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Focke-Achgelis Fa 330

January 01, 1970

The Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze (English: Wagtail) was a type of rotary-wing kite, known as a rotor kite. They were towed behind German U-boats during World War II to allow a lookout to see further. About 200 were built by Weser Flugzeugbau[2]

Fa 330 Bachstelze
An Fa 330 on display at the Hubschraubermuseum
Role Rotor kite
Manufacturer Focke-Achgelis GmbH
First flight August 1942
Number built 200[1]

Development edit

Because of their low profile in the water, submarines could not see more than a few miles over the ocean. To solve this, the German admiralty considered a number of different options, including a folding seaplane (Arado Ar 231). In the end, they chose the Fa 330, a simple, single-seat autogyro kite with a three-bladed rotor.[1]

The Fa 330 could be deployed to the deck of the submarine by two people and was tethered to the U-boat by a 150 m (490 ft) cable.[3][2] The airflow on the rotors as the boat motored along on the surface would spin them up. The kite would then be deployed behind the U-boat with its observer-pilot aboard, raising him approximately 120 meters above the surface and allowing him to see much farther — about 25 nautical miles (46 kilometres), compared to the 5 nautical miles (9.3 kilometres) visible from the conning tower of the U-boat. If the U-boat captain were forced to abandon it on the surface, the tether would be released and the Fa 330 would descend slowly to the water.[1]

When not in use, the Fa 330 was stowed in two watertight compartments aft of the conning tower. In calm weather and sea, the assembly and disassembly steps could each be completed in approximately four minutes. In heavier weather, recovering (winching the Fa 330 back to the deck), dismantling, and stowing the Fa 330 took approximately 20 minutes and was a difficult operation.

Focke-Achgelis proposed a powered version of the Fa 330, the Fa 336, but the design never made it to the hardware phase.[4]

Operational history edit

As Allied air cover in other theatres of the war was considered too much of a threat, only U-boats operating in the far southern parts of the Atlantic, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden[2] used the Fa 330. Despite its advantages, the use of the Fa 330 resulted in only a single sinking when U-177 used one to spot, intercept and sink the Greek steamer Efthalia Mari on 6 August 1943.[5]

The Allies came into possession of an Fa 330 in May 1944 when they captured the U-852 intact.[6] After the war, the British government did successful experiments towing Fa 330s behind ships and jeeps, but the development of the helicopter quickly occupied the attention of the military.

U-boats that deployed Fa 330 kites included at least U-177, U-181, and U-852. Otto Giese wrote, "Our boat was rigged with a Bachstelze. This was a small, single, piloted helicopter attached to a 150 metre long steel cable and lifted into the air by the speed of the boat while the cable was gradually reeled out. From his position aloft, the pilot had a 360-degree view and could report any vessels."[7]: 183–184 

Legacy and influence edit

The Fa 330 directly inspired Igor Bensen's interest in small autogyros which culminated in the Bensen B-8 and other modern autogyros.

In February 2013, Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that L-3 Communications was testing its Valkyrie, an unpowered, tethered autogyro that weighs 210 pounds (95 kg), which is intended to serve as a cheap alternative to a shipborne helicopter. Valkyrie is designed to hover as high as 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) but is envisioned to operate typically at 500 to 1,000 feet (150 to 300 meters), offering a 28-to-39-mile (45-to-63-kilometre) field of view. L-3 stated that naval vessels could easily be retrofitted with this system.[8]

Surviving aircraft edit

 
FA-330A-1 #100503 at RAF Museum Cosford

Denmark edit

France edit

Germany edit

United Kingdom edit

United States edit

Specifications edit

 
Drawing from U.S. recognition manual (very likely copy of German drawing)

Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich [26][27]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 4.42 m (14 ft 6 in)
  • Empty weight: 68 kg (150 lb)
  • Main rotor diameter: 7.32 m (24 ft 0 in)
  • Main rotor area: 42 m2 (450 sq ft) 3-bladed rotor

Performance

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Petite, Bob (April 2015). . Vertical Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Munson 1978, p. 53.
  3. ^ Ford, Roger (2013). Germany's Secret Weapons of World War II. London, United Kingdom: Amber Books. p. 224. ISBN 9781909160569.
  4. ^ "Focke-Achgelis Fa 336".
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Efthalia Mari (Steam merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  6. ^  — Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum article at the Internet Archive. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  7. ^ Giese, O., 1994, Shooting the War, Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, ISBN 1557503079
  8. ^ Osborne, Tony, "The autogyro returns," Aviation Week and space Technology, February 25, 2013, p.26
  9. ^ . EuroDemobbed. June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Focke-Achgelis Fa 330-A-0 Bachstelze". Musée Air & Espace (in French). Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  11. ^ "Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 "Bachstelze", 1942". Deutsches Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  12. ^ "Munich - Deutsches Museum, Germany". EuroDemobbed. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Flugzeuge und Flugkörper in der Luftfahrtausstellung des Deutschen Technikmuseums" (PDF). Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin (in German). December 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Berlin - Deutsches Technikmuseum, Germany". EuroDemobbed. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Gyrocopters". Hubschrauber Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  16. ^ a b c d "Aircraft Database". LPH2O. LPH2O.com. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Focke Achgelis Fa-330". Imperial War Museums. IWM. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  18. ^ a b Wilberg, Thomas. . The Virtual Aviation Museum. Thomas Wilberg. Archived from the original on 3 April 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  19. ^ "Focke Achgelis FA330". Royal Air Force Museum. Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  20. ^ "An Fa-330 at Wroughton". Robroy. July 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  21. ^ "Focke Achgelis FA330A-1 (100545)". Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum. Fleet Air Arm Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  22. ^ Matthews, Trevor. "EXHIBITS". LASHENDEN AIR WARFARE MUSEUM. Lashenden Air Warfare Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  23. ^ "Focke-Achgelis Fa 330A-1 Bachstelze (Water Wagtail)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  24. ^ "Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Sandpiper". National Museum of the US Air Force. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  25. ^ "AIRCRAFT, DRONES AND MISSILES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE" (PDF). National Museum of the US Air Force. June 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  26. ^ Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing Limited. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.
  27. ^ . Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2020.

Bibliography edit

  • Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorsett, UK: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0860-3.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Focke-Achgelis Fa 330.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Bachstelze". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
  • "German Submarine-Borne Observation Rotor-Kite", Allied Intelligence Report
  • Video of the assembly and operation of a Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 aboard a German U-boat on YouTube

January 01, 1970
focke, achgelis, bachstelze, english, wagtail, type, rotary, wing, kite, known, rotor, kite, they, were, towed, behind, german, boats, during, world, allow, lookout, further, about, were, built, weser, flugzeugbau, bachstelze, display, hubschraubermuseum, role. The Focke Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze English Wagtail was a type of rotary wing kite known as a rotor kite They were towed behind German U boats during World War II to allow a lookout to see further About 200 were built by Weser Flugzeugbau 2 Fa 330 Bachstelze An Fa 330 on display at the Hubschraubermuseum Role Rotor kite Manufacturer Focke Achgelis GmbH First flight August 1942 Number built 200 1 Contents 1 Development 2 Operational history 3 Legacy and influence 4 Surviving aircraft 4 1 Denmark 4 2 France 4 3 Germany 4 4 United Kingdom 4 5 United States 5 Specifications 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External linksDevelopment editBecause of their low profile in the water submarines could not see more than a few miles over the ocean To solve this the German admiralty considered a number of different options including a folding seaplane Arado Ar 231 In the end they chose the Fa 330 a simple single seat autogyro kite with a three bladed rotor 1 The Fa 330 could be deployed to the deck of the submarine by two people and was tethered to the U boat by a 150 m 490 ft cable 3 2 The airflow on the rotors as the boat motored along on the surface would spin them up The kite would then be deployed behind the U boat with its observer pilot aboard raising him approximately 120 meters above the surface and allowing him to see much farther about 25 nautical miles 46 kilometres compared to the 5 nautical miles 9 3 kilometres visible from the conning tower of the U boat If the U boat captain were forced to abandon it on the surface the tether would be released and the Fa 330 would descend slowly to the water 1 When not in use the Fa 330 was stowed in two watertight compartments aft of the conning tower In calm weather and sea the assembly and disassembly steps could each be completed in approximately four minutes In heavier weather recovering winching the Fa 330 back to the deck dismantling and stowing the Fa 330 took approximately 20 minutes and was a difficult operation Focke Achgelis proposed a powered version of the Fa 330 the Fa 336 but the design never made it to the hardware phase 4 Operational history editAs Allied air cover in other theatres of the war was considered too much of a threat only U boats operating in the far southern parts of the Atlantic the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden 2 used the Fa 330 Despite its advantages the use of the Fa 330 resulted in only a single sinking when U 177 used one to spot intercept and sink the Greek steamer Efthalia Mari on 6 August 1943 5 The Allies came into possession of an Fa 330 in May 1944 when they captured the U 852 intact 6 After the war the British government did successful experiments towing Fa 330s behind ships and jeeps but the development of the helicopter quickly occupied the attention of the military U boats that deployed Fa 330 kites included at least U 177 U 181 and U 852 Otto Giese wrote Our boat was rigged with a Bachstelze This was a small single piloted helicopter attached to a 150 metre long steel cable and lifted into the air by the speed of the boat while the cable was gradually reeled out From his position aloft the pilot had a 360 degree view and could report any vessels 7 183 184 Legacy and influence editThe Fa 330 directly inspired Igor Bensen s interest in small autogyros which culminated in the Bensen B 8 and other modern autogyros In February 2013 Aviation Week and Space Technology reported that L 3 Communications was testing its Valkyrie an unpowered tethered autogyro that weighs 210 pounds 95 kg which is intended to serve as a cheap alternative to a shipborne helicopter Valkyrie is designed to hover as high as 5 000 feet 1 500 meters but is envisioned to operate typically at 500 to 1 000 feet 150 to 300 meters offering a 28 to 39 mile 45 to 63 kilometre field of view L 3 stated that naval vessels could easily be retrofitted with this system 8 Surviving aircraft edit nbsp FA 330A 1 100503 at RAF Museum Cosford Denmark edit 100032 On static display at Egeskov Castle in Kvaerndrup Faaborg Midtfyn 9 France edit 100150 On static display at the Le musee de l Air et de l Espace in Paris This airframe was restored using parts from Wk Nr 100115 or Wk Nr 100145 10 Germany edit 100042 On static display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich 11 12 100345 On static display at the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin 13 14 100406 On static display at the Hubschraubermuseum Buckeburg in Buckeburg 15 16 United Kingdom edit 100143 On static display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Duxford 17 18 100503 On static display at the RAF Museum Cosford in Cosford 19 16 100509 On static display at the Science Museum at Wroughton in Swindon 20 18 16 100545 On static display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Ilchester 21 100549 Awaiting restoration at the Lashenden Air Warfare Museum in Ashford 22 United States edit 60133 On static display at the Steven F Udvar Hazy Center in Chantilly Virginia 23 16 100463 On static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton Ohio 24 25 Specifications edit nbsp Drawing from U S recognition manual very likely copy of German drawing Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich 26 27 General characteristicsCrew 1 Length 4 42 m 14 ft 6 in Empty weight 68 kg 150 lb Main rotor diameter 7 32 m 24 ft 0 in Main rotor area 42 m2 450 sq ft 3 bladed rotor Performance Cruise speed 40 km h 25 mph 22 kn on tow Never exceed speed 80 km h 50 mph 43 kn on tow Minimum control speed 27 km h 17 mph 15 kn on towSee also editHafner Rotabuggy Man lifting kite Petroczy Karman Zurovec tethered helicoptersReferences edit a b c Petite Bob April 2015 Vertical Rewind Spoils of War Vertical Magazine Archived from the original on 25 April 2015 Retrieved 25 April 2015 a b c Munson 1978 p 53 Ford Roger 2013 Germany s Secret Weapons of World War II London United Kingdom Amber Books p 224 ISBN 9781909160569 Focke Achgelis Fa 336 Helgason Gudmundur Efthalia Mari Steam merchant Ships hit by U boats uboat net German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 26 August 2011 Focke Achgelis Fa 330A 1 Bachstelze Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum article at the Internet Archive Retrieved 3 May 2012 Giese O 1994 Shooting the War Annapolis United States Naval Institute ISBN 1557503079 Osborne Tony The autogyro returns Aviation Week and space Technology February 25 2013 p 26 100032 at Egeskov Castle Jun 2014 EuroDemobbed June 2014 Archived from the original on 3 October 2016 Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis Fa 330 A 0 Bachstelze Musee Air amp Espace in French Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze 1942 Deutsches Museum Retrieved 1 October 2016 Munich Deutsches Museum Germany EuroDemobbed Retrieved 1 October 2016 Flugzeuge und Flugkorper in der Luftfahrtausstellung des Deutschen Technikmuseums PDF Stiftung Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin in German December 2015 Retrieved 1 October 2016 Berlin Deutsches Technikmuseum Germany EuroDemobbed Retrieved 1 October 2016 Gyrocopters Hubschrauber Museum Retrieved 1 October 2016 a b c d Aircraft Database LPH2O LPH2O com Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis Fa 330 Imperial War Museums IWM Retrieved 1 October 2016 a b Wilberg Thomas Focke Achgelis FA 330 Bachstelze The Virtual Aviation Museum Thomas Wilberg Archived from the original on 3 April 2009 Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis FA330 Royal Air Force Museum Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum Retrieved 1 October 2016 An Fa 330 at Wroughton Robroy July 2004 Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis FA330A 1 100545 Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Museum Fleet Air Arm Museum Retrieved 1 October 2016 Matthews Trevor EXHIBITS LASHENDEN AIR WARFARE MUSEUM Lashenden Air Warfare Museum Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis Fa 330A 1 Bachstelze Water Wagtail Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Retrieved 1 October 2016 Focke Achgelis Fa 330 Sandpiper National Museum of the US Air Force 16 April 2015 Retrieved 1 October 2016 AIRCRAFT DRONES AND MISSILES AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U S AIR FORCE PDF National Museum of the US Air Force June 2016 Retrieved 1 October 2016 Green William 2010 Aircraft of the Third Reich Vol 1 1st ed London Aerospace Publishing Limited p 338 ISBN 978 1 900732 06 2 Focke Achgelis Fa 330A 1 Archived from the original on 4 January 2008 Retrieved 23 April 2020 Bibliography editMunson Kenneth 1978 German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour Poole Dorsett UK Blandford Press ISBN 0 7137 0860 3 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Focke Achgelis Fa 330 The FA 330 at NASM Helgason Gudmundur The Bachstelze German U boats of WWII uboat net German Submarine Borne Observation Rotor Kite Allied Intelligence Report Video of the assembly and operation of a Focke Achgelis Fa 330 aboard a German U boat on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Focke Achgelis Fa 330 amp oldid 1210344198, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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