Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz

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Fw 44 Stieglitz
Fliegerwerft 2008 Borkum 061.jpg
A Focke-Wulf Fw 44J in 2008
Role Biplane trainer
National originGermany
Manufacturer Focke-Wulf
Built by FMA
First flightLate summer 1932 [1]

The Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz ("Goldfinch") is a 1930s German two-seat biplane. An early design by Kurt Tank, [2] it was produced by the Focke-Wulf company as a pilot training and sports flying aircraft. It was also built under license in several other countries.

Contents

Design and development

The Fw 44 was designed as a biplane with conventional layout and straight, untapered wings. Its two open cockpits were arranged in tandem, and both cockpits were equipped with flight controls and instruments. The Fw 44 had fixed tailwheel landing gear. It employed ailerons on both upper and lower wings. It did not use flaps. It was flown with a Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine.

The first prototype flew 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 the Fw 44B, which had an Argus As 8 four-cylinder inverted inline air-cooled engine of 90 kW (120 hp). [1] The cowling for this engine gave the plane a more slender, aerodynamic nose.

Twenty Fw 44s purchased by China were modified for combat missions, and participated in the early stage of the Second Sino-Japanese War until all were lost in action.

The last series version was the Fw 44J, which was sold or built under license in several countries around the world. It was equipped with a seven-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine.

Variants

Fw 44J G-STIG at Old Warden 2008 Stieglitzc 2008.jpg
Fw 44J G-STIG at Old Warden 2008
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-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh 14a radial piston engine.

Operators

A Focke-Wulf Fw 44J in 2005 Focke Wulf Fw 44 J Stieglitz 1.jpg
A Focke-Wulf Fw 44J in 2005
Focke-Wulf Fw 44s from Argentina, c. 1937. FOCKE WULF 44-J STIEGLITZ FAA.jpg
Focke-Wulf Fw 44s from Argentina, c. 1937.
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina

The aircraft was produced under license in 1937–1942 period [3]

Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg  Bolivia
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil

– license production

Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  China
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechoslovakia
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Germany
Flag of Hungary (1915-1918, 1919-1946).svg  Hungary
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg  Yugoslavia

Specifications

Data fromFlugzeug Typenbuch 1941 [7]

General characteristics

Performance

  • 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 5 minutes 30 seconds
  • 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 23 minutes 36 seconds

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Holmes, 2005. p. 79.
  2. Munson, K. Fighters Between the Wars 1919-39 1977 p.129 ISBN   071370750X
  3. "Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz in Detail". Archived from the original on 2017-07-15. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  4. Focke-Wulf Fw-44J Stieglitz * Retired * Used by the Escuela Militar de Aviación.
  5. Focke-Wulf Fw-44 Stieglitz * Retired * Used by the Escuela de Aviación.
  6. Plane Encyclopedia Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz
  7. Schneider, Helmut (1941). Flugzeug Typenbuch (in German). Leipzig: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 68.

Bibliography

Further reading

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