Pützer Elster

Pützer Elster
Type:	Sport plane
Design country:	Germany
Manufacturer:	Alfons Pützer KG
First flight:	November 11, 1957
Production time:	1959-1967
Number of pieces:	45

The Pützer Elster is a single-engine shoulder- wing aircraft for general aviation from the German company Alfons Pützer KG .

history

In 1957 the German Air Force put out an order for a sports aircraft with two seats next to each other. For this, the company Alfons Pützer KG in Bonn developed the Pützer Elster together with Fritz Raab and Gerhard Siegel from the Motorraab (Moraa), a motorized further development of the Doppelraab glider . It took over the structure and the 52 hp Porsche 678/3 engine from the Doppelraab , but got a new fuselage made of plywood - shell construction with pilot seats arranged next to each other, which could be reached through two large flap doors that opened upwards. The nose wheel could be controlled with a handle in the cockpit and the drum brakes of the main wheels operated via cables. The Elster V1 (D-EJOB) was finished just in time for the demonstration and took off on November 11, 1957 at the Bonn / Hangelar airfield on its maiden flight.

On the three-day comparison flight of the Bundeswehr in November 1957, in addition to the Pützer Elster, a Klemm Kl 107 from Bölkow GmbH , a Blume Bl 502 from Walter Blume Leichtbau und Flugtechnik GmbH , a Meindl M.150 from Flugzeugbau Burg Lengenfeld , a SF 23 disc A from Egon Scheibe and a Rheinflug RW-3 from Hanno Fischer . The Elster prevailed against the other machines and was able to book an order for 24 machines from the Bundeswehr.

In May 1958 the Pützer Elster V1 was presented to a broader public at the air show in Hanover. The Elster V1 with the start number "Z2" also took part in the 1958 Germany flight. Since the Porsche 678/3 engine turned out to be too weak, the V1 was converted to a Porsche 678/1 with 65 hp on a trial basis in 1958. The aircraft was then given the designation Elster A65. Another Elster (Elster A65, V2, D-EFYP) was completed directly with the more powerful Porsche 978/1 with 48 kW in April 1959. But the more powerful Porsche engine did not lead to satisfactory performance either. The Elster V1 then received the Continental C90 -8F at the end of 1958 , with which the machine flew for the first time as the Elster B V1 on January 10, 1959.

Magpie B

Elster B of the Luftwaffe (97 + 05) as a towing machine , horse field air base , 1972

The first series aircraft with the WNr. As a change to the V-pattern, 003 received shorter and smaller ailerons and a larger vertical stabilizer . The Elster B, WNr. 010 was used as a test vehicle for the 70 kW Continental C90-12F. As D-EDEZ it flew with this engine for the first time on April 7, 1959 and was presented to the public as Pützer Elster B in May 1959 at the Hanover Air Show. The WNr. 003 to 009 were converted to the C90-12F in the course of 1959. The Elster V2 was also converted to this engine as Elster B V2 in August 1959. On August 20, 1959, the Federal Aviation Office issued the L584 type certification for the Pützer Elster B.

The two V-models were handed over to the motorsport flying school in Bonn-Hangelar and the Fliegergruppe Sigmaringen for practical application testing in October 1959. The first series machines (WNr. 003-009) for the sport flying groups of the Bundeswehr were handed over on December 21, 1959. In addition to the two V-models, a total of 33 Elster B models were built, nine of which were sold to private individuals.

In England, the Pützer Elster B was sold as " Magpie " by Flair Aviation Sales Co. in Bromley from 1960 onwards. However, sales to other European countries could not be achieved with the Elster. Only two Elster later came to England in the used aircraft market and operated there as "Magpie".

Magpie C

Putzer Elster C, WNr. 022, D-EBFY in Rheine-Eschendorf, Germany, 2005, PP1122747436

From 1962 onwards, the Elster C was also to be used as a tow plane . The Elster B WNr. 009, D-EDIQ equipped as a test sample with a Lycoming-O-320-A2B engine with 110 kW, which flew for the first time on July 28, 1963. The type certification for the Elster C was granted by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt on July 30, 1964. Eleven copies of the Elster C were built and some Elster B were converted to this standard. The last Elster Cs were no longer made at Alfons Pützer KG on Bornheimer Strasse in Bonn, but were already manufactured in the new Sportavia-Pützer halls on Dahlemer Binz .

The Elster is one of the first motorized aircraft to be developed and produced in large numbers in Germany after the Second World War . A total of 46 copies were made up to 1967. A 1: 1 mockup of the Pützer Elster was created for the traveling exhibition “Our Air Force”. In addition to being used in the Bundeswehr for training purposes in the air force sports groups, the aircraft was also used in the civilian sector.

Since September 17th 2010 the restored Pützer Elster B WNr. 32, D-ELKY by Jürgen Gassebner as “Flying Ambassador” of the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen.

Competitions

• Germany flight 1961

Horst Geyer and H. Schmetz took part in the 1961 German flight from Braunschweig to Neubiberg from June 21st to 25th, 1961 with a Pützer Elster for the sports flight groups of the Bundeswehr . In Group II, Category B, they took first place with 510.5 points. In the overall ranking, the Elster was 15 points behind the overall winner Gerd Maier and Paul König with their Piper PA-18 .

• Burda Prize of the Skies 1963

Peter Hommes and Walter Mohr and their Pützer Elster from the Merzbrück Aviation Club near Aachen took second place in the Burda Air Prize in 1963 with 976 points. They missed the first place flown by a Bölkow Junior by three points.

• Germany flight 1967

The Air Force Sports Group Leipheim was with E. Wuggazer and R. Schmidt on the Germany flight in 1967 on the route from Friedrichshafen to Mönchengladbach in the period from June 20 to 25, 1967 with their Pützer Elster B, WNr. 014, D-EFYL, start number "345" overall winner, as well as winner in group III, category C.

Incidents

According to the Aviation Safety Network WikiBase , a total of 19 Elster B / Cs had been irreparably damaged or destroyed by December 2018, two of them with fatalities (see below). Four Elster B on the list were owned by Luftwaffe sport flying groups. 19 incidents are listed, of which four aircraft were restored:

• April 18, 1964, Nörvenich , WNr. 025, D-EBGO, starting accident
• 4th July 1964, Unterkirchnah, WNr. 023, D-EBGE, BfU report 810.3-28 / 64
• May 23, 1965, Lechfeld , WNr. 028, D-ELBO, unsuccessful go-around attempt
• May 28, 1968, Aachen-Merzbrück , WNr. 022, D-EBFY, damaged when the start was aborted after engine failure, repaired
• May 24, 1970, Steyerberg, WNr. 031, D-ELKU, unsuccessful interception process after stable, BFU report 810.3-27 / 70
• May 31, 1971, Frechen, WNr. 045, D-EGZC, stall on landing, BFU report 810.3-31 / 71
• September 28, 1975, Eschwege, WNr. 033, D-ENGY, starting accident
• June 12, 1976, Bornheim, WNr. 004, 97 + 02, written off after landing outside
• June 12, 1976, Niederöblarn, WNr. 041, D-EDHE, damaged in a ground collision, repaired
• May 14, 1978, Langenberg, WNr. 021, D-EFAR, error during interception flight
• April 13, 1980, Borkenberge , WNr. 035, D-EDWE, start-up accident, 1 dead, BFU report 3X049-80
• April 19, 1980, Diepholz , WNr. 007, D-ELBU, destroyed by storm on the ground
• July 6, 1980, Nienhagen, WNr. 037, D-EDWO, structural failure ?, BFU report 3X235-80
• April 29, 1984, Damme , WNr. 027, D-ENNE, starting accident
• May 31, 1984,…, WNr. 011, D-EDEZ, ..., repaired
• October 13, 1985, Ammersee, WNr. 017, D-EDIV, written off after engine failure
• July 19, 1988, Bohlhof, WNr. 038, D-EDWU, BFU report 3X337-88, repaired
• July 26, 1988,…, WNr. 039, D-EDWY, badly damaged on contact with the ground, repaired
• June 16, 1996, Dinslaken / Schwarze Heide , WNr. 038, D-EDWU, hard landing
• July 31, 1997, Breitscheid, WNr. 039, D-EDWY, BFU report 3X311-96
• June 26, 2010, Konstanz , WNr. 009/038, D-EDIQ, starting accident, 2 deaths. The aircraft from the Bottrop Aviation Association was on its way to the Dinslaken / Schwarze Heide airfield , BFU report 3X084-10

Remaining copies

16 remaining Pützer Elster 2018 are listed, four of them in museums, eight airworthy:

• WNr. V1, D-EJOB, was in Mendig in 2012 for restoration ready for flight
• WNr. 005, 97 + 03 / D-ECFM, exhibit in the Gatow Air Force Museum
• WNr. 008, D-ELTY, still airworthy
• WNr. 014, D-EFYL, Museum Leipheim
• WNr. 016, D-EMEL, airworthy, Grossenhain Museum
• WNr. 018, D-ECTI, 2016 stored in Mendig
• WNr. 019, D-EDYL, 2015 stored in Westerheim
• WNr. 020, D-EDUH, airworthy in Pirmasens , participation 100 years Alfons Pützer, August 3, 2018, Bonn
• WNr. 022, D-EBFY, airworthy in Rheine
• WNr. 029, D-EMVB, airworthy in Airport Memmingen
• WNr. 030, D-EGWD, airworthy in Bad Kissingen
• WNr. 032, D-ELKY, airworthy in the Porsche Museum
• WNr. 034, D-EDWA, airworthy in Pegnitz , participation 100 years Alfons Pützer, August 3, 2018, Bonn
• WNr. 042, D-EFPR, airworthy in Haßfurt
• WNr. 043, D-EGFH, airworthy, participation 100 years Alfons Pützer, August 3, 2018, Bonn
• WNr. 044, D-EDNO, stored in Nordholz

Status of the deposited WNr. V2, 003, 006, 009, 011 and 024 is not known.

Technical specifications

Elster B of the Luftwaffe (97 + 05) on the horse field air base, 1972

Parameter	Magpie A	Magpie B	Magpie C
crew	2
length	7.00 m	7.10 m
span	13.80 m	13.22 m
height	2.50 m
Payload	231 kg	230 kg
Empty mass	394 kg	470 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	625 kg	700 kg	750 kg
Cruising speed	130 km / h	150 km / h	180 km / h
Top speed	150 km / h	180 km / h	200 km / h
Service ceiling		4000 m
Range	780 km	450 km
Engines	a Porsche 678/3; 65 hp (48 kW)	a Continental C90 -12F; 70 kW	a Lycoming O-320 ; 110 kW

See also

• List of aircraft types
• Alfons Pützer KG - manufacturing company
• Alfons Pützer - designer
• Fritz Raab (aircraft designer) - designer

literature

• Paul Zöller, Hanns-Jakob Pützer: Pützer aircraft . Norderstedt, 2018, ISBN 978-3-7481-2096-4 .
• Heinz Dieter Schneider: From the Elster to the Bussard Airplane Classic 4/2007
• FliegerRevue: The Constructions of Alfons Pützer - A Short Flight of the Elster , October 2010, pp. 56–59
• Siegfried Wache: F-40 aircraft of the German armed forces: Piper L.18C and Elster "B" , Flugzeug Publikations GmbH, 1990
• Rolf Wurster: 50 years of German powered aircraft. ISBN 978-3-8311-1854-0

Web links

General links

Commons : Pützer Elster  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Alfons Pützer Homepage - Elster Image and Document Archive
• History of the Air Force - pictures, information on the Elster mission in the Air Force
• Flugzeugbilder.de - numerous current Pützer Elster recordings
• Luftfahrt-Bundesamt - device identification sheet L584, Braunschweig, 1994

Links to pages about remaining Pützer Elster

• Bredow-Web - pictures, information about the Elster in the Gatow Air Force Museum
• Elster Porschemuseum - Pictures, information about the Elster D-ELKY of the Porsche Museum
• Mobility as a cultural asset - information about the D-ELKY at the Porsche Museum
• Reflektion.info - pictures, information about the Elster D-ELKY (also restoration)
• Fliegerszene.de - Pictures of the Elster D-EGWD
• SFG Nordholz - Pictures, information about Elster D-EGFH
• Aviation classics - report on the takeover of the Elster D-EFYL in the Leipheim Air Base Museum
• SFG Manching - Pictures, information about D-ELTY

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b c d e f g} Paul Zöller, Hanns-Jakob Pützer: Pützer aircraft . Norderstedt, 2018, ISBN 978-3-7481-2096-4 .
2. ^ Heinz Dieter Schneider: From the Elster to the Bussard Airplane Classic 4/2007
3. ↑ Pützer Elster B. In: http://www.geschichte.luftwaffe.de/ . Bundeswehr, accessed on December 27, 2018 . 
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Luftfahrt-Bundesamt - device identification sheet L584, Braunschweig, 1994
5. ↑ ^{a b} FliegerRevue: The Constructions of Alfons Pützer - Short Flight of the Elster October 2010, pp. 56–59
6. ↑ ^{a b} Reflektion.info - Pützer Elster B advertises the Porsche Museum
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Renate Heege: Deutschlandflug - Die Chronik , DAeC, 2018
8. ↑ Flugrevue: Deutschlandflug 1967 , FR 8/67
9. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s} accident statistics Pützer Elster B / C , Aviation Safety Network WikiBase (English), accessed on December 28, 2018.
10. ↑ Federal Aviation Authority, BFU report BFU 3X084-10
11. ^ Aviation classics: Leipheim Air Base Museum: Pützer Elster B for the exhibition , October 8, 2010
12. ↑ ^{a b c} PlanePictures.net
13. ^ ^{A b} Alfons Pützer KG: Elster sales prospectus , Bonn, 1958