Blohm & Voss BV 142

Blohm & Voss BV 142
Type:	Long-haul aircraft
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Blohm & Voss
First flight:	October 11, 1938
Production time:	1938-1940
Number of pieces:	4th

The Blohm & Voss BV 142 aircraft is an initially civil development for transatlantic mail flights, which was originally intended for Lufthansa . The first flight took place on October 11, 1938 . It is a four-engine low-wing aircraft with a raised horizontal stabilizer and double vertical stabilizer based on the Blohm & Voss Ha 139 float plane .

history

Blohm & Voss BV 142

The Ha 142, later BV 142, was a four-engine mail plane with BMW 132H standard engines. It was based on the Ha 139 float plane, but was designed as a land plane for the transport of 500 kg of mail on the South America route of the DLH (Stuttgart-Natal). The development was started by the Hamburg aircraft construction company in 1937 on behalf of the RLM for Deutsche Lufthansa. The first aircraft flew in 1938, the second in 1939. Due to significant technical problems, acceptance of the two aircraft by the DLH was delayed until the beginning of the war. At that time, the RLM took over the aircraft that were being tested by Blohm & Voss. A long-range reconnaissance aircraft was developed from the mail plane for the Air Force and all four aircraft produced were converted accordingly. The BV 142 V1 and V2 were used in the summer of 1940 by the 1. (F) / AGrObdL. The V3, which was used by the Travemünde test center, crashed near Neustadt / Holstein in September 1940, killing five civilian employees at the test center. Due to the lack of suitability for long-range reconnaissance, the remaining aircraft were quickly withdrawn and probably scrapped.

Sources: Archives from the Federal Archives / Military Archives Freiburg and the Lufthansa Archive, Cologne

construction

Structure

The machine also had the characteristic gull wing , which was designed in three parts. The cantilevered wing was stabilized by the characteristic Blohm & Voss tubular spar, which consisted of a large diameter tube . This tubular spar also held the fuel , divided into 5 sections . The middle section was covered with metal, while the outer wings were covered with fabric. To reduce the landing speed, the machines received 6 hydraulically operated expansion flaps on the middle wing section.

hull

The fuselage was made of all-metal shell construction. It had an approximately round cross-section.

landing gear

The main landing gear was fully retractable and had double tires. In order to accommodate the main landing gear, the engine pods of the inner engines were extended to the rear. The main landing gear retracted into these engine pods. The tail wheel was also retracted back into the fuselage. The landing gear was operated hydraulically .

Prototypes

prototype	W. no.	Admission	Trunk identifier	Construction year	To the air force	Exit	reason
V1	218	D-AHFB	PC + BB for short HA + BA	1938	June / July 1940
V2	219	D-ABUV	PC + BC	1939	June / July 1940
V3	437	without	PC + BD	1940	September 1940	09/11/40	crash
V4	438	without	PC + BE	1940	possibly November 1940

Technical data BV 142 after conversion to a long-range reconnaissance aircraft

crew	5
length	20.45 m
Wingspan	29.53 m
height	4.44 m
Wing area	130 m²
Empty mass	11,000 kg
maximum take-off mass	16,500 kg
Top speed	375 km / h
optimal walking speed	325 km / h
Landing speed	100 km / h
Climbing performance close to the ground	6.70 m / s
Service ceiling	9,000 m
Range	3,900 km
drive	four nine - cylinder BMW 132 H1 radial engines , each with 880 hp (647 kW) starting power, designed as unitary engines
Propeller	3.50 m diameter, three-winged, metal, adjustable
Fuel capacity	6,560 l in the tubular spar
Lubricant capacity	600 l
Armament	five MG 15 four bombs weighing 100 kg or eight bombs weighing 50 kg each

See also

• List of aircraft types

Web links

Commons : Blohm & Voss BV 142  - Collection of images, videos and audio files