The Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz (Goldfinch) is a twin-seat biplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was the company's first major international success.

The Fw 44 had a relatively conventional layout for a biplane, possessing a pair of open cockpits that were arranged in tandem; both cockpits were equipped with flight controls and instrumentation. The aircraft had straight untapered wings, fixed tailwheel landing gear, and was typically powered by a Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine. It was furnished with ailerons on both upper and lower wings, but did not use flaps. The design team was headed by Kurt Tank. Intended for use as a pilot training and sports aircraft, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight in the latter half of 1932; while initially proving to be troublesome, remedial modifications and design tweaks quickly adapted the Fw 44 into a suitable aircraft for performing aerobatic manoeuvres, a feat which numerous noted pilots took advantage of.

The aircraft quickly garnered substantial orders from flight schools and flying clubs, both in Germany and abroad. The rate of orders was such that not only did Focke-Wulf establish a second factory but multiple licences were issued to other companies, leading to the Fw 44 being produced in several other countries. The Fw 44C had been considered to be the definitive version of the aircraft, it was powered by a Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine. On several occasions, the type saw key military use; the Republic of China Air Force had their aircraft adapted for frontline combat during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Luftwaffe operated numerous Fw 44s, both before and during the Second World War.

Design and development

During the mid-1920s, the recently formed German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf commenced limited production of their first civil-orientated aircraft, such as the Focke-Wulf A 16.

The Fw 44 was a single-bay strut-and-wire-braced twin-seat biplane intended for use as a primary trainer and sporting aircraft. It had equal span wings which had slight sweepback, stagger, and dihedral. The lower wings attached directly to the bottom of the fuselage, the upper wings were connected to the upper fuselage via struts, and a set of N-shaped struts ran between the upper and lower wings on either side of the aircraft. Both of the aircraft's two cockpits, which were open, were compatible with seat-type parachutes. Just aft of the rear cockpit was a luggage locker that was accessed by folding down the seat.

Much of the early demand for the type came from flight schools and flying clubs; the order numbers were such that Focke-Wulf was able to establish a second factory to produce the type.

Variants

thumb|right|Fw 44J G-STIG at Old Warden 2008

;Fw 44B

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;Fw 44C

:Main production version with minor equipment changes, powered by a seven-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh 14a radial piston engine.

;Fw 44D

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;Fw 44E

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;Fw 44F

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;Fw 44J

:Final production model, powered by a seven-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh 14a radial piston engine.

;I1AvN

:Fw 44J produced under license in Brazil by Fábrica do Galeão.

I.Ae. 23

thumb|I.Ae. 23, the Argentinian "Wooden Focke-Wulf"

Between 1937 and 1942 the Fábrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) of Argentina had built 190 units of the FW-44J Stieglitz. It was powered by a domestically built version of the Siemens Bramo Sh-14 engine called the I. Ae. Sh-14. The Fw 44Js were destined for the Argentine Military Aviation School and for numerous aero clubs for use as training aircraft.

In 1944, the Instituto Aerotécnico received the request to experiment with the construction of the Fw 44J, but using purely national woods instead of importing them, following the pattern initiated by the development of the I.Ae. 22 "DL" trainer. The project was named I.Ae. 23. It was known as "Wooden Focke-Wulf" (Focke-Wulf de Madera in Spanish). The I.Ae. 23 flew for the first time on July 7, 1945. The plane was used for training and aerobatics. It was configured with a Kodak photo gun. Despite its success, only one was built, as its design was surpassed by other machines of British origin that were acquired in 1946.

Operators

thumb|A Focke-Wulf Fw 44J in 2005

thumb|Focke-Wulf Fw 44s from Argentina, c. 1937.

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  • Argentine Air Force
  • Argentine Naval Aviation

The aircraft was produced under license in 1937–1942 period

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  • Austrian Air Force (1927–1938) – license production

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  • Bolivian Air Force – one aircraft was delivered in November 1937

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  • Brazilian Air Force
  • Brazilian Naval Aviation

– license production

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  • Bulgarian Air Force – license production

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  • Republic of China Air Force

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  • Chilean Air Force – 15 aircraft delivered in February 1938

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  • Colombian Air Force

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  • Czechoslovak Air Force (postwar)

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  • Finnish Air Force

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  • Luftwaffe

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  • Hungarian Air Force

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  • Polish Air Force

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  • Royal Romanian Air Force

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  • Slovak Air Force (1939–1945)

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  • Spanish Air Force

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  • Swedish Air Force – license production; called Sk 12

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  • Swiss Air Force - One Fw 44F defected to Switzerland in 1945, and was purchased from the Allied Control Commission later that year, serving with the Swiss Air Force until 1953.

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  • Turkish Air Force (1937–1962)

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  • SFR Yugoslav Air Force – postwar

Specifications

References

Citations

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Musee volant de l'Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis
  • Commemorative Air Force
  • Biplanes.de's Fw 44 D-EMMI Stieglitz Photo Page (in German)
  • YouTube's D-EMMI Stieglitz Takeoff at Eisenhardt airshow in 2010
  • Biplanes.de's 85th Anniversary of Focke-Wulf's founding Stieglitz Fly-In Page (in German)