VFW-614

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The VFW-614 was a twin-engined jetliner operated built in West Germany. It was produced in small quantities by Fokker VFW in the early- to mid-1970s. Intended originally as a DC-3 replacement. It's most distinctive feature was that the M45H-01 engines were mounted in pods on pylons above, rather than below, the wing.

[edit] History

The VFW-614 is often described as being ahead of its time. It was a brave but in the end unssucessful attempt to build and market a small capacity regional jet, a market sector that has only recently been conquered by aircraft such as the Canadair CRJ's and Embraer ERJ's.

The 614 was originally propsed in 1961 by the Entwicklungsrinf Nord (ERNO) group, comprising Focke-Wulf, Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB) and Weser as the E.614, a 36-40 seat aircraft powered by two lycoming PLF1B-2 turbofans. West German industry was subsequently reorganised and Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) was established at Bremen. Development of what was now the VFW-614 continued.

In 1968 the project was given the go-ahead, with 80 percent of the backing coming from the West German Government. Full scale production was approved in 1970, by which time VFW had merged with Fokker (a somewhat unhappy arrangement which lasted for only ten years). Also risk sharing agreements had been concluded with SIAT in Germany, Fairey and SABCA in Belgium and Shorts in the UK. Final assembly of the aircraft would be done in Bremen.

The first of three prototypes flew on July 14, 1971. The aircraft was revealed to be of uncoventional configuration, with two quiet smoke-free, but untested Rolls-Royce/Snecma M45H turbofans mounted on pylons above the wings. This arrangement was used to avoid the structural weight penalties of rear mounted engines and the potential ingestion problems of engines mounted under the wings, and allowed a short and sturdy undercarriage, specially suited for operations from poorly prepared runways.

Development of the aircraft was protracted and orders slow to materialise, despite a strong marketing campaign. The orders situation was not helped by Rolls-Royce's bankruptcy in 1971 which threatened the supply of engines. Also a prototype was lost in February 1972 due to elevator flutter, worsening the order situation. By February 1975 only 10 had been ordered. The first production VFW-614 flew in April 1975 and was delivered to Denmark's Cimber airlines 4 months later.

In the end only 3 airlines and the Luftwaffe operated new VFW-614's. Three aircraft were flown but never delivered, and four airframes were broken-up before completion. The program was officially cancelled in 1977 and the last, unsold, aircraft flew in July 1978. Most aircraft had been disposed of by 1981, only the luftwaffe aircraft remaining in service, being disposed of in 1999.