Pützer Elster
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The Pützer Elster was a German single-engined light
aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...
, manufactured by Alfons Pützer KG (later Sportavia) in
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
. It served with the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
and
Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the Naval aviation, naval air arm of the German Navy. It is aircraft flown by the Navy of Germany, and mostly consists of helicopters and fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, as well as ty ...
and was used solely for recreational sport flying. Some continue to fly in 2020 in private ownership.


Development history

The Pützer Elster "Magpie" was developed from the Motorraab
motor glider A motor glider is a fixed-wing aircraft that can be flown with or without engine power. The FAI Gliding Commission Sporting Code definition is: a fixed-wing aerodyne equipped with a means of propulsion (MoP), capable of sustained soaring flig ...
which had itself been developed from the Doppelraab glider. The Elster was the first aircraft produced in Germany after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
in any significant numbers. The design shared the wing of the ''Doppelraab'', braced by metal struts, but was given a new
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
constructed of
plywood Plywood is a composite material manufactured from thin layers, or "plies", of wood veneer that have been stacked and glued together. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards, which include plywood, medium-density fibreboa ...
with seats for two occupants arranged side by side. The tricycle
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
unusually featured a steerable nosewheel controlled by a hand grip. Production ceased in 1967, by which time 45 examples had been built.


Variants


Elster

:Prototype aircraft fitted with a 52 hp Porsche 678/3 engine, first flight 10 January 1959.


Elster B

:Main production version fitted with a 95 hp
Continental C-90 The Continental C90 and O-200 are a family of air-cooled, horizontally opposed, four-cylinder, direct-drive aircraft engines of 201 in3 (3.29 L) displacement, producing between 90 and 100 horsepower (67 and 75 kW).''Federal Aviation Admini ...
engine. 25 aircraft were operated by the
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
and
Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the Naval aviation, naval air arm of the German Navy. It is aircraft flown by the Navy of Germany, and mostly consists of helicopters and fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, as well as ty ...
sport flying groups. These aircraft were initially operated with civilian registrations but were allocated military serials in 1971.Jackson p.134. 1976 In 1978 the maintenance contract with Pützer expired and the aircraft were placed on the civil market.


Elster C

:The Elster C was fitted with the more powerful 150 hp
Lycoming O-320 The Lycoming O-320 is a large family of naturally aspirated, air-cooled, flat four engine, horizontally-opposed four-cylinder, direct-drive engines produced by Lycoming Engines. Introduced in 1953, it is commonly used on light aircraft such a ...
engine and other modifications for use as a glider tug.


Operators


Military operators

; *
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
*
Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the Naval aviation, naval air arm of the German Navy. It is aircraft flown by the Navy of Germany, and mostly consists of helicopters and fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, as well as ty ...


Specifications (Pützer Elster B)


See also


References


Further reading

* *


External links


Photo of Elster B in Luftwaffe markings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Putzer Elster
Elster Elster may refer to: Places * Black Elster (''Schwarze Elster''), a river in Germany * White Elster (''Weiße Elster''), a river in Germany and the Czech Republic ** Elster Viaduct, a railway bridge over the White Elster ** Elster Viaduct (Pirk ...
1950s German civil utility aircraft 1950s German military utility aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Glider tugs Aircraft first flown in 1959