Harman Patil (Editor)

Koolhoven F.K.51

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Wingspan
  
7.77 m

Manufacturer
  
Koolhoven

Length
  
7.85 m

Koolhoven F.K.51 httpsimgrcgroupscomhttpmembersziggonlh

The Koolhoven F.K.51 was a 1930s Dutch two-seat basic training biplane built by the Koolhoven Company.

Contents

Design and development

Koolhoven F.K.51 Koolhoven FK51 quotDutch Versionquot Review by Glen Porter Special Hobby

The Koolhoven F.K.51 was the winning design in a 1935 Dutch government contest for a new trainer. Designed by Frederick Koolhoven the prototype biplane trainer first flew on 25 May 1935. The aircraft was an equal-span biplane designed to use a variety of engines between 250 hp (186 kW) and 500 hp (373 kW). It was a two-seater and had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (LVA) ordered 25 aircraft in 1936 and 1937, powered by a 270 hp (201 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah V radial engine. A further 29 aircraft were later ordered with 350 hp (261 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX engine. The Dutch Naval Aviation Service ordered 29 aircraft each powered by a 450 hp (335 kW) Pratt & Whitney radials. The Royal Dutch East Indies Army bought 38 aircraft between 1936 and 1938 each powered by a 420 hp (313 kW) Wright Whirlwind. The Spanish Republican government ordered 28 F.K.51s, 11 with 400 hp (298 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IVa radials and 17 aircraft (designated F.K.51bis) each powered by a 450 hp (335 kW) Wright Whirlwind R-975E radials. Production totaled at least 142 aircraft. Twenty-four fuselages of the F.K.51 were assembled at Aviolanda.

Operational history

Koolhoven F.K.51 WINGS PALETTE Koolhoven FK51 Netherlands

While the majority of F.K.51s were employed as elementary trainers within the Netherlands or in reconnaissance roles by the Royal Netherlands Air Force in the Dutch East Indies, twenty-eight were clandestinely sold to the Republican government during the Spanish Civil War, all despite a Dutch embargo on the sale of arms to either side of that conflict. Some of those arriving in Spain were used as light bombers by the Republicans in the Cantabrian region of Spain.

Koolhoven F.K.51 WINGS PALETTE Koolhoven FK51 Netherlands

The F.K.51s were in active use in Royal Dutch Flight Schools during 1939–1940 in the training of young Dutch pilots. The majority of F.K.51s were destroyed in May 1940 on the ground by attacking Luftwaffe aircraft.

Operators

 Netherlands
  • Dutch Naval Aviation Service
  • Royal Netherlands Air Force
  • Royal Dutch East Indies Army
    •  Spain
  • Spanish Republican Air Force
    •  Spain
  • Spanish Air Force

    • Specifications

    Data from Combat Aircraft of World War II: New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.

    General characteristics

    Koolhoven F.K.51 Koolhoven FK51 Review by Mark Davies Special Hobby 172

  • Crew: 2 (one observer or student, one pilot or instructor)
  • Length: 7.85 m (25 feet 9 1/3 inches)
  • Wingspan: 9.00 m (29 feet 6 1/3 inches)
  • Height: 2.80 m (9 feet 2 inches)
  • Wing area: 27.0 sq m (290.63 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 1,010 kg (2,227 pounds)
  • Loaded weight: 1,600 kg (3,527 pounds)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah IX, 9-cylinder, air-cooled radial piston engine, 261 kW (350 hp)

    • Performance

    Koolhoven F.K.51 Koolhoven FK51 RC Groups

  • Maximum speed: 235 km/h at 2,280 m (146 mph at 7,462 feet)
  • Cruise speed: 215 km/h (133 mph)
  • Range: 730 km (454 miles)
  • Service ceiling: 5,600 m (18,370 feet)

    • Armament

    Koolhoven F.K.51 Koolhoven FK51 Wikipedia

  • Guns: Two fixed forward-firing 7.9 mm (0.32 inch) machine gun in wings, one similar weapon in a flexible mount in the rear cockpit

    • Avionics
    Provision for one camera

    References

    Koolhoven F.K.51 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA