Heinkel HE 3

The Heinkel HE 3 was a sports aircraft built in Germany in the early 1920s. It was a conventional low-wing monoplane seating three people in two tandem cockpits, and its cantilever wing was an unusual and advanced feature for the day. The fixed undercarriage could be changed quickly from a wheeled tailskid type to twin pontoons for use as a seaplane. The wings were fabric-covered wood and the fuselage plywood-covered wood. An HE 3 won first prize in its class at the 1923 aero meet at Gothenburg and was then selected as a trainer by the Swedish Navy, which bought two; in Swedish service it was nicknamed Paddan, the Toad. A Siemens-Halske Sh 6 engine of 105 kilowatts gave a top speed of 150 kilometres per hour on a wingspan of 12.1 metres.