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Dittmar HD 153 Motor Möwe

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Top speed
  
165 km/h

Designer
  
Dittmar HD 153 Motor-Möwe httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

The Dittmar HD 153 Motor-Möwe was a West German light aircraft that was first flown in November 1953.

Contents

Design and development

The Motor-Möwe, designed by Heini Dittmar who had designed the HD 53 Möwe sailplane, was a motorized development of this sailplane and was initially designed to be powered by engines of 48–63 kW (65–85 hp). The HD 153 prototype was a two-seat side-by-side high wing monoplane powered by a 48 kW (65 hp) Continental A65 engine and was of wooden construction with detachable wing and tail assemblies to facilitate road transportation when needed. A second prototype aircraft was fitted with a 45 kW (60 hp) Hirth engine.

Operational history

The aircraft was designed for private and club use and served as a trainer and glider tug. Heini Dittmar was killed in 1960 when his Motor-Möwe crashed near Essen/Mulheim airport. Small numbers of the type were completed by the end of 1960 and on 1 January 1961 four HD 153 and four HD 156 Motor–Möwen appeared in the West German civil aircraft register. By 1965 four HD 153 and five HD 156 Motor-Möwen were registered in West Germany. By 2007, no examples were known to be active.

Variants

HD 153 
two-seat aircraft
HD 156 
three-seat aircraft fitted with additional side windows

Specifications (HD 153 with A65 engine)

Data from

General characteristics

  • Crew: one
  • Capacity: one passenger (334 kg (736 lb) payload)
  • Length: 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
  • Wingspan: 11.99 m (39 ft 4 in)
  • Height: 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area: 18.3 m2 (197 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 370 kg (815.5 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 699 kg (1,542 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 75 l (19.81 US gal; 16.50 imp gal) + optional 200 l (52.83 US gal; 43.99 imp gal) overload tank
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental A65 four-cylinder piston, 48 kW (65 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch wooden propeller, 1.798 m (5 ft 10.8 in) diameter
  • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph; 89 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 144 km/h (89 mph; 78 kn)
  • Range: 650 km (404 mi; 351 nmi)
  • Ferry range: 1,872 km (1,163 mi; 1,011 nmi)
  • Endurance: 4.5 hours (13 hours with overload tank)
  • Service ceiling: 4,499 m (14,760 ft)
  • Time to altitude: 6 minutes to 1,000 m (3,300 ft)
  • Fuel consumption: 24 mpg‑imp (12 L/100 km; 20 mpg‑US)
  • References

    Dittmar HD 153 Motor-Möwe Wikipedia