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Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
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Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, also known as Kurier (German for courier) to the Allies, is an all-metal four-engined monoplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the first heavier-than-air craft to fly nonstop between Berlin and New York City, about 4,000 miles (6,400 km), making the flight from Berlin-Staaken to Floyd Bennett Field on 10/11 August 1938 in 24 hours and 56 minutes.
It was originally proposed by the aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank as a long-range land-based airliner for the flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa. A key feature of the Fw 200 was its ability to cruise at altitudes in excess of 3,000 m (9,800 ft), which made long distance routes more viable. A specification was issued in June 1936 and the maiden flight of the first prototype took place on 27 July 1937. Civilian Fw 200 were operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa, Det Danske Luftfartselskab, Syndicato Condor (the latter being Luft Hansa's Brazilian subsidiary), Cruzeiro do Sul, and the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The outbreak of the Second World War prevented the fulfilment of further civil orders for the type.
While intended for use as an airliner, the type was adapted for military purposes in response to a Japanese Navy request for a long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Military versions of the Fw 200 were adopted by the Luftwaffe, which used the type as both a long-range reconnaissance and maritime patrol aircraft, anti-shipping bomber, and transport aircraft. The Fw 200 was used to support the Kriegsmarine in both the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It achieved success as a commerce raider in the Battle of the Atlantic, contributing to the heavy Allied shipping losses. By mid-1941, it was being increasingly harried by long-range aircraft dispatched by RAF Coastal Command as well as Hurricane fighters being flown from CAM ships. On 14 August 1942, an Fw 200C-3 was the first German aircraft to be destroyed by USAAF pilots, after it was attacked by a Curtiss P-40C Warhawk and a Lockheed P-38F Lightning over Iceland.
By the latter half of 1943, the Luftwaffe was almost exclusively using the Fw 200 as a transport aircraft. On numerous occasions, senior Nazi officials, including Joachim von Ribbentrop, Heinrich Himmler, Albert Speer, Hermann Göring, and Karl Dönitz made use of special aircraft. Furthermore, Adolf Hitler had a single customised Fw 200 made available as his personal aircraft. Following the end of the conflict, only limited use of the type was made, largely by Francoist Spain, due to a lack of available spares. By the twenty-first century, only a single complete reconstructed Fw 200 exists; it has been displayed at Berlin Tempelhof Airport.
The Fw 200 originated from a proposal made by the aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank, the chief designer of the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf to Dr. Rudolf Stüssel of the flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa for the development of a landplane capable of carrying passengers across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. At the time, it was an unusual concept because airlines typically opted for seaplanes on their long over-water routes. To fly long distances economically, the Fw 200 was designed to cruise at an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) - as high as possible without a pressurized cabin. Existing airliners were designed to cruise at altitudes below 1,500 m (4,900 ft). The Fw 200 was briefly the world's most modern airliner, until other high-altitude airliners entered service: the Boeing 307 Stratoliner in 1940 and the Douglas DC-4 in 1942.[citation needed] The designation "Condor" was chosen because, like the condor bird, the Fw 200 had a very long wingspan compared to other planes of its era, to facilitate high-altitude flight.
During June 1936, following discussions between Tank, Stüssel and Carl August von Gablenz, Deutsche Luft Hansa issued a specification. Focke-Wulf responded with what would become the Fw 200, a four-engined low-winged monoplane, almost entirely constructed of metal (exceptions include the fabric-covered flight control surfaces). It could accommodate up to 26 passengers in two cabins. The Fw 200 had a retractable landing gear; the legs of the main gear featured an unorthodox design which was to allow their deployment without any power other than that of the slipstream in the event of an emergency. On 16 July of that year, Focke-Wulf were awarded an initial contract.
On 27 July 1937, the first prototype, Fw 200 V1, conducted its maiden flight with Tank at the controls. It was powered by four American 652 kW (875 hp) Pratt & Whitney Hornet radial engines. Two further prototypes were built; these differed from the first only in that they were powered by German 540 kW (720 hp) BMW 132G-1 radials instead.
The Japanese Navy placed an order for a single militarised version of the Fw 200 outfitted to conduct search and patrol duties. Accordingly, Fw 200 V10 was constructed with military apparatus; while completed, this Fw 200 remained in Germany due to the outbreak of war in Europe by that point. At the direction of Edgar Peterson, the aircraft was adapted for long range reconnaissance and anti-shipping duties with the Luftwaffe to meet Germany's wartime needs. The adaptions made included the addition of hardpoints to the wings for bombs, strengthening of the fuselage (which was also extended to create more space), and the addition of fore and aft dorsal gun positions. Furthermore, an extended-length version of the Bola ventral gondola typical of Second World War-era German bomber aircraft was adopted; it incorporated a central bomb bay (which was typically used for additional long-range fuel tanks), as well as heavily glazed fore and aft ventral flexible machine gun emplacements at either end.
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Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, also known as Kurier (German for courier) to the Allies, is an all-metal four-engined monoplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the first heavier-than-air craft to fly nonstop between Berlin and New York City, about 4,000 miles (6,400 km), making the flight from Berlin-Staaken to Floyd Bennett Field on 10/11 August 1938 in 24 hours and 56 minutes.
It was originally proposed by the aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank as a long-range land-based airliner for the flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa. A key feature of the Fw 200 was its ability to cruise at altitudes in excess of 3,000 m (9,800 ft), which made long distance routes more viable. A specification was issued in June 1936 and the maiden flight of the first prototype took place on 27 July 1937. Civilian Fw 200 were operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa, Det Danske Luftfartselskab, Syndicato Condor (the latter being Luft Hansa's Brazilian subsidiary), Cruzeiro do Sul, and the British Overseas Airways Corporation. The outbreak of the Second World War prevented the fulfilment of further civil orders for the type.
While intended for use as an airliner, the type was adapted for military purposes in response to a Japanese Navy request for a long-range maritime patrol aircraft. Military versions of the Fw 200 were adopted by the Luftwaffe, which used the type as both a long-range reconnaissance and maritime patrol aircraft, anti-shipping bomber, and transport aircraft. The Fw 200 was used to support the Kriegsmarine in both the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It achieved success as a commerce raider in the Battle of the Atlantic, contributing to the heavy Allied shipping losses. By mid-1941, it was being increasingly harried by long-range aircraft dispatched by RAF Coastal Command as well as Hurricane fighters being flown from CAM ships. On 14 August 1942, an Fw 200C-3 was the first German aircraft to be destroyed by USAAF pilots, after it was attacked by a Curtiss P-40C Warhawk and a Lockheed P-38F Lightning over Iceland.
By the latter half of 1943, the Luftwaffe was almost exclusively using the Fw 200 as a transport aircraft. On numerous occasions, senior Nazi officials, including Joachim von Ribbentrop, Heinrich Himmler, Albert Speer, Hermann Göring, and Karl Dönitz made use of special aircraft. Furthermore, Adolf Hitler had a single customised Fw 200 made available as his personal aircraft. Following the end of the conflict, only limited use of the type was made, largely by Francoist Spain, due to a lack of available spares. By the twenty-first century, only a single complete reconstructed Fw 200 exists; it has been displayed at Berlin Tempelhof Airport.
The Fw 200 originated from a proposal made by the aeronautical engineer Kurt Tank, the chief designer of the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf to Dr. Rudolf Stüssel of the flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa for the development of a landplane capable of carrying passengers across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. At the time, it was an unusual concept because airlines typically opted for seaplanes on their long over-water routes. To fly long distances economically, the Fw 200 was designed to cruise at an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) - as high as possible without a pressurized cabin. Existing airliners were designed to cruise at altitudes below 1,500 m (4,900 ft). The Fw 200 was briefly the world's most modern airliner, until other high-altitude airliners entered service: the Boeing 307 Stratoliner in 1940 and the Douglas DC-4 in 1942.[citation needed] The designation "Condor" was chosen because, like the condor bird, the Fw 200 had a very long wingspan compared to other planes of its era, to facilitate high-altitude flight.
During June 1936, following discussions between Tank, Stüssel and Carl August von Gablenz, Deutsche Luft Hansa issued a specification. Focke-Wulf responded with what would become the Fw 200, a four-engined low-winged monoplane, almost entirely constructed of metal (exceptions include the fabric-covered flight control surfaces). It could accommodate up to 26 passengers in two cabins. The Fw 200 had a retractable landing gear; the legs of the main gear featured an unorthodox design which was to allow their deployment without any power other than that of the slipstream in the event of an emergency. On 16 July of that year, Focke-Wulf were awarded an initial contract.
On 27 July 1937, the first prototype, Fw 200 V1, conducted its maiden flight with Tank at the controls. It was powered by four American 652 kW (875 hp) Pratt & Whitney Hornet radial engines. Two further prototypes were built; these differed from the first only in that they were powered by German 540 kW (720 hp) BMW 132G-1 radials instead.
The Japanese Navy placed an order for a single militarised version of the Fw 200 outfitted to conduct search and patrol duties. Accordingly, Fw 200 V10 was constructed with military apparatus; while completed, this Fw 200 remained in Germany due to the outbreak of war in Europe by that point. At the direction of Edgar Peterson, the aircraft was adapted for long range reconnaissance and anti-shipping duties with the Luftwaffe to meet Germany's wartime needs. The adaptions made included the addition of hardpoints to the wings for bombs, strengthening of the fuselage (which was also extended to create more space), and the addition of fore and aft dorsal gun positions. Furthermore, an extended-length version of the Bola ventral gondola typical of Second World War-era German bomber aircraft was adopted; it incorporated a central bomb bay (which was typically used for additional long-range fuel tanks), as well as heavily glazed fore and aft ventral flexible machine gun emplacements at either end.
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