69 (original production) 27 (new production, May 2023)
The Junkers A50 Junior is a German sports plane originally built during the 1930s.
Development
The Junkers A50 was the first sportsplane designed by Hermann Pohlmann in
Junkers works.[1] It had the same modern all-metal construction, covered with corrugated
duralumin sheet, as larger Junkers passenger planes.[1] The first flight of the A50 took place on 13 February 1929. It was followed by further four prototypes, in order to test different engines.
Junkers expected to produce 5,000 aircraft, but stopped after manufacturing only 69, of which only 50 were sold. The high prices probably inhibited sales. Apart from Germany, they were used in several other countries and some were used by airlines. The purchase price in 1930 in the United Kingdom was between £840 and £885.[2] Starting from the A50ce variant, the wings could be folded for easier transport.
Three German A50 took part in the
Challenge international touring plane competition in July 1929, taking 11th place (A50be, pilot Waldemar Roeder) and 17th place. Three A50 took part also in the
Challenge 1930 next year, taking 15th (A50ce, pilot
Johann Risztics), 27th and 29th places.[1] In June 1930 a series of eight
FAI world records for altitude, range and average speed were set on a
floatplane variant of A50 with the Armstrong Siddeley 59 kW (79 hp) engine. In 1931
Marga von Etzdorf flew an A50 solo from Berlin to
Tokyo, the first woman to do so.
Design
Metal construction sports plane, conventional in layout, with low cantilever wings, stressed corrugated
duralumin covered.[1] Two-spar wings were folding rearwards or could be detached.[1] Crew of two, sitting in
tandem in separate open cockpits (if it flew without a passenger, one cockpit could be closed with a cover). Two-blade propeller. Conventional fixed split axle mainwheel
landing gear, with a rear skid.
New production
In 2022,
Junkers Aircraft Works began production of a modernized version of the A50 known as the A50 Junior. This new A50 features modern avionics, a 100 hp (75 kW)
Rotax 912iS engine driving a composite
MT-Propeller, and a
ballistic parachute. As of May 2023, 27 new A50s have sold in Europe, and plans have been made for
WACO Aircraft Corporation to produce aircraft for American customers.[3][4][5]
During the
2024 Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo, Junkers unveiled the A50 Heritage. The A50 Heritage is marketed as a more authentic version closer to the original A50.[6] It is powered by a
Verner Scarlett 7U radial engine and features a two-piece glass windscreen and analog instruments.[6][7]
The -ce and -ci variants were produced in the largest numbers with about 25 of each on the German civil register.[9] Due to their construction, the A50 were durable aircraft and they lasted long in service. The last plane was used in the 1960s in Finland.[1] There is one A50 preserved in
Deutsches Museum in
Munich and another in
Helsinki airport. One A50 (VH-UCC, c/n 3517) is in airworthy condition in Australia.
New production
A50 Junior - Modernized version of the original A50 powered by a 100 hp (75 kW)
Rotax 912iS engine.[4]
A50 Heritage - Version powered by a
Verner Scarlett 7U with a two-piece windscreen and analog instruments.[6]
An example is currently on display in Helsinki Airport. Registered as OH-ABB, it was flown by Väinö Bremer to Cape Town in a historic flight.[citation needed]
Specifications (A50ba)
Data from Junkers aircraft and engines, 1913-1945,[14] Junkers: an aircraft album[15]
1 X as second letter is for experimental aircraft or imported technology demonstrators not intended for service,
2 Hyphenated trailing letter (-J, -K, -L, -N or -S) denotes design modified for secondary role, 3 Possibly incorrect designation, but used in many sources