Junkers G 38
The Junkers G 38 is a four-engine large airliner in mid-wing monoplane arrangement of the Junkers aircraft factory AG, Dessau. In this type, the Junkers patents were completely converted to the " thick wing " from 1910: engines, fuel and partly passengers were accommodated in the wings.
Development
The first of only two aircraft built, was completed in October 1929 with the serial number 3001. After the first taxi tests on 4 November 1929, the first flight with chief pilot Zimmermann took place two days later.
Was equipped with two G 38 441 per kW (600 hp) 12-cylinder V-engines of type L55 and two 294 kW (400 hp) six - cylinder in-line engines of type L8. Approved the machine was on 27 March 1930 while she received the registration D -2000.
Already at admission flight two world records were set, the course record with 5,000 kg payload for both closed path with 5000 kg and over a 100 km course with 200.636 km / h More records were set with 5000 kg payload also in the closed track with 501.590 kilometers, a flight duration record of three hours and two minutes, and a world speed record of 184.464 km / h.
The Air Ministry bought the machine and used it for demonstration flights with passengers at home and abroad.
As of February 2, 1931, D- 2000, a new interior design and new 12-cylinder V-engines of the type L88a with 588 kW ( 800 hp ) received instead of the L55 engines, which significantly improved the performance.
The machine was handed over to the Deutsche Luft Hansa, which she used on international flights as well as charter flights.
Already on October 3, 1931 came the machine back into the Junkers shipyard. You got there a steerage for larger cargo capacity. The number of passengers was increased from 19 to 30. A renewed exchange of L8- engines against those of the type L88a improved once the flight performance. The so modified machine was used by the Lufthansa mainly on the route Berlin -Hannover -Amsterdam- London.
1934, the engines were again changed, now against four Jumo 204-2 stroke opposed piston diesel engines, each 551 kW ( 750 hp ), and changed the identifier in D AZUR. 1936 overthrew the machine caused by an assembly error in Dessau from which Lufthansa she had to write a total loss.
The second G38 has already been completed with the new intermediate deck for 34 passengers and a D- 2500 ( later D- APIS ) on 1 July 1932, four Junkers L88a engines by Deutsche Luft Hansa at a purchase price of 1.5 million Reichsmarks taken. Like the first G38 also the second machine was upgraded in 1934 to Jumo 204. From 1939, this machine was used for military transports and destroyed in Greece by British aircraft at the airport Athens - Tatoi in May 1941 on the ground.
Mitsubishi built in six G38 license as a heavy bomber Mitsubishi Ki- 20th The Junkers license designation was K51, where the prefix "K" ( until 1926 this was "H" ) was used for unarmed prototypes or civilian versions of potential combat aircraft. The armed variants of the aircraft could be built due to limitations of the Versailles Treaty only abroad. The Ki -20 remained in use until 1941.