The Heinkel He 72 ''Kadett'' ("Cadet") was a German single-engine
biplane trainer of the 1930s.
Development
The ''Kadett'' was designed in 1933 to meet an official requirement for a basic trainer. It was a single-bay biplane of fabric-covered, metal construction with open
cockpits, a
staggered wing, a strut-braced
tail unit, and fixed
tailskid undercarriage. The
prototype was powered by a 104 kW (139 hp)
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 air-cooled
inline engine.
["The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, (Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ), 1152 pp.]
The first production model, the He 72A retained the As 8B engine in early batches, but later production aircraft had a 112 kW (150 hp)
As 8R. The He 72A was superseded by the He 72B, which was the major production version. This was powered by a 120 kW (160 bhp)
Siemens-Halske Sh 14A
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
* Amb ...
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 ...
.
The He 72B was produced as the He 72B-1 landplane and He 72BW ''Seekadett'' ("Sea Cadet") twin-float
seaplane
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...
. The civil development was the He 72B-3 ''Edelkadett'' ("Noble Cadet").
Operational history
The ''Kadett'' entered service with
National Socialist Flyers Corps
The National Socialist Flyers Corps (german: Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps; NSFK) was a paramilitary aviation organization of the Nazi Party.
History
NSFK was founded 15 April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; the ...
before the formation of 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 ...
''. Later, it became a standard basic trainer with the ''Luftwaffe''.
Slovak forces used it in the attack role.
Variants
*He 72A ''Kadett'' : Initial production version.
*He 72B :
*He 72B-1 :
*He 72B-3 ''Edelkadett'' : Civil adaptation of He 72B-1. 30 built.
*He 72BW ''Seekadett'' : Twin-float seaplane. Prototype only.
*He 172 - He 72B with
NACA cowling
The NACA cowling is a type of aerodynamic fairing used to streamline radial engines installed on airplanes. It was developed by Fred Weick of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in 1927. It was a major advance in aerodynamic ...
. Prototype only in 1934.
Operators
;
*
Bulgarian Air Force
;
*
Czechoslovakian Air Force (Postwar)
;
*
National Socialist Flyers Corps
The National Socialist Flyers Corps (german: Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps; NSFK) was a paramilitary aviation organization of the Nazi Party.
History
NSFK was founded 15 April 1937 as a successor to the German Air Sports Association; 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 ...
''
;
*
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrend ...
- one aircraft
;
*''
Slovenské vzdušné zbrane
The Slovenes, also known as Slovenians ( sl, Slovenci ), are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Slovenia, and adjacent regions in Italy, Austria and Hungary. Slovenes share a common ancestry, culture, history and speak Slovene as their n ...
''
*
Slovak Insurgent Air Force
The Slovak Resistance Air Force (in Slovak language, Slovak: ''Slovenské povstalecké letectvo'') was an Allies of World War II, Allied air unit which fought against Axis powers, Axis forces in Slovak State, Slovakia and participated in the Sl ...
Specifications (He 72B)
See also
References
Further reading
*
{{Czech trainer aircraft
1930s German military trainer aircraft
Biplanes
He 072
Single-engined tractor aircraft