The BFW M.35, sometimes known as the Messerschmitt M 35, was a German sports plane of the early 1930s. It was the last of a line designed by

Willy Messerschmitt Wilhelm Emil "Willy" Messerschmitt (; 26 June 1898 – 15 September 1978) was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer. In 1934, in collaboration with Walter Rethel, he designed the Messerschmitt Bf 109, which became the most important ...

Development

During the period of 1927-33, Messerschmitt designed a series of six sport planes, the single-seat M.17 and M.19, and the two-seat M.23, M.27 M.31, and finally the M.35. With the exception of the M.23, none sold in large numbers. They were all single-engine low-wing

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

s with open

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

s and fixed

undercarriage Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include: *The landing gear of an aircraft. *The ch ...

. The M.35 kept the extended

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...

of the M.27 and combined it with an undercarriage of single leg, spatted form. Two different engines were used. The M35a had a 112 kW (150 hp), seven-cylinder

radial Radial is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Mathematics and Direction * Vector (geometric), a line * Radius, adjective form of * Radial distance, a directional coordinate in a polar coordinate system * Radial set * A bearing f ...

Siemens Sh 14 The Siemens-Halske Sh 14 was a seven-cylinder air-cooled radial engine for aircraft produced in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s. First run in 1928, it was rated at 93 kW (125 hp). Applications * Albatros L 82 * Ambrosini SAI.3 * Am ...

a, and the M.35b a 100 kW (135 hp) four-cylinder inline inverted air-cooled

Argus As 8 The Argus As 8 was a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline aircraft engine produced in Germany by Argus Motoren in the 1930s. Variants ;As 8A:Initial production version maximum for 5 minutes, continuous. ;As 8B:A more powerful variant de ...

b. The former was the shorter and faster of the two. The aircraft first flew in 1933.

Operational history

The aircraft was first shown to the public and potential buyers at the 1934 ''Aerosalon'' in Geneva. In that year,

Rudolf Hess Rudolf Walter Richard Hess (Heß in German; 26 April 1894 – 17 August 1987) was a German politician and a leading member of the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. Appointed Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler in 1933, Hess held that position unt ...

won the ''Zugspitz'' trophy in a M.35. In 1934-1935, Wilhelm Stör won the German Aerobatic Championship in a M.35b, and in 1935 the women's prize was taken by Vera von Bissing in a similar machine. Stör can be seen flying an M.35 in daring acrobatic maneuvers during the 1935 German film ''Wunder des Fliegens'' (''Miracle of Flight''). Despite these successes and strong performances at other venues in the late 1930s, only 15 M.35s were built, 13 registered in Germany, one in Spain and reputedly one in Romania. Though the M.35a was faster, the M.35b was commoner; only two M.35as are definitely identified.

Operators

; *

Spanish Republican Air Force The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics ('' Aeronáutica M ...

Specifications (M.35a)

References

Citations

Cited sources

* {{Authority control 1930s German sport aircraft M 35 Aerobatic aircraft Low-wing aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1933