Heinkel He 59

infobox Aircraft
name = He 59
type = Trainer, transport, ambulance, torpedo bomber
manufacturer = Heinkel


caption =
designer =
first flight = 1931
introduction = 1935
retired = 1944
status =
primary user = Luftwaffe
more users = Finnish Air Force
produced =
number built = 142
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Heinkel He 59 was a German military aircraft designed in 1930 resulting from a requirement for a torpedo bomber and reconnaissance warplane able to operate with equal facility on wheeled landing gear or twin-floats.

Development

In 1930, Ernst Heinkel began developing an aircraft for the German Navy. To conceal the true military intentions, the aircraft was officially a civil aircraft. The He 59B landplane prototype was the first to fly, an event that took place in September 1931, Green 1962, p.68] but it was the He 59A floatplane prototype that paved the way for the He 59B initial production model, of which 142 were delivered in three variants. The Heinkel He 59 was a pleasant aircraft to fly; deficiencies noted were the weak engine the limited range, the small load capability and insufficient armament.

The aircraft was of a mixed-material construction. The wings were made of a two-beam wooden frame, where the front was covered with plywood and the rest of the wing was covered with fabric. The box-shaped fuselage had a fabric covered steel frame. The tail section was covered with lightweight metal sheets.

The keels of the floats were used as fuel tanks - each one holding 900 liters of fuel. Together with the internal fuel tank the aircraft could hold a total of 2,700 liters of fuel. Two extra fuel tanks could also be placed in the bomb bay, bringing the total fuel capacity up to 3,200 liters. The propeller was fixed-pitch with four blades.

Operations

During the first months of World War II, the He 59 was used as a torpedo- and minelaying aircraft. Between 1940 and 1941 the aircraft was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, and in 1941-42 as a transport, SAR, and training aircraft. The trainer models survived slightly longer in service than operational models, but all had been retired or destroyed by 1944. Some aircraft were operated by the Condor Legion in Spain during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 as coastal reconnaissance and torpedo floatplanes.

The "Ilmavoimat" (Finnish Air Force) rented four aircraft from Germany in August 1943. These were used to ferry long range reconnaissance patrols behind enemy lines. They were returned to Germany four months later.

Operators

*
** Finnish Air Force
*
** Luftwaffe

Variants

* He 59a : first prototype.
* He 59b : second prototype.
* He 59A : test and evaluation aircraft. 14 built.
* He 59B-1 : 16 pre-production aircraft.
* He 59B-2 : improved version.
* He 59B-3 : reconnissance aircraft.
* He 59C-1 : unarmed trainer
* He 59C-2 : air/sea rescue model
* He 59D-1 : combined trainer and air sea rescue model
* H59E-1 : torpedo bomber trainer
* He 59E-2 : reconnaissance trainer
* He 59N : navigation trainer produced as He 59D-1 conversions

pecifications (He 59)

aircraft specifications/switch
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew=Three
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 57 ft 3/4 in
length alt= 17.40 m
span main= 77 ft 9 in
span alt= 23.70 m
height main= 23 ft 3 1/2 in
height alt= 7.10 m
area main= 1648.4 ft²
area alt= 153.2 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 12,386 lb
empty weight alt= 5,630 kg
loaded weight main= 20,680 lb
loaded weight alt= 9,400 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= BMW VI 6.0 ZU
type of prop=water-cooled V12 engines
number of props=2
power main= 660 hp
power alt= 492 kW
power original=
max speed main= 146 mph
max speed alt= 235 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 16,400 ft
ceiling alt= 5,000 m
climb rate main= 656 ft/min
climb rate alt= 200 m/min
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
* Combat range: 750 km (466 mi)
* Ferry range: 1,880 km (1,175 mi)
armament=
* Two 2 or three MG 15 machine guns
* 4 × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 1 × 800 kg (1,760 lb) torpedo or 4 × 500 kg (1,100 lb) mines
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=

lists=
* List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
* List of military aircraft of Germany
see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Green, William."War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six: Floatplanes". London: Macdonald, 192.
* Kalevi Keskinen, Kari Stenman, Klaus Niska: "Meritoimintakoneet - Suomen ilmavoimien historia 15", Apali Oy, Tampere 1995, ISBN 952-5026-03-5