Udet U 12

U 12 Flamingo

Flying replica in the Deutsches Museum, Munich, Germany. This example has a Sh 14 engine, a later, more powerful version of the Siemens-Halske engines fitted to original U 12s.
Role	Civil trainer aircraft
Manufacturer	Udet Flugzeugbau, BFW and others under licence
Designer	Hans Herrmann
First flight	1925
Number built	ca. 300

The Udet U 12 Flamingo was an aerobatic sports plane and trainer aircraft developed in Germany in the mid 1920s. It was a conventional, single-bay biplane of wooden construction with the wings braced by large I-struts. The pilot and instructor or passenger sat in tandem, open cockpits. The U 12 proved extremely popular and sold well, due in no small part to Ernst Udet's spectacular aerobatics routines while flying the aircraft. One particularly acclaimed part of his act included swooping down towards the airfield and picking up a handkerchief with the tip of one wing. The popularity of this aircraft was insufficient to rescue Udet Flugzeugbau from its dire financial position, but when the company's assets were taken over by the state of Bavaria to form BFW, production of the U 12 soon resumed in earnest. BFW-built U 12s were exported to Austria, Hungary and Latvia, and later built under licence in these countries as well.

Variants

Germany

U 12a - main production version with Siemens-Halske Sh 11 engine
- U 12W - float-equipped U 12a (Wasser - "water")
U 12b - version strengthened for aerobatics and with improved wing design
U 12c - advanced trainer with reduced wing area
U 12d - U 12b with Siemens-Halske Sh 12 engine
U 12e - U 12c with Siemens-Halske Sh 12 engine

Austria

20 aircraft produced by Fliegerwerft Thalerhof

U 12H - standard U 12a (Holz - "wood")
U 12S - U 12a with redesigned fuselage of fabric-covered steel tube construction (Stahl - "steel").
- U 12Ö - alternative designation for U 12S (Österreich - "Austria")

Hungary

40 Aircraft produced by KRG and another 40 by Manfred Weiss. Some examples armed and used for fighter or bomber training

Hungária I - similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts
Hungária II - similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts
Hungária III - similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts, propeller spinner and Townend ring
Hungária IV - similar to U 12a. Only Hungarian-built version with I-type interplane struts
Hungária V - similar to U 12a with N-type interplane struts

Operators

Austria

Austrian Air Force (1927-1938)

Specifications (U 12a)

General characteristics

Crew: two, pilot and instructor
Length: 7.4 m (24 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 10.0 m (32 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 24 m² (258 ft²)
Empty weight: 525 kg (1,157 lb)
Gross weight: 800 kg (1,764 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh 11, 60 kW (80 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph)
Range: 450 km (280 miles)
Service ceiling: 3,700 m (12,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 2.3 m/s (450 ft/min)

References

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 154–55.
German aircraft between 1919-1945
Уголок неба