Udet U 6

U 6
Role	Touring aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Udet Flugzeugbau
Designer	Hans Henry Herrmann
First flight	1923
Number built	about 7
Developed from	Udet U 1

The Udet U 6 was a small, low-power sport aircraft developed in Gerrmany in the early 1920s as an improved version of the Udet U 1. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Of around seven examples built, three received German civil registrations, D 325, D 330, and D 487 ^[4]

Design

The U 6 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of conventional design. ^[5] It was powered by a single, piston engine mounted in the nose, driving a two-blade tractor propeller. ^[5] It had a conventional tail and conventional, tailskid undercarriage. ^[5]

The fuselage and tail unit were of all-wood construction. ^[5] The wings were wooden as well, covered in fabric. ^[5]

Although based on the series of Udet Flugzeugbau designs that started with the U 1, the U 6 was a substantially modified design. The pilot and passenger were still seated in tandem, but were now in separate, open cockpits. ^[3] The angular tail fin of the U 1 was replaced with a rounded one, ^[3] and the wing planform was more complex than the simple, trapezoidal shape of the U 1. ^[5] The improved aerodynamics of the design resulted in an improvement in top speed of around 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 mph; 5.4 kn). ^[3]

One example, D 325, was fitted with ski undercarriage. ^[4]

Operational history

Test flights of the U 6 began in July 1923, and in August, the aircraft was displayed at the Internationella luftfartsutställningen i Göteborg 1923 ("ILUG", "The International Aero Exhibition Gothenburg") show in Göteborg. ^[3]

Company founder Ernst Udet also demonstrated the U 6 at the ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, "General German Automobile Club") rally at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1924. ^[3] (The Winterfahrt or "winter rally" was held between 1–3 February that year.) Between 13–14 May the same year, he flew a U 6 on a 1,250-kilometre (780 mi) journey in several stages with passenger Countess Margot von Einsiedel. ^[3]

Variants

U 6

original version with Siemens-Halske Sh 4 engine

U 6a

version with Siemens-Halske Sh 5 engine

Specifications

Data from Birchal 2013, p.51

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 pilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Length: 5.50 m (18 ft 1 in)
• Wingspan: 8.90 m (29 ft 2 in)
• Height: 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
• Wing area: 12 m² (130 sq ft)
• Empty weight: 470 kg (1,036 lb)
• Gross weight: 800 kg (1,764 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh 4 five-cylinder, radial, air-cooled piston engine, 47.5 kW (63.7 hp) (65 PS)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph, 81 kn)

Notes

References

1. Taylor 1993, p.873
2. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1984, p.3035
3. Bichel 2013, p.47
4. Bichel 2013, p.48
5. Bichel 2013, p.50–51

Bibliography

• Bichel, Olaf (2013). Die Flugzeuge der Udet Flugzeugbau GmbH[The aeroplanes of the Udet Flugzeugbau company] (in German). Oberschleißheim: Bayerische Flugzeug-Historiker eV.
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. Vol. 13. London: Aerospace Publishing. 1984.
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1993). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.