Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri helicopter

German Luftwaffe Warplanes, 1939-1945: Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri,

Deutsche Flugzeuge: Flettner

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document Warplanes from the Second World War that have been preserved.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these aircraft to provide and update the data on this website.  Photos are as credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Warplane Survivors of the Second World War would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

Ziel dieser Website ist es, erhaltene Kampfflugzeuge aus dem Zweiten Weltkrieg zu lokalisieren, zu identifizieren und zu dokumentieren. Viele Mitwirkende haben bei der Suche nach diesen Flugzeugen mitgewirkt, um die Daten auf dieser Website.bereitzustellen und zu aktualisieren. Fotos gelten als gutgeschrieben. Alle hier gefundenen Fehler sind vom Autor und Ergänzungen, Korrekturen oder Ergänzungen zu dieser Liste der Überlebenden des Zweiten Weltkriegs sind sehr willkommen und können per E-Mail an den Autor unter hskaarup@rogers.com gesendet werden.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, coded CJ+SF.

The Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri (Hummingbird)is a single-seat intermeshing rotor helicopter, or synchropter, produced byAnton Flettner of Germany. According to Yves Le Bec, the Flettner Fl 282 wasthe world's first series production helicopter. The Fl 282 Kolibri was an improved version of the Flettner Fl 265 announced inJuly 1940, which pioneered the same intermeshing rotor configuration that theKolibri used. It had a 7.7 litre displacement, seven-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh14 radial engine of 110–120 kW (150–160 hp) mounted in the center of thefuselage, with a transmission mounted on the front of the engine from which adrive shaft ran to an upper gearbox, which then split the power to a pair ofopposite-rotation drive shafts to turn the rotors.

The Sh 14 engine was a venerable, tried-and-true design with low specific poweroutput and low power/weight ratio (20.28 hp/L, 0.54 hp/lb) which could(anecdotally) run for up to 400 hours without major servicing, as opposed tothe more powerful 27 litre displacement, nine-cylinder BMW/Bramo Fafnir 750 hpradial engine powering the larger Focke Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter, whosehigher output (27.78 hp/L, 0.62 hp/lb), more modern design required moderatemaintenance as often as every 25 hours (such as changing spark plugs, etc.,well within the norm for modern radial engines of that era). While such a heavyand low-powered engine would work well in a very small craft like the Fi 282,to try and scale it up and use an engine of equivalent power/weight ratio in the700-1000 hp class would result in a massive and heavy engine leaving littleexcess capacity for cargo or passengers. 750 hp was the lowest rating that theFafnir was available in - indeed, it was a low-power, low maintenance designcompared with many other engines of this era. The Fl 282's fuselage wasconstructed from steel tube covered with doped fabric, and it was fitted with afixed tricycle undercarriage.

The German Navy was impressed with the Kolibri and wanted to evaluate it forsubmarine spotting duties, ordering an initial 15 examples, to be followed by30 production models. Flight testing of the first two prototypes was carried out through 1941, including repeated takeoffs and landings from a pad mountedon the German cruiser Köln.
The first two "A" series prototypes had enclosed cockpits; all subsequent examples had open cockpits and were designated "B" series.In case of an engine failure, the switch from helicopter to autorotation wasautomatic. Three-bladed rotors were installed on a test bed and found smoother than thevibrating 2-blade rotor, but the concept was not pursued further. The hoverefficiency ("Figure of Merit") was 0.72 whereas for modernhelicopters it is around 60%. Intermeshing rotors were not used on a mass production helicopter until after the Second World War.

Intended roles of Fl 282 included ferrying items between ships andreconnaissance. However, as the war progressed, the Luftwaffe began consideringconverting the Fl 282 for battlefield use. Until this time the craft had beenflown by a single pilot, but by then a position for an observer was added atthe very rear of the craft, resulting in the B-2 version. Later the B-2proved a useful artillery spotting aircraft and an observation unit was established in 1945 comprising three Fl 282 and three Fa 223 helicopters.

Good handling in bad weather led the German Air Ministry to issue a contract in1944 to BMW to produce 1,000 units. However, the company's Munich plant wasdestroyed by Allied bombing raids after producing just 24 machines. Towards the end of the Second World War, most of the surviving Fl 282s were stationed atRangsdorf, in their role as artillery spotters, but gradually fell victim toSoviet fighters and anti-aircraft fire. (Wikipedia)

(War Department. Army Air Forces Photo)

Flettner helicopter with counter-rotating, intermeshing blades, Once landed on the deck of a submarine which was moving at 18 knots. France, 1945.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter fleet on the flight line.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Fl 282 V21, a two-seater, with company pilot Fuisting at the controls. In the rear seat is Anton Flettner.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Luftwaffe Photo)

Fl 282 V21, with two men in the back compartment.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter prototype with three vertical stabilizers.

After 30 prototypes and 15 pre-production models were built, a thousand were ordered in 1944. Allied bombing raids repeatedly disrupted production, forcing the factory to relocate. Skilled workers proved impossible to obtain. By May 1945, only 24 had been completed.  A few had enclosed Plexiglas cockpits, but most were open. About fifty pilots trained to fly it. One pilot and aircraft were lost at sea during testing on May 10, 1943. A few Kolibri flew operationally in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Aegean, mainly for convoy protection. The Flettner Kolibri was flown by both the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine.

Captured Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri helicopters

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 V2Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter.

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(USAAF Photo)

Flettner Fl 282V-23 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, designated USA FE-4613, later T2-4613, tested in the USA.  This helicopter was damaged in an accident in April 1948.

One Flettner Fl 282 was captured at Rangsdorf, Germany by Soviet forces.  Two, which had been assigned to Transportstaffel 40 (TS/40), the Luftwaffe's only operational helicopter squadron at Mühldorf, Bavaria, were captured by U.S. forces.  One of these two, Fl 282 V-10, (Wk. Nr. 28368) has parts including a partial airframe with rotor head and wheels preserved in the Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England.  Flettner Fl 282 V-23, (Wk. Nr. 280023), CI+TW, USA FE-4613, later T2-4613, may be with the National Museum of the USAF, Dayton, Ohio.  Flettner Fl 282V-12, (Wk. Nr. 280008), CJ+SF, USAF FE-4614, later T2-4614 was also tested in the USA.  It was used as a source of spare parts for FE-4613, also reported as sold in 1955.

According to Roger Conner of the NASM Aeronautics Department, the rotor heads and transmission of the FL 282 V12 are currently with the Smithsonian.  The FL282 V23 was sent to Prewitt Aircraft for evaluation and has apparently disappeared.  It may have been stored in a barn but this is not confirmed.

According to Curator Brett Stolle of the NMUSAF, Flettner Fl-282, T2-4613,was acquired by the Museum on 12 August 1949.  After many years in storage this aircraft was placed on loan to Sampson AFB, New York on 23 June 1954.  When Sampson AFB closed in the summer of 1956, all items then on exhibit were returned to the Museum or disposed of in place.  The aircraft was not returned from Sampson AFB and information indicates it was de-accessioned on 29 May 1957.  Unfortunately, the method of disposal is not documented in existing records.  The aircraft was most likely scrapped at Sampson AFB as no public record of its current disposition has ever been located.

(USAAF Photos)

Flettner Fl 282V-23 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, designated USA FE-4613, later T2-4613.

(USAAF Photo)

Flettner Fl 282V-23 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, designated USA FE-4613, later T2-4613.

(Smithsonian Institution Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 V23 Kolibri, coded CI+TW, designated T2-4613, during evaluation.

(USAAF Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 helicopter at Freeman Field, Indiana.

 (USAAF Photos)

Flettner Fl 282V-23 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, USA FE-4613, later T2-4613, tested in the USA.  This helicopter was damaged in an accident in April 1948.

(USAAF Photos)

Flettner Fl 282V-12 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, shown here being test flown in Germany before being shiped to the US, where it was designated USA FE-4614, later T2-4614.  This helicopter was used for spare parts to service FE-4613.

(USAAF Photos)

Flettner Fl 282V-12 Kolibri, reconnaissance helicopter, designated USA FE-4614, later T2-4614.

(Pickersgill-Cunliffe Photo)

Flettner Fl 282 at the Midland Air Museum, UK.