Junkers A 50 Junior

06/30/2011. The most successful single-engined Junkers sports aircraft was the A 50 that first flew February 13, 1929. It was a two-seat low wing monoplane of metal construction with oval fuselage cross-section, completely covered with corrugated duralumin and fitted with a wheel undercarriage, replaceable by floats. The basic A 50 was fitted with an 80 hp Armstrong-Siddeley Genet engine and had straight wings, the subsequent versions also used the Genet or other 85 to 100 hp engines, and had foldable wings with a slight V-setting.

Contrary to all previous single-engined sports, courier and experimental aircraft, the A-50 was a well formed, almost beautiful aircraft. It proved its high performance on many occasions, for example, within two weeks in June 1930 Junkers company pilots established at Dessau-Leopoldshafen eight world records with an 80 hp Armstrong-Siddeley Genet engined float version.

Nonetheless, sales remained far below company expectations, as only 40 to 50 were produced. Some 20 became somehow involved in the pre-military aviation (Germany still was not allowed to form an air force). Among the exporting countries were South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Portugal, Finland, Switzerland and Japan.