Aeroplane – June 2018

AEROPLANE JULY 2018 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com 19

HangarHangar Talk

Comment

O

ne aircraft stood

head and shoulders

above the ranks of

light and general

aviation machines on display at

the recent Aero Friedrichshafen

show. The reproduction of the

1919 Junkers F 13 has broken

new ground with the

announcement that the aircraft

has been offi cially certifi cated

to modern commercial design

and build standards.

Normally, with the exception

of aircraft like former civilian

airliners or lighter types which

operate on continuation of

earlier certifi cates of

airworthiness and type

approval certifi cates, most

restored vintage or ex-military

types operate on aircraft-

specifi c permits to fl y. These

are overseen by engineering

organisations or bodies such as

the Light Aircraft Association,

whose processes are in turn

audited by national authorities

like the UK Civil Aviation

Authority. Subject to certain

restrictions, this system allows

aircraft to continue to fl y even

after factory support and the

original manufacturers

themselves have disappeared,

by allowing the approval of

remanufactured replacement

parts under specialist control.

In contrast, a certifi cated

aircraft has every aspect of its

design, build and maintenance

approved to internationally

recognised standards. All the

materials it is built with, down

to the last nut and bolt, have

traceability and a laid-down

specifi cation and

manufacturing process. All this

costs money, making the

design, build and operation of

certifi cated aircraft more

complex and expensive.

In the case of the F 13

replica, Junkers Flugzeugwerke

at Dübendorf in Switzerland

elected to take this much more

onerous route, effectively

embarking on the production

of a brand-new vintage airliner.

The operation — as covered in

Aeroplane December 2016

— is the brainchild of Dieter

Morszeck, CEO of Rimowa, a

premium luggage company.

During the 1960s, Morszeck’s

father was inspired by Junkers’

ribbed duralumin designs to

use similar materials for

suitcases, to make them

resistant to tropical conditions.

They have since become the

fi rm’s hallmark. In 2013

Rimowa, which had funded the

restoration and operation of a

Ju 52/3m, teamed up with the

Association of Friends of

Historical Aircraft, Ju-Air from

Switzerland, and Kaelin Aero

Technologies from the Black

Forest to build a ‘new’ F 13.

The new model is remarkably

similar to the trend-setting

original. Behind its single

engine (today a more modern

450hp Pratt & Whitney radial is

fi tted) is a semi-enclosed

cockpit for the crew; now as

then, it was roofed, but had no

side glazing as the pilots

expressed a preference for an

open cockpit, which allowed

better speed and attitude

awareness than the basic

instruments of the time.

However, the enclosed

passenger cabin for four was

heated, had windows and

doors in the fuselage sides,

and — even almost 100 years

ago — came with seatbelts.

As may be imagined, many

original component drawings

and construction blueprints are

no longer available. One of the

starting points, therefore, was

the Musée de l’Air et de

l’Espace at Le Bourget where,

with the help of laser

technology, measurements

were made of the original F 13

in the museum’s reserve

collection, allowing reverse-

engineering to re-create the

structures to modern stress-

loading and design standards.

The fi rst aircraft made its

maiden fl ight at Dübendorf in

2016. It has since been
      undergoing a fl ight test
      programme and verifi cation
      trials which, in January 2018,
      led to the Swiss Federal Offi ce
      for Civil Aviation (BAZL)
      approving the aircraft as a new
      commercial type. Adding
      further icing to the cake was
      the agreement of Hugo
      Junkers’ descendants to allow
      the company to carry their
      family name. Already a second
      example is under construction,
      although the plush leather
      cabin, 35,000 rivets and more
      than 60,000 parts individually
      installed by hand don’t come
      cheap. An estimated price
      discussed at Friedrichshafen
      was around €2.5 million!

STEVE SLATER

The fi rst new-build Junkers F 13 commissioned by Rimowa, HB-RIM, at its Dübendorf home. GREGOR KALUZA

Junkers Flugzeugwerke effectively embarked

on producing a brand-new vintage airliner

■

Comment on historic aviation

by the chief executive of the

UK’s Light Aircraft Association

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