| BFW M.29 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Two-seat sports/racing |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW) |
| Designer | W. Messerschmitt |
| First flight | 1932 |
| Number built | 6 |
The BFW M.29 was a single-engine two-seat low-wing aircraft, designed by Willy Messerschmitt for the 1932 Circuit of Europe races.
Messerschmitt M 23s had won the Circuit of Europe or Challenge International de Tourisme in both 1929 and 1930, assisting sales of the aircraft. The M.29 was designed to repeat this success. It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of slightly smaller span than the M.23, with an enclosed continuous cockpit for two in tandem which blended smoothly into a dorsal fairing that extended aft to the fin. The latter carried a wide chord rudder and an all-moving tailplane, mounted on bracing towards the top of the fin. It had a clean cantilever spatted undercarriage. The wings could be folded at wing root hinges, back along the fuselage sides. [1]
The aircraft could be powered either by a closely cowled 112 kW (150 hp) Siemens-Halske Sh 14a seven-cylinder radial engine (M.29a) or an air-cooled inverted inline Argus As 8R (a high-powered racing version of the Argus As 8) of the same power (M.29b). [1]
Four aircraft of both variants were delivered for testing a few days before the start of racing on 27 August 1932. Initial reactions were that the machine was both fast and responsive. However, within days one aircraft had disintegrated in mid-air, killing the pilot and another was lost in the same way on approach to landing. The pilot in the second accident, Reinhold Poss bailed out, though his observer was killed, and reported that the disintegration began at the tailplane, progressing forward. All M.29s were grounded, missing the race, whilst the tail structure was strengthened. [1]
The remaining race machines, joined by at least one more, flew successfully after modification. There is photographic evidence of six M.29s. [2]
Note [3]
Data from Smith 1971, p. 31
General characteristics
Performance
The Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz ("Goldfinch") is a 1930s German two-seat biplane. An early design by Kurt Tank, it was produced by the Focke-Wulf company as a pilot training and sports flying aircraft. It was also eventually built under license in several other countries.
The Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun was a German single-engine sport and touring aircraft, developed by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in the 1930s. The Bf 108 was of all-metal construction.
The Klemm Kl 36 is a 1930s German four-seat cabin touring and competition monoplane. It was designed by Klemm and Friedrich Fechner and built by Klemm.
The ICAR Universal was a 1930s Romanian two seat monoplane trainer, touring and aerobatics aircraft.
The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke M 18, was an airliner, produced in Germany in the late 1920s.
The BFW M.23, sometimes known as the Messerschmitt M 23, was a 1920s two-seat sporting aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt, and produced by Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Examples won several prestigious races in 1929 and 1930.
The BFW M.35, sometimes known as the Messerschmitt M 35, was a German sports plane of the early 1930s. It was the last of a line designed by Willy Messerschmitt.
The BFW M.27, sometimes known as the Messerschmitt M.27, was a German two-seat sports plane with a low, cantilever wing, open cockpits and a fixed undercarriage sold in small numbers at the start of the 1930s.
The BFW M.31, sometimes known as the Messerschmitt M.27, was a radial-engined German two-seat sports plane from 1932, with a low, cantilever wing, open cockpits and fixed undercarriage. Only one was built.
The Henschel Hs 121 was the first aircraft built by the German Henschel company. It was a high-wing monoplane with an inline engine, fixed undercarriage and single, open cockpit, designed as an advanced trainer. Only one aircraft was produced, in 1933-4, as a testpiece for the Air Ministry.
The Henschel Hs 122 was a German army cooperation/reconnaissance aircraft of the mid-1930s, radial-engined and with a parasol wing. Though only pre-production variants entered service, the Hs 122 led on to the Hs 126 which was produced in large numbers.
The BFW M.21 was a single-engined biplane trainer designed by Willy Messerschmitt for the German Ministry of Transport. It was one of only two biplanes Messerschmitt designed, neither reaching production.
The BFW M.22 was a twin-engined medium bomber, designed by Willy Messerschmitt for the German Ministry of Transport. It was one of only two biplanes Messerschmitt designed, both unsuccessful.
The BFW M.26 was a single-engined cantilever-winged monoplane light airliner built in Germany in 1930. There were no sales and only one was built.
The Junkers T 19, originally known as the J 19, was a single-engined parasol winged all-metal 2/3-seat aircraft built in Germany in the early 1920s for training and touring. Its construction was too expensive for commercial success and only three were built, one later finding use as an engine test-bed.
The Savoia-Marchetti SM.80 was a two-seat monoplane amphibian tourer, with a single, tractor engine mounted above the wing, designed in Italy in the early 1930s. The SM.80bis was a four-seat variant, powered by two pusher engines.
The LFG V 40 and V 44 were one-off, single-engine, two-seat sports monoplanes, identical apart from their engines, built in Germany in 1925.
The Udet U 1 was the first of a line of small, low-powered, low wing, cantilever monoplanes built in Germany in the early 1920s.
The Gribovsky G-20 was an aerobatic trainer, designed in the USSR in the mid-1930s. Only one was built; re-engined in 1937, it was used to train many aerobatic pilots.
The parasol wing, single engine Udet U 8, sometimes referred to as the Limousine, was a three-seat commercial passenger transport designed and built in Germany in 1924. Five were produced and were used by German airlines until about 1928.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Messerschmitt M 29 . |