Junkers A50

The Junkers A50 was a German sports plane of the 1930s, also called the A50 Junior.

A50
A50ci D-2054 in Deutsches Museum Munich
Role Sports plane
Manufacturer Junkers
Designer Hermann Pohlmann
First flight February 13, 1929
Number built 69

Development

The Junkers A50 was the first sportsplane designed by Hermann Pohlmann in Junkers works.[1] It had the same modern all-metal construction, covered with corrugated duralumin sheet, as larger Junkers passenger planes.[1] 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.[2] 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.[1] 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.

A50ce D-1842 shelters under the wing of big sister G.38 D-2000 in May 1930

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Variants
  • A50 - Armstrong Siddeley Genet 59 kW (79 hp) radial engine
  • A50ba - Walter Vega 63 kW (84 hp) radial engine (one built)
  • A50be - Armstrong Siddeley Genet 59 kW (79 hp) engine
  • A50ce - Armstrong Siddeley Genet II 63 kW (84 hp) engine or for export Genet Major I 74 kW, folding wings
  • A50ci - Siemens-Halske Sh 13, 65 kW (87 hp) radial engine, folding wings. Originally designed to be mass-produced as a "Volksflugzeug".[3]
  • A50fe - Armstrong Siddeley Genet II, 63 kW (84 hp) 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.[4] 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.[1] 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.[1] Two-spar wings were folding rearwards or could be detached.[1] 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. 95 l (25 US gal; 21 imp gal) fuel tank

A50ce in Helsinki-Vantaa, departure hall, gate 28

Operators
 Argentina
 Australia
 Bolivia
 Brazil
 Finland
 Germany
 Nazi Germany
 Hungary
 Japan
 Paraguay
  • Paraguayan Air Force
 Portugal
 South Africa
 Sweden
  Switzerland
 United Kingdom
 Uruguay

Surviving aircraft

An example is currently on display in Helsinki Airport. Registered as OH-ABB, it was flown by Väinö Bremer to Cape Town in a historic flight.

Specifications (A50ba)
Junkers A 50 3-view drawing from NACA Aircraft Circular No.118

Data from Junkers aircraft and engines, 1913-1945,[5] Junkers: an aircraft album[6]

General characteristics

  • Length: 7.12 m (23 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in)
  • Wing area: 13.7 m2 (147 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 340 kg (750 lb)
  • Gross weight: 590 kg (1,301 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 95 l (25 US gal; 21 imp gal)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Genet II 5-cylinder air-cooled radila piston engine, 65 kW (87 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 164 km/h (102 mph, 89 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 140 km/h (87 mph, 76 kn) on 60% power
  • Landing speed: 75 km/h (47 mph; 40 kn)
  • Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)
  • Endurance: 5 hours
  • Service ceiling: 4,200 m (13,800 ft)
  • Time to altitude: 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 21 minutes
  • Take-off run (over 8 m (26 ft)-high gate): 250 m (820 ft)[7]
  • Landing run (over 8 m (26 ft)-high gate): 187 m (614 ft)[7]

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References
  1. (in Polish) Krzyżan, Marian. Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934 [International aviation competitions 1929-1934], Warsaw 1988, ISBN 83-206-0637-3
  2. Junkers Junior, Flight, April 4, 1930.
  3. Junkers-F13-and-A50
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2012-05-30.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Kay, Anthony L. (2004). Junkers aircraft and engines, 1913-1945 (1st ed.). London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. pp. 95–97. ISBN 0851779859.
  6. Turner, P. St.J.; Nowarra, Heinz J. (1971). Junkers: an aircraft album. New York: Arco Publishing Inc. pp. 54–57. ISBN 0-668-02506-9.
  7. Best take-off and landing results from Challenge 1930 competition (Krzyzan, op.cit., Table II)
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