter VI
|eng1 type=
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp= 480
|prop blade number=
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|perfhide=
|max speed kmh= 201
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed mach=
|cruise speed kmh= 167
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|range km= 800
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|ceiling m= 4,500
|ceiling ft=
|climb rate ms=
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See also
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References
=Citations=
{{reflist}}
{{Commons category}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite book |last= Stroud |first=John |title= European Transport Aircraft since 1910 |year=1966 |publisher= Putnam |location=London, UK}}
- {{cite magazine| last=Stroud |first=John |title=Wings of Peace |magazine=Aeroplane Monthly |date=January 1987 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=40–45|issn=0143-7240 |ref={{Harvid|Stroud Aeroplane Monthly|January 1987}} }}
- {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London, UK |pages=394–95 }}
- {{cite book |title=World Aircraft Information Files |publisher=Bright Star Publishing |location=London, UK |pages=File 894 Sheet 28 }}
- {{cite journal |title=1928 Berlin Aero Show |journal=Flight |date=18 October 1928 |pages=917 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1928/1928%20-%200987.html |access-date=22 March 2008}}
- [http://www.histaviation.com/Focke-Wulf_A17_Mowe.html German aircraft between 1919 and 1945] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125160302/http://www.histaviation.com/Focke-Wulf_A17_Mowe.html |date=25 January 2022 }}
- [https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19930090649 "Focke-wulf a 17 Commercial Airplane "mowe" (german)"] National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 1 February 1928. NACA-AC-66, 93R19939.
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Category:1920s German airliners