The Klemm Kl 36 is a 1930s German four-seat cabin touring and competition

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 ...

. It was designed by

Klemm The Klemm Leichtflugzeugbau GmbH ("Klemm Light Aircraft Company") was a German aircraft manufacturer noteworthy for sports and touring planes of the 1930s. The company was founded in Böblingen in 1926 by Dr. Hanns Klemm, who had previously work ...

and Friedrich Fechner and built by Klemm.

History

Development

Following the success of the 3-seat touring plane

Klemm Kl 32 The Klemm Kl 32 was a touring aircraft, developed in Germany in 1932, based on the Klemm Kl 31 as a competitor in the Challenge 1932 touring aircraft competition. Design and development Like its predecessor, the KI 32 was a conventional, low-wi ...

in the European touring plane championship

Challenge 1932 The Challenge 1932 was the third FAI International Tourist Plane Competition (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between 12 and August 28, 1932 in Berlin, Germany. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviat ...

, the company was ordered by the German Reichs luftfahrt ministerium (RLM) to develop another aircraft to take part in

Challenge 1934 The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (french: Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between August 28 and September 16, 1934, in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, w ...

. Due to changes in contest rules, it had to be a more modern machine, a 4-seater, featuring better performance and better

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...

capabilities. As a result, the Kl 36 was a streamlined, comfortable four-seat plane with wing mechanization. It was the fastest of all Klemm's builds. Four aircraft were builtAccording to Krzyżan, M. - 5 aircraft, along with a prototype of the Kl 36A series (two powered by

Argus As 17 The Argus As 17 was an air cooled six-cylinder in-line aircraft engine designed by the German engineering company Argus Motoren in the 1930s. Developed from the same company's smaller As 8, the engine was produced in ratings between . First dem ...

inverted 6-cylinder in-line engines, and two by Hirth HM8U inverted V8 engines - D-IHEK, D-IHAV. Both engines were air-cooled). Later, 8 0-series aircraft were built, designated Kl 36B. They were powered with different engines, including

Siemens-Halske 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 * Ambr ...

A-1

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

s. One was completed with retractable landing gear (D-IUHU). Because there was no weight limit, they were somewhat heavier than the Kl 36A.

Operational history

Four Kl 36As took part in the

touring plane championship in August–September, but none completed a rally over Europe. Fritz Morzik, who won two challenges, had to withdraw due to a fuel pump breakdown, but flew the rally track off the contest. During the technical part, they obtained good results in a minimal speed trial (57.67 km/h), but proved generally inferior to the

Fieseler Fi 97 The Fieseler Fi 97 was a 1930s German four-seat cabin touring and competition monoplane aircraft designed and built by the German manufacturer Fieseler. Design and development Following the success of their two-seat tourer/trainer the Fiesele ...

. During World War II, Klemm Kl 36s served as a

liaison aircraft A liaison aircraft (also called an army cooperation aircraft) is a small, usually unarmed aircraft primarily used by military forces for artillery observation or transporting commanders and messages. The concept developed before World War II and ...

in the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

Technical description

The Klemm Kl 36 is a mixed-construction, low-wing, cantilever monoplane. It contains a conventional tail unit, a three-part wing structure, and a steel frame fuselage with a canvas covering. Surfaces on the outer parts of the wings and tail are covered in plywood. The wings are fitted with

slats Super Low Altitude Test Satellite (SLATS) or Tsubame was a JAXA satellite intended to demonstrate operations in very low Earth orbit (VLEO, below 200 km), using ion engines to counteract aerodynamic drag from the Earth's atmosphere which i ...

and

flap Flap may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Flap'' (film), a 1970 American film * Flap, a boss character in the arcade game ''Gaiapolis'' * Flap, a minor character in the film '' Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland'' Biology and he ...

s, which fold rearwards. The plane has a fixed tail skid landing gear. The landing wheels were often fit with teardrop covers. The median load of the plane was 490 kg, and the fuel tank had a capacity of 230L. The plane used a two-blade propeller, powered by a front-mounted engine. The Kl 36 could fit 3 people, including the pilot.

Specifications

Klemm_Kl_36_3-view_L'Aerophile_October_1934

References

Sources

* Marian Krzyżan: "Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929–1934", WKiŁ, Warsaw 1988, (Polish language) {{RLM aircraft designations 1930s German civil utility aircraft 1930s German military utility aircraft 1930s German sport aircraft Klemm aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1934 Single-engined tractor aircraft