Focke-Achgelis FA 223 Drache
Encyclopedia
The Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache ("Dragon" in English) was a helicopter
developed by Germany
during World War II. A single 750 kilowatt (1,000 horsepower) Bramo 323
radial engine
powered two three-bladed 11.9 metre (39 feet) rotors mounted on twin booms on either side of the 12.2 metre (40 ft) long cylindrical fuselage. Although the Fa 223 is noted for being the first helicopter to attain production status, production of the helicopter was hampered by Allied bombing of the factory and only 20 were built.
The Fa 223 could cruise at 175 kilometres per hour (108.7 mph) with a top speed of 182 km/h (113.1 mph), and climb to an altitude of 7100 m (23,294 ft). The Drache could transport cargo loads of over 1000 kg (2,204.6 lb) at cruising speeds of 121 km/h (75.2 mph) and altitudes approaching 2440 m (8,005.2 ft).
had been removed from the company he had co-founded in 1936 by the Nazi regime. Though the ostensible reason was that he was "politically unreliable" , the RLM’s decision to phase Focke-Wulf into the production program of the almost ready Bf-109 necessitated an influx of capital to fund the immediate expansion of the company's production capabilities. Focke Wulf was reorganized into a limited company (G.m.b.H.) in June 1936.
After Focke-Wulf formally signed a contract to produce the Bf-109C in November 1937, the American company ITT, through its German subsidiary C. Lorenz, bought a 28 percent share into Focke-Wulf in 1938, making it the controlling interest.
However the Air Ministry was so impressed by the Focke-Wulf Fw 61
helicopter that it suggested Focke establish a new company dedicated to helicopter development and issued him with a requirement for an improved design capable of carrying a 700 kg (1,543.2 lb) payload. Focke established the Focke-Achgelis
company in 1937 in partnership with pilot Gerd Achgelis, and began development work at Delmenhorst
in 1938.
They first produced an enlarged version of the Fw 61 which could carry up to 6 people, which was designated Fa 226 "Hornisse" ("Hornet"), contracting out development of the engine, transmission, and rotor hub to BMW's Berlin works. The Fa 226 was the world's first transport helicopter and was ordered by Lufthansa
in 1938.
The Fa 226 attracted the attention of the Air Ministry who redesignated it Fa 223 in 1939 before the first prototype flew. The Navy was also interested in the Hornisse and briefly considered it as a replacement for their Schnellboote.
In September 1939 the first prototype, the V1, left the Delmenhorst factory. Now nicknamed Drache ("Dragon") it had a twin-rotor layout similar to the Fw 61, but had a fully enclosed cabin and load bay, with the single Bramo engine mounted in the middle of the tubular-steel body.
Initial hovering tests showed problems and the V1 was not to fly until 1940. The engine initially specified, a BMW Bramo 323D
proved too fragile when run at high speed for any length of time, and was replaced with a more robust 1,000 hp Bramo 323Q3 in the later prototypes to improve reliability and lifting capability. The biggest problem, however, was the severe vibration caused by unbalanced driveshafts when the rotors moved out of phase, and this could only be fixed by greater attention to detail on the part of BMW.
to be demonstrated, and while there set a top speed of 182 km/h (113.1 mph), a climb rate of 528 m (1,732.3 ft) per minute, and a maximum altitude of 7100 m (23,294 ft), performance far greater than had been demonstrated by any other helicopter in the world.
Despite this, the Drache was nowhere near ready for military service, and Focke-Achgelis were told to accelerate their development programme. An initial production order for 100 machines was promised. Following the helicopter's demonstration at Rechlin, the Ministry issued specifications for five variants:
On 5 February 1941, the V1 was lost in an accident following engine failure at an altitude too low for an auto-rotative landing. The second prototype (V2) was completed shortly after, featuring a fully glazed cockpit and a machine gun operated by the observer. It was, however, soon destroyed in an Allied air raid.
Like its predecessors, the V3's body consisted of welded steel tubing covered with treated fabric to save weight and make repairs easier. Its interior was divided into four sections: the cockpit, where pilot and observer sat side-by-side with the pilot on the left; the load compartment; the engine compartment; and the tail section. The engine and gearbox were centrally mounted and held in place by a series of tensioned steel cables, with the gearbox in front of the engine. Two steel tube outriggers extended out from the sides of the fuselage to carry the twin rotors, of three-bladed configuration and wooden construction with a steel spar, which were mounted far enough apart (12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)) that they did not overlap.
Attempts were made to restore production but were abandoned in 1943, and a new plant was set up at Laupheim, near Ulm
. The first Drache to emerge from the new factory, the V11, was flown by pilot Karl Bode for a series of information films made for the Air Ministry to demonstrate the Fa 223's abilities. Loads which included a complete Fieseler Storch
aircraft and the fuselage of a Bf 109 were shown being lowered with great precision on to vehicles using the Drache's winch and special quick-release electrical cargo hook.
In the spring of 1944, a Dornier Do 217
crashed high up on the Vehner moor in Lower Saxony
, between Osnabrück
and Oldenburg
, and it was decided to send the V11 to recover the wreckage. Unfortunately the V11 ended up crashing nearby before it could attempt to lift the Do 217's remains. It was then decided to attempt to recover both using the V14. Flown by Karl Bode and Luftwaffe helicopter pilot Helmut Gerstenhauer, the operation was begun on 11 May 1944. A small team of Focke-Achgelis men and a Luftwaffe recovery company had already dismantled the V11, and the V14 made 10 flights carrying loads beneath it in a cargo net and setting them down where they could be loaded on to road vehicles. All the major parts of the V11 and the Do 217 were retrieved and much useful experience was gained.
Following this, the Air Ministry decided to evaluate the helicopter's potential as a transport in mountainous regions, and the V16 was assigned to the Mountain Warfare School at Mittenwald
, near Innsbruck
, with the V14 as a backup. The objective of the tests was to see how the Drache would perform as a general-purpose all-weather transport, and numerous landings were made at altitudes of over 1600 m (5,249.3 ft) above sea level, plus experimental transportation of artillery guns to mountain troops. When the trials ended in October 1944, a total of 83 flights had been made, with a total flying time of 20 hours.
Only 7 machines had been constructed at Laupheim before an air raid halted production in July 1944, and wiped out the factory. At the time of the raid, the V18 prototype was ready for delivery, 13 Drachen were in assembly, and there were enough components for a further 19. Following the raid the Air Ministry decided that it was useless to pursue the project any further and following the mountain trials Focke was assigned to Messerschmitt's staff.
Only weeks later, Focke received new orders, this time to return to the Focke-Achgelis company and to move the entire operation to Tempelhof Airport in Berlin where flight testing was to be resumed, and a production line established to produce 400 helicopters per month.
to perform a rescue of 17 people trapped on the mountain. Unfortunately, a mechanical link failure resulted in a rotor disintegrating, and, although the machine touched down on its wheels, it was hurled against an embankment and the crew was killed.
. Gerstenhauer lost his bearings in the bad weather and had to land at Crailsheim
. Once the weather lessened, they set off again and landed at Würzburg to refuel, reaching Meiningen
where it stopped overnight. The next day it set off northeast the next day and flew to Werder
, a distance of 315 km (195.7 mi). On the third day the Drache continued towards Stettin-Altdamm, but the bad weather again forced them to land, this time at Prenzlau
. They attempted to resume the flight the next day, but the weather remained bad and they had to stop at Stolp, west of Danzig, for the night.
By 5 March the war situation had become very bad, and Gerstenhauer decided they had to leave Stolp before the Russians arrived. They took off and flew directly to Danzig right over the advancing Soviet army, reaching Danzig only to find that the city was already falling. They landed outside the city to wait for further orders, which when they came directed them to return to Werder. They did this via a lengthy flight along the Baltic coast via Garz
, not reaching Werder until 11 March. The entire flight had covered a record 1675 km (1,040.8 mi) with a flight time of 16 hours 25 minutes.
, Bavaria
, the Luftwaffe's only operational helicopter squadron, equipped with at least five Flettner Fl 282
s as well as the Drachen. TS/40 relocated to various sites before ending up at Ainring
in Austria, where one of the Drachen was destroyed by its pilot to prevent it being captured and the other two were seized by US forces.
from Cherbourg to RAF Beaulieu
on 6 September 1945, the first crossing of the Channel by a helicopter. The V14 later made two successful test flights at RAF Beaulieu before being destroyed on 3 October, when a driveshaft failed. The accident was thought to be due to a failure to correctly tension the steel cables which secured the engine, despite warnings from Gerstenhauer.
.
Germany
Post War
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
developed by Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
during World War II. A single 750 kilowatt (1,000 horsepower) Bramo 323
Bramo 323
-References:NotesBibliography* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9* Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...
radial engine
Radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
powered two three-bladed 11.9 metre (39 feet) rotors mounted on twin booms on either side of the 12.2 metre (40 ft) long cylindrical fuselage. Although the Fa 223 is noted for being the first helicopter to attain production status, production of the helicopter was hampered by Allied bombing of the factory and only 20 were built.
The Fa 223 could cruise at 175 kilometres per hour (108.7 mph) with a top speed of 182 km/h (113.1 mph), and climb to an altitude of 7100 m (23,294 ft). The Drache could transport cargo loads of over 1000 kg (2,204.6 lb) at cruising speeds of 121 km/h (75.2 mph) and altitudes approaching 2440 m (8,005.2 ft).
Development
Henrich FockeHenrich Focke
Henrich Focke was a German aviation pioneer from Bremen. He was a co-founder of the Focke-Wulf company.-Early life:...
had been removed from the company he had co-founded in 1936 by the Nazi regime. Though the ostensible reason was that he was "politically unreliable" , the RLM’s decision to phase Focke-Wulf into the production program of the almost ready Bf-109 necessitated an influx of capital to fund the immediate expansion of the company's production capabilities. Focke Wulf was reorganized into a limited company (G.m.b.H.) in June 1936.
After Focke-Wulf formally signed a contract to produce the Bf-109C in November 1937, the American company ITT, through its German subsidiary C. Lorenz, bought a 28 percent share into Focke-Wulf in 1938, making it the controlling interest.
However the Air Ministry was so impressed by the Focke-Wulf Fw 61
Focke-Wulf Fw 61
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Coates, Steve and Jean-Christophe Carbonel. Helicopters of the Third Reich. Crowborough, UK: Classic Publications Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-903223-24-5....
helicopter that it suggested Focke establish a new company dedicated to helicopter development and issued him with a requirement for an improved design capable of carrying a 700 kg (1,543.2 lb) payload. Focke established the Focke-Achgelis
Focke-Achgelis
Focke-Achgelis & Co. G.m.b.H. was a German helicopter company founded in 1937 by Henrich Focke and Gerd Achgelis.-History:In 1936 Focke had been ousted from the Focke-Wulf company he had cofounded in 1924 by shareholder pressure...
company in 1937 in partnership with pilot Gerd Achgelis, and began development work at Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst
Delmenhorst is an urban district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It has a population of 74,500 and is located 10 km/6 miles west of downtown Bremen with which it forms a contiguous urban area, whereas the city of Oldenburg is 25 km/15 miles to the northwest. The city has a total area of 62.36 km²...
in 1938.
They first produced an enlarged version of the Fw 61 which could carry up to 6 people, which was designated Fa 226 "Hornisse" ("Hornet"), contracting out development of the engine, transmission, and rotor hub to BMW's Berlin works. The Fa 226 was the world's first transport helicopter and was ordered by Lufthansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa
Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G. was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and throughout the Third Reich.-1920s:Deutsche Luft Hansa was founded on 6 January 1926 in Berlin...
in 1938.
The Fa 226 attracted the attention of the Air Ministry who redesignated it Fa 223 in 1939 before the first prototype flew. The Navy was also interested in the Hornisse and briefly considered it as a replacement for their Schnellboote.
In September 1939 the first prototype, the V1, left the Delmenhorst factory. Now nicknamed Drache ("Dragon") it had a twin-rotor layout similar to the Fw 61, but had a fully enclosed cabin and load bay, with the single Bramo engine mounted in the middle of the tubular-steel body.
Initial hovering tests showed problems and the V1 was not to fly until 1940. The engine initially specified, a BMW Bramo 323D
Bramo 323
-References:NotesBibliography* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9* Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0-517-67964-7...
proved too fragile when run at high speed for any length of time, and was replaced with a more robust 1,000 hp Bramo 323Q3 in the later prototypes to improve reliability and lifting capability. The biggest problem, however, was the severe vibration caused by unbalanced driveshafts when the rotors moved out of phase, and this could only be fixed by greater attention to detail on the part of BMW.
First flight
The V1's first untethered flight was on 3 August 1940, after over 100 hours of ground and tethered testing. In October it was flown to the test centre at RechlinRechlin
Rechlin is a municipality in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. The town's airport has a long history and was the Luftwaffe's main testing ground for new aircraft designs during the Third Reich....
to be demonstrated, and while there set a top speed of 182 km/h (113.1 mph), a climb rate of 528 m (1,732.3 ft) per minute, and a maximum altitude of 7100 m (23,294 ft), performance far greater than had been demonstrated by any other helicopter in the world.
Despite this, the Drache was nowhere near ready for military service, and Focke-Achgelis were told to accelerate their development programme. An initial production order for 100 machines was promised. Following the helicopter's demonstration at Rechlin, the Ministry issued specifications for five variants:
- Fa 223A - for anti-submarine warfare, to carry 2 x 250 kg (551.2 lb) bombs or depth charges.
- Fa 223B - for reconnaissance missions; fitted with a jettisonable fuel tank.
- Fa 223C - for search and rescue duties, fitted with a steel winch cable.
- Fa 223D - freight variant, for resupplying mountain troops.
- Fa 223E - dual-control trainer.
On 5 February 1941, the V1 was lost in an accident following engine failure at an altitude too low for an auto-rotative landing. The second prototype (V2) was completed shortly after, featuring a fully glazed cockpit and a machine gun operated by the observer. It was, however, soon destroyed in an Allied air raid.
V3 prototype
By the time the V3 prototype appeared the Air Ministry had abandoned the idea of different variants and settled on a single multipurpose aircraft, to be designated Fa 223E, which could combine all the roles; the V3 reflected this new thinking and set the design features for all the models that followed and it incorporated dual controls and an electric winch.Like its predecessors, the V3's body consisted of welded steel tubing covered with treated fabric to save weight and make repairs easier. Its interior was divided into four sections: the cockpit, where pilot and observer sat side-by-side with the pilot on the left; the load compartment; the engine compartment; and the tail section. The engine and gearbox were centrally mounted and held in place by a series of tensioned steel cables, with the gearbox in front of the engine. Two steel tube outriggers extended out from the sides of the fuselage to carry the twin rotors, of three-bladed configuration and wooden construction with a steel spar, which were mounted far enough apart (12.5 m (41 ft 0 in)) that they did not overlap.
Production
Serial production of the Fa 223 began at the Focke-Achgelis factory in Delmenhorst in 1942. The site was struck in June that year by an Allied air raid and destroyed along with the two surviving prototypes and the first 7 pre-production machines undergoing final assembly.Attempts were made to restore production but were abandoned in 1943, and a new plant was set up at Laupheim, near Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
. The first Drache to emerge from the new factory, the V11, was flown by pilot Karl Bode for a series of information films made for the Air Ministry to demonstrate the Fa 223's abilities. Loads which included a complete Fieseler Storch
Fieseler Fi 156
The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch was a small German liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market...
aircraft and the fuselage of a Bf 109 were shown being lowered with great precision on to vehicles using the Drache's winch and special quick-release electrical cargo hook.
In the spring of 1944, a Dornier Do 217
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
crashed high up on the Vehner moor in Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, between Osnabrück
Osnabrück
Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
and Oldenburg
Oldenburg
Oldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
, and it was decided to send the V11 to recover the wreckage. Unfortunately the V11 ended up crashing nearby before it could attempt to lift the Do 217's remains. It was then decided to attempt to recover both using the V14. Flown by Karl Bode and Luftwaffe helicopter pilot Helmut Gerstenhauer, the operation was begun on 11 May 1944. A small team of Focke-Achgelis men and a Luftwaffe recovery company had already dismantled the V11, and the V14 made 10 flights carrying loads beneath it in a cargo net and setting them down where they could be loaded on to road vehicles. All the major parts of the V11 and the Do 217 were retrieved and much useful experience was gained.
Following this, the Air Ministry decided to evaluate the helicopter's potential as a transport in mountainous regions, and the V16 was assigned to the Mountain Warfare School at Mittenwald
Mittenwald
Mittenwald is a German municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria.-Geography:Mittenwald is located approx. 16 kilometers to the south-east of Garmisch-Partenkirchen...
, near Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, with the V14 as a backup. The objective of the tests was to see how the Drache would perform as a general-purpose all-weather transport, and numerous landings were made at altitudes of over 1600 m (5,249.3 ft) above sea level, plus experimental transportation of artillery guns to mountain troops. When the trials ended in October 1944, a total of 83 flights had been made, with a total flying time of 20 hours.
Only 7 machines had been constructed at Laupheim before an air raid halted production in July 1944, and wiped out the factory. At the time of the raid, the V18 prototype was ready for delivery, 13 Drachen were in assembly, and there were enough components for a further 19. Following the raid the Air Ministry decided that it was useless to pursue the project any further and following the mountain trials Focke was assigned to Messerschmitt's staff.
Only weeks later, Focke received new orders, this time to return to the Focke-Achgelis company and to move the entire operation to Tempelhof Airport in Berlin where flight testing was to be resumed, and a production line established to produce 400 helicopters per month.
Operational service
The V12, after completing a long cross-country flight from Germany, was flown to Mont BlancMont Blanc
Mont Blanc or Monte Bianco , meaning "White Mountain", is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence...
to perform a rescue of 17 people trapped on the mountain. Unfortunately, a mechanical link failure resulted in a rotor disintegrating, and, although the machine touched down on its wheels, it was hurled against an embankment and the crew was killed.
Danzig flight
The company had managed to keep hold of 2 of the 5 surviving Drachen and managed to produce a new example at Tempelhof in February 1945. Almost immediately it was ordered on a "special order from the Führer" to fly to Danzig on 25 February. Flown by Gerstenhauer and two copilots, the Drache took off from Tempelhof the next day. It first headed northeast in the direction of WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
. Gerstenhauer lost his bearings in the bad weather and had to land at Crailsheim
Crailsheim
Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, 32 km east of Schwäbisch Hall, 40 km southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district, incorporated in 1338....
. Once the weather lessened, they set off again and landed at Würzburg to refuel, reaching Meiningen
Meiningen
Meiningen is a town in Germany - located in the southern part of the state of Thuringia and is the district seat of Schmalkalden-Meiningen. It is situated on the river Werra....
where it stopped overnight. The next day it set off northeast the next day and flew to Werder
Werder
-People:*August von Werder , Prussian general*Ed Werder , U.S. sports journalist*Felix Werder , Australian-based composer of classical and electronic music...
, a distance of 315 km (195.7 mi). On the third day the Drache continued towards Stettin-Altdamm, but the bad weather again forced them to land, this time at Prenzlau
Prenzlau
Prenzlau , a city in the Uckermark District of Brandenburg in Germany, had a population of about 21,000 in 2005.-International relations:Prenzlau is twinned with: Uster, Switzerland Barlinek, Poland Świdwin, Poland...
. They attempted to resume the flight the next day, but the weather remained bad and they had to stop at Stolp, west of Danzig, for the night.
By 5 March the war situation had become very bad, and Gerstenhauer decided they had to leave Stolp before the Russians arrived. They took off and flew directly to Danzig right over the advancing Soviet army, reaching Danzig only to find that the city was already falling. They landed outside the city to wait for further orders, which when they came directed them to return to Werder. They did this via a lengthy flight along the Baltic coast via Garz
Garz
Garz is a city in Vorpommern-Rügen district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. The city is administered by the Amt of Bergen auf Rügen, in the city of the same name. In June 2004, the once self-governing community of Zudar on the peninsula of the same name was amalgamated into Garz...
, not reaching Werder until 11 March. The entire flight had covered a record 1675 km (1,040.8 mi) with a flight time of 16 hours 25 minutes.
TS/40
In January 1945, the Air Ministry assigned the other 3 Drachen to Transportstaffel 40 (TS/40) at MühldorfMühldorf
Mühldorf am Inn is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and the capital of the district Mühldorf on the river Inn. It is located at , and had a population of about 17,808 in 2005.-History:...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, the Luftwaffe's only operational helicopter squadron, equipped with at least five Flettner Fl 282
Flettner Fl 282
|- References :NotesBibliography* Coates, Steve and Jean-Christophe Carbonel. Helicopters of the Third Reich. Crowborough, UK: Classic Publications Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-903223-24-5....
s as well as the Drachen. TS/40 relocated to various sites before ending up at Ainring
Ainring
Ainring is a municipality in the district of Berchtesgadener Land, Upper Bavaria, Germany, near the border to Austria.-References:...
in Austria, where one of the Drachen was destroyed by its pilot to prevent it being captured and the other two were seized by US forces.
Cross-Channel flight
The US intended to ferry captured aircraft back to the USA aboard a ship, but only had room for one of the captured Drachen. The RAF objected to plans to destroy the other, the V14, so Gerstenhauer, with two observers, flew it across the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
from Cherbourg to RAF Beaulieu
RAF Beaulieu
RAF Station Beaulieu was a World War II airfield in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408...
on 6 September 1945, the first crossing of the Channel by a helicopter. The V14 later made two successful test flights at RAF Beaulieu before being destroyed on 3 October, when a driveshaft failed. The accident was thought to be due to a failure to correctly tension the steel cables which secured the engine, despite warnings from Gerstenhauer.
Postwar
- In France, the Sud-OuestSud-Ouest-Places:* Sud-Ouest Region , the Burkina Faso region* Sud-Ouest Region , the Cameroon region* Ile du Sud-Ouest, an isle in the Cosmoledo atoll* Le Sud-Ouest, a borough in Montreal, Quebec...
company constructed the SE-3000 as a development of the Fa 223, assisted by Focke. Designed for transport purposes, it had accommodation for four passengers and was powered by a 720 hp (540 kW) Bramo "Fafnir" engine. Three were built, the first flown on 23 October 1948.
- Two Fa 223s were completed by the Československé Závody Letecké (formerly AviaAviaAvia is a Czech aircraft and automotive company notable for producing biplane fighter aircraft, especially the B-534, and trucks.- History :...
) factory in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1945-1946 from salvaged components, and designated VR-1.
Variants
A hybrid Fa 223 was proposed by Focke with two bodies joined inline to form a four-rotor heavy lift helicopter. An unfinished central joining section was found by Allied troops at OchsenhausenOchsenhausen
Ochsenhausen is a city in the district of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located between the city of Biberach and Memmingen. it has a population of 8,916...
.
Operators
Germany
- LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
- Transportstaffel 40
Post War
- Czechoslovak Air ForceCzechoslovak Air ForceThe Czechoslovak Air Force was the air force branch of the military of Czechoslovakia. It was known as the Czechoslovak Army Air Force from 1918–1939...
received 2 built post war, designated VR-1.
- French Air ForceFrench Air ForceThe French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
received 1 built post war, designated SE-3000.