MBB Bo 209

The Bölkow Bo 209 " monsoon " is a two-seat light aircraft of the German aircraft manufacturer Bölkow GmbH. A special feature of the cantilever all-metal low-wing monoplane, the folding wings, allowing it to be transported as a car trailer.

Origin

The Bo 209 is the successor to the Bölkow 208 Junior, a licensed production of MFI -9 Junior Malmo - Flygindustri (MFI ) from Sweden. In 1965 it was decided to further the development of a successor, Junior. Hermann Mylius presented his designs along with a development cost estimate of 1.2 million marks the MBB Board of Management, which, however, refused. The " monsoon " was from 1966, when on September 6, 1966 Hermann Mylius, Walter Heyen and John Krauss founded the "development group light aircraft " in Brunnthal. There, the project was given the name MIC 101 The project was supported by Ludwig Bölkow and other engineers of the company Bölkow from Ottobrunn joined the group on. After nearly two years of development, launched on 22 December 1967, the prototype MIC 101 V0 with a 115 hp Lycoming O -235 be paid - C2A in Laupheim to the first flight. On the Air Show 1968 in Hannover the machine was shown at the booth of Bölkow and finally called the successor of Bölkow 208. After numerous improvements (for example, Lycoming O -320 -B with 150 hp) and an in-depth market analysis, the plane went under the official name Bo 209 Monsun 1969 in Laupheim in series after it was presented in May 1969 in Egelsbach first. The type certificate was awarded the Bo 209 on May 11, 1970.

The monsoon had unique features in its class: Space-saving parking and transport through the beiklappbaren surfaces, retractable nose wheel, low consumption and purchase price, high ride comfort and low noise.

Offered was the 209 also. Available in four different variants The 209 S was a simplified training model with fixed nose wheel without flaps and with a 115 -horsepower engine. The top model was equipped fully aerobatic and with electric flaps, retractable nose wheel and a Lycoming O -320- D1A engine with 160 horsepower and propeller.

Depending on engine and equipment of the sale price from the factory amounted to 38,659 to 59,950 DM

With this broad range of equipment features Bölkow could convince the Air Show 1970 in Hannover: 57 pre-orders of the new type were drawn. A commercial success of the project seemed assured. In 1968 the merger of the Bölkow GmbH, however, led to the MBB Group to the basic economic decision to discontinue the civil aircraft. Although 1969-1971 102 monsoon were made and still 275 orders templates MBB decided in February 1972 to stop production. Attempts by Reinhold Ficht to continue the production, did not materialize.

The Bo 209 was, however, still as a template for the Mylius My 102 Tornado ( a single-seat aerobatic aircraft with monsoon wings and AIO -360 - B1B with 200 hp ), which on July 7, 1973 and had its first flight later a second of the copy was built.

Specifications

Accidents

The wings of the Bo 209 Monsun have a high performance profile, which tends in combination with a back center of gravity (such as for luggage load behind the seats ) to an abrupt stall behavior. The majority of the 209 crashes are covering the machine, usually off or landing due. Some monsoon therefore have retrofitted a stall warning device that emits a warning tone at too steep flow to the surface. The mid- 1980s led fatigue cracks at the wing spar of the Machine for aerobatic maneuvers to break a surface. Then all Bo 209 were temporarily Earth-bound for review.