Heinkel He 116
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Heinkel He 116 goes back to a copy of the German Lufthansa in 1936/37 which demanded an aircraft with huge range and powerful high-level aero-engines which was to enable postal services between Germany and the Far East. Focus was put on the necessary flight safety, since several mountains were to be flown over along the future route. Thereupon, a four-engined aircraft with compound construction and elliptical wings with a crew of three was designed at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke. The Hirth HM 508 motors proved to be disadvantageous but sinco no other high-level aero-engines were available at that time, the risk of an underpowered aircraft had to be taken.
The airplane possessed very good flight characteristics, and soon a Japanese delegation showed up for a visit. Among the participants of the 1938 Sahara tour was a He 116 with a Japanese crew. They took the lead but had to resign all to soon due to a aero-engine's failure. Nevertheless, this two aircraft could be sold to the Japanese airline Mausynkokuh Kaisya. Following their problem-less transfer, they were used in commercial services until 1945, when they were destroyed during air raids.
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Also in 1938, the Deutsche Lufthansa undertook some transatlantic flights without any problems. In the following period, the company used the third He 116 prototype for attempts at long-distance record flight. The first attempt failed and the aircraft was severely damaged. Another try succeeded on July 30, 1939. In 46 hours and 9 minutes, it flew a a distance of 10,500 kilometers by flying back and forth in a closed route.
The German Air Force purchased five aircraft, for it saw in the He 166 a pre-study for a long distance bomber or a potential long distance reconnaissance airplane. Two out of these five were equipped with a full-sight glass cockpit comparable to the He 111. This type was named He 116 B and saw service as a photo reconnaissance aircraft. In 1939, a further military development came to halt since the airplane was underpowered.
In total, 14 types of He 116 were developed. Eight of these were used for civil purposes, the remaining by the German Air Force.
Technical data
Heinkel He 116
| Power Plant |
four Hirth HM 508 H with 240 HP each or HM 508 C with 270 HP each |
Performance
| Speed |
max. 375 km/h in 3,000 m max. 355 km/h in 5,000 m max. 300 km/h in 7,000 m |
Dimensions
| Length | 13.70 m |
| Height | 3.3 m |
| Wing span | 22.0 m |
