Focke-Achgelis Fa 223

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Achgelis_Fa_223

The Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache (English: Dragon) was a helicopter developed by
Germany during World War II. A single 750-kilowatt (1,010 hp) Bramo 323 radial
engine powered two three-bladed 11.9-metre (39 ft) rotors mounted on twin booms
on either side of the 12.2-metre-long (40 ft) cylindrical fuselage. Although the
Fa 223 is noted for being the first helicopter to attain production status,
production of the helicopter was hampered by Allied bombing of the factory, and
only 20 were built.

The Fa 223 could cruise at 175 kilometres per hour (109 mph) with a top speed of
182 km/h (113 mph), and climb to an altitude of 7,100 m (23,300 ft). The Drache
could transport cargo loads of over 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) at cruising speeds of
121 km/h (75 mph) and altitudes approaching 2,440 m (8,010 ft).

After Focke-Wulf formally signed a contract to produce the Bf-109C in November
1937, the American company International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT), through
its German subsidiary C. Lorenz, bought a 28 percent share of Focke-Wulf in
1938, making it the controlling interest.

However, the Air Ministry was so impressed by the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter
that it suggested Focke establish a new company dedicated to helicopter
development and issued him with a requirement for an improved design capable of
carrying a 700 kg (1,500 lb) payload. Focke established the Focke-Achgelis
company at Hoykenkamp on 27 April 1937 in partnership with pilot Gerd Achgelis,
and began development work at Delmenhorst in 1938.

They first produced an enlarged, six-occupant version of the Fw 61, designated
Fa 226 Hornisse (Hornet), while contracting out development of the engine,
transmission, and rotor hub to BMW's Berlin works. The Fa 226 was the world's
first transport helicopter and was ordered by Lufthansa in 1938.

The Fa 226 attracted the attention of the Air Ministry, who redesignated it Fa
223 in 1939 before the first prototype flew. The Navy was also interested in the
Hornisse and briefly considered it as a replacement for their Schnellboote.

In September 1939 the first prototype, the V1, left the Delmenhorst factory. Now
nicknamed Drache ("Dragon") it had a twin-rotor layout similar to the Fw 61, but
had a fully enclosed cabin and load bay, with the single Bramo engine mounted in
the middle of the tubular-steel body.

The V1's first untethered flight was on 3 August 1940, after over 100 hours of
ground and tethered testing. In October, it was flown to the test centre at
Rechlin to be demonstrated, and while there set a top speed of 182 km/h (113
mph), a climb rate of 528 m (1,732 ft) per minute, and a maximum altitude of
7,100 m (23,300 ft), performance far greater than had been demonstrated by any
other helicopter in the world.

Despite this, the Drache was nowhere near ready for military service, and
Focke-Achgelis were told to accelerate their development programme. An initial
production order for 100 machines was promised. Following the helicopter's
demonstration at Rechlin, the Ministry issued specifications for five variants:

On 5 February 1941, the V1 was lost in an accident following engine failure at
an altitude too low for an auto-rotative landing. The second prototype (V2) was
completed shortly after, featuring a fully glazed cockpit and a machine gun
operated by the observer. It was, however, soon destroyed in an Allied air raid.


Role
Helicopter

Manufacturer
Focke-Achgelis

First flight
3 August 1940

Introduction
1941

Primary users
Luftwaffe
Czechoslovak Air Force
French Air Force

Number built
20

In early 1944, a Dornier Do 217 crashed high up on the Vehner moor in Lower
Saxony, between Osnabrück and Oldenburg, and it was decided to send the V11 to
recover the wreckage. Unfortunately the V11 ended up crashing nearby before it
could attempt to lift the Do 217's remains. It was then decided to attempt to
recover both using the V14. Flown by Karl Bode and Luftwaffe helicopter pilot
Helmut Gerstenhauer, the operation was begun on 11 May 1944. A small team of
Focke-Achgelis men and a Luftwaffe recovery company had already dismantled the
V11, and the V14 made 10 flights carrying loads beneath it in a cargo net and
setting them down where they could be loaded onto road vehicles. All the major
parts of the V11 and the Do 217 were retrieved, and much useful experience was
gained.

Following this, the Air Ministry decided to evaluate the helicopter's potential
as a transport in mountainous regions, and the V16 was assigned to the Mountain
Warfare School at Mittenwald, near Innsbruck, with the V14 as a backup. The
objective of the tests was to see how the Drache would perform as a
general-purpose all-weather transport, and numerous landings were made at
altitudes of over 1,600 m (5,200 ft) above sea level, plus experimental
transportation of artillery guns to mountain troops. When the trials ended in
October 1944, a total of 83 flights had been made, with a total flying time of
20 hours.

Only seven machines had been constructed at Laupheim before an air raid halted
production in July 1944, and wiped out the factory. At the time of the raid, the
V18 prototype was ready for delivery, 13 Drachen were in assembly, and there
were enough components for a further 19. Following the raid the Air Ministry
decided that it was useless to pursue the project any further and following the
mountain trials Focke was assigned to Messerschmitt's staff.

Only weeks later, Focke received new orders, this time to return to the
Focke-Achgelis company and to move the entire operation to Tempelhof Airport in
Berlin where flight testing was to be resumed, and a production line established
to produce 400 helicopters per month.

In January 1945, the Air Ministry assigned the other three Drachen to
Transportstaffel 40 (TS/40) at Mühldorf, Bavaria, the Luftwaffe's only
operational helicopter squadron, equipped with at least five Flettner Fl 282s as
well as the Drachen. TS/40 relocated to various sites before ending up at
Ainring in Germany, where one of the Drachen was destroyed by its pilot to
prevent it being captured and the other two were seized by US forces.

The US intended to ferry captured aircraft back to the US aboard a ship, but
only had room for one of the captured Drachen. The RAF objected to plans to
destroy the other, the V14, so Gerstenhauer, with two observers, flew it across
the English Channel from Cherbourg to RAF Beaulieu on 6 September 1945, the
first crossing of the Channel by a helicopter. The V14 later made two test
flights at RAF Beaulieu before being destroyed on 3 October, when a driveshaft
failed. The accident was thought to be due to a failure to correctly tension the
steel cables which secured the engine, despite warnings from Gerstenhauer.

Specifications (Fa 223E)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Capacity: 4 passengers
Length: 12.25 m (40 ft 2 in) (fuselage length)
Wingspan: 24.50 m (80 ft 5 in) (span over rotors)
Height: 4.36 m (14 ft 4 in)
Empty weight: 3,180 kg (7,011 lb)
Gross weight: 3,860 kg (8,510 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,315 kg (9,513 lb)
Fuel capacity: 490 L (108 Imp Gal) internal + 300 L (66 Imp gal) external tank
Powerplant: 1 × BMW Bramo 323D-2 nine-cylinder radial, 750 kW (1,000 hp)
(take-off)
Main rotor diameter: 2× 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
Main rotor area: 226.00 m2 (2,432.6 sq ft)

Performance
Maximum speed: 176 km/h (109 mph; 95 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Cruise speed: 134 km/h (83 mph; 72 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Range: 437 km (272 mi; 236 nmi) (internal fuel)
Ferry range: 700 km (435 mi; 378 nmi) (with auxiliary fuel)
Endurance: 2 hr 20 min
Service ceiling: 4,875 m (15,994 ft) (service ceiling)
Rate of climb: 4.1 m/s (800 ft/min) (vertical rate of climb), 5.6 m/s (1,100
ft/min) (with forward speed)

Armament

Guns: 1 × MG 15 manually aimed from the nose.
Bombs: 2× 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or 2 ×depth charges




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