Focke-Wulf A 38 Möwe

The Focke-Wulf A 38 Möwe, whose name is German for gull, was a single-engine high-wing airliner built in Germany in the early 1930s. It was the last development of a family of Focke-Wulf designs that began with the A 17 in 1927 and reused the high-mounted cantilever wing of the A 29, combined with an entirely new fuselage. That fuselage seated ten passengers in an enclosed cabin and carried a crew of three, and unlike the earlier members of the family the flight deck was separated from the cabin by a lavatory and a baggage compartment. The main undercarriage was strengthened, the main wheels received brakes and the tailskid gave way to a tailwheel. Only four examples were built. All four were originally fitted with Bristol Jupiter engines built by Siemens or by Gnome et Rhône, although a BMW VI engine had been offered as an option, and in April 1933 every aircraft was refitted with the Siemens Sh 20 engine. By mid-1934 the type had been relegated to training duties. Published specifications give a length of 15.40 metres, a wingspan of 20.00 metres, an empty weight of 2,700 kilograms and a maximum speed of 204 kilometres per hour.