Fieseler Fi167

 

The requirements of the German Navy before and during World War II spawned several intriguing aircraft, ranging from the famed Arado seaplanes to the less well known Fieseler Fi167. It is one of the many interesting aviation designs of the period.

The Fi167 was made to meet a requirement for a ship-based, two-seat aircraft, that was to serve as both a torpedo bomber and reconnaisance aircraft. Both Fieseler and Arado submitted proposals, and each had prototypes built. But under testing in late 1938, the Arado prototype (the Ar195) was unable to meet the requirements set out for it.

The Fi167 V1, however, managed not only to meet but exceed the specifications. The aircraft was a two-bay biplane with foldable wings. The body was mostly metal, but with some fabric covering. It also had fixed landing gear (including the tailwheel), braced tail and was powered by a Daimler-Benz DB601B engine.

Like it's cousin, the famed Fi.156 "Storch", the Fi167 possessed remarkable low-speed performance. This was the result of the wing design. Both sets of wings had ailerons and full-span slats along the leading edges. When this was combined with the lift from the biplane wings, it meant that the aircraft could sink extremely slowly, even when nearly vertical, with the pilot in complete control of the aircraft.

 

Unfortunately, this aircraft was made to serve on the carrier Graf Zeppelin. When construction on the carrier was halted, so was the production of Fi.167s. When the carrier's construction was restarted in 1942, it was decided that a navalized version of the Junkers Ju.87 would do just as well.

 

A total of twelve Fi.167s were produced, and they were shipped off to the Netherlands for testing with Erprobungsstaffel 167, and nine were eventually sold to Romania.

Technical Data

 

Manufacturer: Fieseler

Type: Two-seat Reconnaisance/Torpedo Bomber

Powerplant: One 820-kW (1,100hp) Daimler-Benz 601B 12-cylinder inverted Vee piston engine

Performance: Maximum speed 325 km/h (202mph); service ceiling 8200m (26,905ft); range 1500 km (932 miles)

Weights: Empty 2800kg (6,173lb); maximum take-off 4850kg (10,692lb)

Dimensions: Span 13.50m (44ft 3 ½ in); length 11.40m (37ft 4 3/4in); height 4.80m (15ft 9in); wing area 45.50 meters sq. (489.77 sq ft.)

Armament: One fixed forward-firing 7.92mm (0.3in) MG17 machine gun, one MG15 (7.92mm-0.3in) on pivoting mount in rear of cockpit, maximum load of one 1000kg (2,204lb) bomb, or one 756kg (1,687lb) torpedo.