A Flight Copyright draw­ ing of the Heinkel He 114 reconnaissance sesquiplane with B.M.W. 132 Dc engine. J.R SOME GERMAN SEAPLANES General-Purpose Types : Single- and Twin-engined Floatplanes for Bombing, Reconnaissance, Torpedo Dropping, etc. By H. F. KING TIKE Great Britain, Germany requires marine aircraft for biplane with a span of more than -]-j\it.. Its layout is coastal defence duties, over-water reconnaissance, essentially practical, aerodynamic refinement being sacri­ *—' catapult operation with the Navy and for the attack ficed to seaworthiness, ease of maintenance and the comfort of shipping. of the crew. The engines—two B.M.W. VI twelve-cylinder Germany is one of those countries which has adopted vees with nose-type radiators—are fitted just above the large floatplanes though she fully recognises the advantages lower wings and drive four-bladed wooden airscrews. There offered by the flying boat and actually employs this type are unprotected manually-operated gun mountings in the very extensively. This article, however, will be devoted bow, on top of the fuselage aft of the wings and beneath the to certain types of floatplane, the "boats " being reserved fuselage lor a separate study. Two types of float­ plane were predominant in the Luftwaffe seaplane squadrons until quite re­ cently: the Heinkel He 59 and He 60. Both models were used in the Spanish conflict though ™ey are now regarded chiefly as advanced train- Ing aircraft. The He 5g is quite a umque, though somewhat matronly, machine. It is large, heavily-braced Obsolete as a first-line tvPMhe Heinkel He 60 'S u*eQ extensively for seaplane training. It *M.W. VI engine. p @GfT? OCTOBER 19, x^ A recent type of naval seaplane is this Arado shown mounted on the catapult ot the pocket battleship Admiral GruJ Spec. The main structure is of wood with fabric covering but monoplane on a heavily braced twin-float undercarriage the floats are of "hydronalium" (which corresponds to The tail is a typical Arado design, resembling that of the "Alclad") and have a single step. Ar 95 discussed later in this article ; the wing seems to Further data are : Wing area, 1,615 sq. ft.; length, 56^ft.; have no taper, and the engine is a B.M.W. 132, the in­ all-up weight, ig,62olb. stallation being similar to that of the He 114. A crew ol The He 60 is a smaller single-engined type, normally two or three is housed under a long cockpit enclosure. Up fitted with a B.W.M. VI. It is a two-seater, the pilot to the present the only picture of this aircraft which has and gunner-observer being placed close together, the latter appeared is that reproduced on this page, showing the having a Scarff-type ring gun mounting which indicates machine mounted on the catapult of the German pocket that the performance of the machine is quite low accord­ battleship Admiral Graf Spee. ing to modern standards. Figures are: Span, 44ft. 3m.; length, 37ft. 7m.; weight Arado Ar 95 empty, 6,1171b.; all-up weight, 7,495Tb. Corresponding to our own torpedo spotter reconnaissance This type of machine has been used for catapult work aircraft, the Ar 95 is a real maid of all work. It can be from warships but is, apparently, superseded by the Hein- fitted out as a torpedo carrier, bomber, reconnaissance kel He 114 sesquiplane which type forms the subject of the machine, gunnery observation aircraft and for the laying drawing on the previous page. of smoke screens and the towing of targets. Furthermore, The He 114 has an upper wing spanning 42ft. gin. the it can be operated on wheels or floats and is stressed for lower stub wings, as will be seen, being very short in com­ catapulting. parison. Upper and lower surfaces are joined by Y-type The keynote of the whole design is obviously strength, interplane struts. Construction is composite, the metal or what the Americans would call ruggedness. The swept- fuselage being a monocoque of oval section. The single- back staggered biplane wings are arranged to fold and have step floats are made of "hydronalium" and have retract­ an unusual bracing system. The wing cellule may be re­ able water rudders. garded as a single-bay structure with a single rigid strut A single B.M.W. 132 Dc. engine is fitted, being installed running from the upper joint of the front strut to the lower in a long-chord gilled cowling and driving a three-bladed front spar root where it picks up with the attachment Junkers or V.D.M. variable-pitch airscrew. points of the float undercarriage. A system of N struts Pilot and observer-gunner have a cockpit enclosure and and inverted vee struts supports the centre section and the the normal armament is one fixed and one free machine lower wing roots are built integral with the fuselage, being gun, though a light bomb load can be accommodated. considerably thicker than the outer panels. A recent type introduced for service on ships of the The wing structure is of particular interest because German Navy is what appears to be a low-wing Arado the upper surfaces are metal covered though the lower ones have fabric covering. Spars and ribs are of duralumin. Another somewhat unusual feature is the installation of flaps on the lower wings. Ailerons are fitted to upper and lower surfaces. A light-metal mono coque structure, the fuse lage is cut out for roomy cockpits which are covered by a long transparent en­ closure. The cantilever monoplane tail is typi­ cally Arado with the ele­ vator below, and slightly The He 59 (two B.M.W- Vis) now being relegates to training duties. It was used quite extensively during the war in Spain- i@co? OCTOBER IQ, jq^g A twin-engined general-purpose floatplane of the Luftwaffe is the Heinkel He 115 shown discharging its ''tin fish" which is stowed internally. The engines are B.M.W. 132 Dcs. aft of, the rudder. Fixed surfaces are all-metal but the 3,280ft., 2.5 min. ; climb to 13.120ft., n min. ; takeoff rudder and elevator are fabric covered. time, 18 sec. As a landplane the machine is supposed to The single-step all-metal floats are of "hydronalium" do a shade more than 200 m.p.h., though it must be and are completely interchangeable. Each can accommo­ assumed that speeds of this order are only attained when date a tank holding 100 gall, of petrol. Retractable water the machine is flying " clean and light." rudders are fitted. The floats are interchangeable with a Lrousered " wheel undercarriage. Heinkel He 115 The engine of the Ar 95 is the popular B.M.W. 132 Dc Among the most modern and efficient of the German radial which is installed in a long-chord cowling and drives seaplanes is the twin-engined He 115. This is not, as is a three-bladed variable-pitch airscrew. The engine is fed sometimes supposed, a marine version of the He in from the float tanks already mentioned and from a third bomber, but has been specially studied for nautical opera­ tank in the fuselage. tion. In March last year a special version of this aircraft Armament includes one fixed synchronised machine gun broke eight international seaplane records. (7.9 mm.) with 500 rounds of ammunition and a free gun The machine is arranged as a mid-wing monoplane. It with 600 rounds. Racks for six bombs of 100 lb. each is of metal construction, and the fuselage is of oval section. may be fitted beneath the wings, releases being provided Two B.M.W. 132 Dc radials driving three-bladed variable for the pilot and observer. Alternatively, a single tor­ pitch airscrews are mounted in nacelles forward of the pedo weighing 1,760 lb. or a bomb of 1,100 lb. can be leading edge; below these nacelles are the outer float carried below the fuselage. The Ar 95 can be employed struts. The floats themselves are of typical Heinkel con as a dive-bomber either on wheels or floats while carrying struction and are made of "hydronalium." The pilot sits a full bomb load. just forward of the leading edge of the wing and behind In the observer's cockpit is a two-way wireless set him stretches a long cockpit enclosure at the end of which operating on long or short waves with a maximum range is the rear gunner's position corresponding approximately of 400 miles. with the trailing edge. A camera with 300 exposures (18 x 18 cm.) or a hand Data are: span, 72ft. 7m. ; weight, empty, 11,695 lb-; camera with a hundred exposures (13 x 18 cm.) can also weight, loaded, 20,060 lb. ; top speed, 215 m.p.h.; normal be installed. A further item ol equipment in the rear range, 1,300 miles; take-off time, 30 sec. cockpit is a pneumatic dinghy holding two or three people. The following data apply to the Ar 95 See (as the sea plane version is designated): Span, 41ft.; width folded, 19ft.; length, -36ft. bin.; wing area, 489 sq. ft.; top speed, 187 m.p.h.; climb to An earlier type of He 115 with a shorter nose than that shown above. The inspection ladders from the floats to the fuselage are interesting. .